Scientists described the most effective method of motion
Small children can begin to sob incorpolously at any time of the day and anywhere, while their long scream can cause discomfort not only to parents and surrounding people, but also the kids themselves.
Pediatricians have long known that usually a small child stops crying when the mother begins to walk and download the child in her arms. But the universal scientific way to calm the child has not yet been invented.
Therefore, a group of researchers from the Center for the study of the brain of the Riken Institute tried Track the connection of physiological reactions with the behavior of infants, to find effective reassurance technique. The results are published in the journal Current Biology.
The study participated 22 babies under the age of seven months and their mother. As part of the experiment, mom had to reassure the child in four ways:
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swinging in his arms when walking;
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Holding in his arms in a sitting position;
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laying in the crib;
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Riming in a crib or stroller.
The performance of each task lasted from 30 seconds to five minutes. During the tasks of babies, the ECG signal was removed, and their behavioral reactions were recorded on the camera. ECG and recorded video synchronized to understand how physiological and behavioral indicators correlate.
The first way was the first. Babies after walking with them in their arms stopped crying. After a five -minute walk 5 out of 11 babies successfully fell asleep, And not one of them cried by the end of the assignment.
After the baby calmed down safely and fell asleep in his arms, he was laid in the crib, because of which some children woke up again. This happened with 9 out of 22 babies – they woke up sharply 20 seconds after laying.
Scientists associated this sharp awakening with a change in the position of the head and activation of the cardiovascular system. It turned out that the child would not sharply wake up in the crib, if it does not lay it right after falling asleep, but hold it sleeping in his arms for another 5-8 minutes.
This time corresponds to the duration of the initial phase of sleep, which is characterized by a low threshold of excitement. Therefore, scientists concluded that sitting with a sleeping baby in his arms is the most effective way to wait out this fragile phase of sleep.
If you sit near a screaming baby or put it in this state in a crib, this will not help, but on the contrary, it will strengthen his indignation. Scientists believe that, despite contact with the mother, a baby who was not shook in his arms when walking, The transport reaction is not activated, Therefore, it is more difficult for them to calm down.