London - The mystery of why a baby is soothed by being picked up has been unravelled by Japanese scientists. New research not only confirms that babies deeply relax when they are carried, but goes on to explain the physiological processes at work.
An instinct hardwired by evolution causes crying babies to calm down when transported in their mothers’ arms.
They say that when babies are picked up and carried, their heart rate slows and they “automatically and deeply” relax.
But this doesn’t happen when they are simply held, the study found.
The scientists behind the work say their study is the first to demonstrate that the a baby’s response to being carried is a co-ordinated set of nervous, motor and cardiac regulations.
The findings, published in the journal Current Biology, could help parents who have trouble pacifying their babies, claim the scientists.
“This infant response reduces the maternal burden of carrying and is beneficial for both the mother and the infant,” said lead scientist Dr Kumi Kuroda, from the Riken Brain Science Institute in Japan.
The researchers believe the calming response is a survival trait preserved by evolution in many mammals, including lions and squirrels.
The research involved measuring electrical brain activity in both human babies and mouse pups.
When infant mice are carried by their mothers, they adopt a characteristic compact posture with limbs flexed and stop emitting high pitched squeaks.
In mice, the calming response was dependent on the sense of touch and the ability to perceive body movement.
The findings may have important implications for parenting, say the scientists.
“Such proper understanding of infants would reduce the frustration of parents and be beneficial, because unsoothable crying is a major risk for child abuse,” said Kuroda.
The study authors wrote: “Although our study was done on mothers, we believe that this is not specific to moms and can be used by any primary caregiver.” – Daily Mail