According to the news in News Wise, the latest research contains hope for parents whose babies cry excessively and refuse to sleep.
The researchers compared the responses of 21 infants under four conditions: being held by their walking mothers, being held by their sitting mothers, lying in a still cradle, and lying in a rocking cradle.
It turned out that the crying babies, held by their mother while walking, calmed down and their heartbeats slowed down within 30 seconds.
More effective results were seen in the five-minute walk of the crying baby in the mother’s arms. All crying babies in the study stopped crying and nearly half fell asleep.
A similar calming effect occurred when babies were placed in a rocking cradle, but not when the mother held the baby sitting or put the baby in a still cradle.
The study recommended that parents hold crying babies and walk with them for five minutes, and then hold their baby for five to eight minutes before putting them to bed.
The research, supported by the RIKEN Center for Brain Science and the Japan Science Promotion Association, is published in the journal Current Biology.