“When I examine the child in the hospital or here in my office I frequently make them cry,” Dr. Hamilton explained. “Over the years I’ve been able to really perfect this method of holding them, and it works well.”

First, he picks the baby up and folds his arms into his body. The doctor tucks first the right arm, then the left, over the baby’s chest. He then places one hand in this area to keep the arms crossed.

Next Dr. Hamilton tilts the baby forward, holding him at a 45-degree angle facing the floor. Much to parents’ surprise, the baby stops crying almost instantly. Is this magic? Many believe it is.

There is actually a scientific explanation for why this method works so well. The position of the arms is reminiscent of the child’s time in the womb. The baby was folded up inside his mother’s belly before birth, so this folding technique helps him to feel safe and enclosed.

The doctor rocks the baby gently forward and backward. It also works to stir the baby in a circle – it doesn’t matter which way. Dr. Hamilton believes that in the child’s mind this mimics the sensation of floating. Physically, the baby is able to re-enter a familiar situation, which provides him an immense amount of comfort.

The 45 degree angle is important as well. Babies spend a great deal of time laying on their backs, so they are accustomed to seeing the world from a certain perspective. Tilting them forward toward the floor changes everything.

The baby is now able to observe the world in a whole new way. “It’s almost as though the baby is going, ‘Oh, hello world. This is new. I like it,” observes one of the hosts of the Science Channel.

This combination of familiarity and newness is just like magic. The baby is physically comforted by the position, but intellectually stimulated by the shift in perspective. This new set of sensory information overwhelms the baby’s urge to cry, putting the noise to a stop right then and there.

Many parents only dream of the moment when their baby will finally stop crying. Thanks to Dr. Hamilton, this time can come much more quickly and more often than parents had previously hoped. His technique will spare countless parents headaches and agony.

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