Reduce Baby's Crying: Double cuddles Halves crying

Doubling the amount of time you cuddle your new born baby halves the amount of time they will cry.

A survey of hundreds of mums and dads, by Wilkinet, shows that children who are cuddled constantly – for example while being held in a baby carrier – were more likely to be ‘confident in themselves’ and ‘sociable’ than children who were not carried.

And the cuddling is still beneficial for adults, 80 per cent of women and 75 per cent of men say that a cuddle is still the most popular option when they want to be reassured, far more effective than eating, drinking or shopping. This research backs studies from the Department of Paediatrics at the Montreal children’s hospital, which shows that in studies babies who were cuddled for five hours a day (twice the time of the average two and a half hours) cried fifty per cent less than the average baby.

The National Academy of Sciences has looked at the level of hormones in the body following a good cuddle. Oxytocin and Arginine Vasopressin, which play a role in response to stress and social bonding, rise after both adults and children, are cuddled.

Gideon Wilkins of Wilkinet says: “Scientific evidence suggests we should all cuddle more! But in particular babies really do benefit from being cuddled as much as possible. This is impossible to do for hours on end unless you really do nothing at all, but by wearing a Wilkinet you can get on with life while providing that valuable support for your baby. We even have yoga teachers teaching within weeks of giving birth because they can cuddle their babies while exercising!”