Babies innately calm down when they are picked up, gently rocked or carried. Now science can explain why.  

Research published in Current Biology 2013 shows that this is a universal phenomenon. Infants experience an automatic calming reaction when they are being carried.

"From humans to mice, mammalian infants become calm and relaxed when they are carried by their mother," says Kumi Kuroda of the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan. Being held in a mother's arms is the safest place for a baby, and the mother can have peace of mind knowing her baby is happy, content, and relaxed. The fact that babies are neuro-biologically wired to stop crying when carried is a part of our evolutionary biology that helps our species survive.

What Induces the Calming Response?

The calming response is induced by the parasympathetic nervous system and cerebellum. The researchers found that the calming response was dependent on tactile inputs and proprioception. They also found that the parasympathetic nervous system helped lower heart rate as part of a mediated coordinated response to being carried.  Touch helps turn on the parasympathetic nervous system to a "relax and calm" mode. Herbs are also powerful to help innovate the parasympathetic nervous system. My favourites include chamomile, passionflower, lemon balm, motherwort and withania.

The Role of the Cerebellum in Calmness

The cerebellum protects the body from danger and prepares you for fight-or-flight by keeping track of everything going on in your environment. The ONLY time during the day that the cerebellum is allowed to let down it's guard to rest is during REM sleep. In infants, being picked up and carried sends automatic signals that allow the cerebellum to relax and create healthy vagal tone, which lowers the heart rate in infants. Perhaps this can be a mimicked in an adult by the swinging action of a hammock, preferably on a tropical island holiday! 'Resting' the cerebellum can include massage as therapy to also improve quality sleep. Great REM sleep support includes zizyphus, magnolia, lavender and magnesium. Chaste-tree also helps endogenous melatonin release.

What form of calming care do you use?  

Reference on request