The 5 S's for Soothing a Crying Baby

Newborn crying can feel impossible to interpret — is it hunger, wind, tiredness, or nothing identifiable at all? The NHS’s own guidance is refreshingly honest that sometimes there’s no single findable cause, and crying simply needs to be ridden out with comfort rather than solved like a puzzle. The “5 S’s,” developed by paediatrician Harvey Karp and popularised in his book The Happiest Baby on the Block, is one of the more genuinely useful frameworks for that in-between space — not a magic fix, but a structured set of techniques worth trying in combination.

Why it works: the calming reflex

The idea behind the 5 S’s is that a newborn’s first few months are still, physiologically, an extension of life in the womb — a loud, warm, constantly moving, gently constrained environment. Recreating pieces of that environment can trigger what Karp calls a baby’s innate “calming reflex,” most reliably in the first three to four months of life, after which it fades as babies become more aware of and responsive to the outside world instead. A 2019 study in PLOS ONE measured this directly: swaddled infants who were shushed and gently jiggled showed lower heart rates and less fussiness than infants left in a supine position without those cues — real physiological evidence behind what’s otherwise an old, somewhat folk-remedy-sounding idea.

The five techniques

Swaddle. Wrapping your baby snugly (with the hips left free to move — see our full swaddling safety guide) recreates the contained, snug feeling of the womb and prevents their own startle reflex from working against them.

Side or stomach position, in your arms only. Held against your chest or along your forearm, angled slightly onto their side or front rather than flat on their back, can feel calmer to a crying baby than being held upright or flat. This position is for active soothing in your arms — always place your baby back on their back for sleep.

Shush. A loud, continuous “shhh” sound, or white noise, mimics the whooshing blood-flow sound babies hear constantly in the womb, which is far louder than most parents expect — gentle shushing often isn’t loud enough to register over a baby’s own crying.

Swing. Small, rhythmic, fairly quick movements — gentle bouncing, swaying, or rocking — echo the constant motion of being carried around during pregnancy. Big slow rocking is often less effective than smaller, quicker motion, though every baby responds a little differently.

Suck. Sucking — at the breast, a bottle, a clean finger, or a dummy once feeding is well established — has a genuinely calming, almost sedative effect on newborns, tied to their sucking reflex.

Using them together

Few babies settle from just one of the five in isolation; the technique is designed to be layered — swaddled, held on their side in your arms, with a loud shush and small swinging motion, offered something to suck on. Which combination works best varies baby to baby, and it’s worth experimenting rather than assuming the “textbook” order is what will work for yours. A freshly changed nappy is also worth ruling out before assuming the crying needs a soothing technique at all — discomfort from a wet or soiled nappy is one of the most common, and most fixable, causes.

What it won’t fix

The 5 S’s is a soothing technique, not a treatment — it won’t resolve reflux-related crying during feeds, and it won’t shorten a genuine episode of colic (excessive crying in an otherwise healthy baby under five months, which the NHS notes can simply run its course over hours with comfort being the only real option). It’s a tool for the ordinary, cause-unclear fussiness that makes up most newborn crying, not a fix for an underlying medical issue. If the crying settles once you pick your baby up, skin-to-skin contact itself has a genuine calming effect well beyond the newborn days, not just in the first hour after birth.

When it’s more than ordinary crying

Contact a doctor urgently if crying is accompanied by a high or unusually low temperature, difficulty breathing, an unexplained rash, repeated forceful vomiting, or noticeably fewer wet nappies than usual. Those signs point to something beyond ordinary newborn fussiness, and no amount of swaddling or shushing is the right response to them.

Frequently asked questions

Do all five of the S’s need to be used every time?

No — most parents find combining two or three works well, and which combination helps varies by baby. Treat it as a toolkit to draw from, not a fixed five-step sequence to follow exactly every time.

How long does this calming reflex actually last?

It’s strongest in the first three to four months, broadly the same newborn window during which the startle (Moro) reflex and swaddling are most relevant — after that, most babies respond better to other soothing approaches as they become more aware of their surroundings.

Is there real evidence behind the 5 S’s, or is it just tradition?

There’s genuine research support — a 2019 PLOS ONE study measured real reductions in infant heart rate and fussiness when swaddling, shushing, and gentle movement were used together, not just anecdotal reports.

What if none of the 5 S’s is working?

Rule out the basics first — hunger, a wet or dirty nappy, tiredness, being too hot or cold — and if crying is prolonged and inconsolable despite that, it may be colic, which the NHS describes as sometimes needing to simply be waited out with comfort rather than solved.

When does crying stop being “normal” and become a medical concern?

When it’s paired with a fever, breathing difficulty, an unexplained rash, repeated forceful vomiting, or a noticeable drop in wet nappies — that combination warrants contacting a doctor rather than trying more soothing techniques.

References

1. NHS — Soothing a crying baby. nhs.uk
2. Möller, E.L. et al. (2019). Infant crying and the calming response: Parental versus mechanical soothing using swaddling, sound, and movement. PLOS ONE. journals.plos.org