How to calm crying babies and help them sleep longer

Harvey Karp, M.D., will present a hands-on, day-long skill-building seminar that teaches parents and caregivers how to turn on a baby's calming reflex - the virtual off-switch for a baby's crying, Tuesday, Nov. 1. Karp, a pediatrician, child development specialist and author of "The Happiest Baby on the Block," also will present scientific support for why the "missing fourth trimester" - not gas, immaturity or temperament - is the predominant cause of persistent crying in infancy.

Attendees will learn, by demonstration, the five "S's" to activate the calming reflex - swaddling, side/stomach positioning, shushing, swinging and sucking. These effective techniques can empower new parents, and enable health care professionals to counsel parents with new babies to feel more confident and competent.

These techniques can also help parents cope with colicky crying, avoiding unnecessary prescription of medication, parental exhaustion, marital stress and the deep-seated desperation that frequently contributes to postpartum depression and shaken baby syndrome.

The event:

When: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Where: The Inn at St. John's, Plymouth, Mich.

Registration: $99 and includes lunch, course materials, Karp's book and DVD, "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and the Soothing Sounds CD. Register online, at www.preventchildabuse.org/ConferenceEvents/seminarMI.html.

Registration deadline: Sunday, Oct. 16.

This event is sponsored by the University of Michigan Health System's Child Protection Team, the Washtenaw Area Council for Children and Prevent Child Abuse America.

Contact: Prevent Child Abuse America's Ann Johnson, at (312) 334-6845 or Rebecca Loden, at (312)334-6809.

Source: University of Michigan

Did you know?
Harvey Karp, M.D., will present a hands-on, day-long skill-building seminar that teaches parents and caregivers how to turn on a baby's calming reflex - the virtual off-switch for a baby's crying, Tuesday, Nov. 1. Karp, a pediatrician, child development specialist and author of "The Happiest Baby on the Block," also will present scientific support for why the "missing fourth trimester" - not gas, immaturity or temperament - is the predominant cause of persistent crying in infancy.