When you're a new mum, it sometimes feels like everyone has an opinion about how you should care for your baby and why. The parenting advice can be conflicting and overwhelming, with lots of different approaches and 'methods' for feeding, soothing and caring for newborns, depending on who you talk to.
One of these is the '5-8 rule', a science-backed method for settling babies to sleep that has a much gentler approach to other sleep training methods.
I'm a mum of two and never tried sleep training with my sons, as I never liked the idea of leaving them to cry alone, but this is a method I could get on board with. And with research showing that it is a highly-effective way of soothing a baby, it is something I would definitely have tried if I'd known about it when my little ones were babies.
To understand more about the 5-8 rule and how it can help to soothe babies to sleep, I caught up with therapist and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist Laura Todd, who shared everything mums need to know.
What is the 5-8 rule?
© Getty Images"The 5-8 rule is a form of soothing a baby down in order to help calm and put to sleep a crying infant. It involves five minutes of calm and consistent walking without stopping while holding your baby close to you. Then five to eight minutes of sitting while holding your baby in order to get them into a deeper sleep. Finally, you transfer the baby into their bed while they are in a stable sleep state without waking them up," Laura explains.
How can parents use the 5-8 rule?
This can be an effective way of settling a baby, particularly if they are over-tired and fussy at bedtime, when it feels like nothing else will work. The therapist explains: "This method can be helpful, especially if all other methods have been used in trying to soothe and transfer your baby to sleep in their own crib. It is also helpful when trying to help the baby get more used to sleeping in their crib, especially if parents have been doing contact napping up to that point. This is also helpful if parents aren't ready to do more direct sleep training methods, such as Cry It Out or Ferber Method."
© Getty Images/iStockphotoHow to calm a crying baby quickly
Unfortunately, the 5-8 rule or any other prescriptive settling method may not work for every child, as they are all so unique. "Each baby has their own individual preferences and desires for how to be soothed and calmed. While there are several methods that have been proven to work, each baby will have preferences for one method over another or a variation on that method," the parenting expert says.
"Some babies really like a lot of movement to be soothed, while others prefer little movement and just close contact. In the end, figuring out which method works best for your baby's unique sensory system for being soothed is how you can calm your crying baby quickly."
