‘Five S’s’ soothe babies after shots

Calming children down after getting a shot is one of the toughest things that parents may face especially during the vaccination of their first baby.

Researchers at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Virginia say five easy tricks commonly used to deal with the pain of baby colic can also help parents calm their babies after vaccination.

The measures which they call the “5 S’s” include swaddling baby tightly in a blanket like a burrito, side/stomach position, shushing sounds, swinging back and forth and sucking (giving baby something to suck on such as a pacifier).

According to Dr. John Harrington and colleagues, using 4 of the “S’s” usually stops baby’s crying within 45 seconds after the shot, they reported in the journal Pediatrics.

The study which involved 230 infants and their parents also found that the sixth “S,” or sugar, which prior studies had recommended, didn’t provide any additional benefit when used with the first “5 S’s”.

Breastfeeding has also long been used to sooth fuzzy babies during and after infant immunizations but mothers who are not breastfeeding can consider the five S’s approach as a nice alternative, Harrington suggested.

SJM/TE

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