Bouncing and Swaying Baby

Why Do Babies Love Rhythmic Movement?

By Shannon McKelden

Whether it's jiggling or bouncing, swaying or rocking, there's just something about motion that can bring calm to even the fussiest infant. From the moment of birth, anyone who comes in contact with a crying baby instinctively starts to move. But what is it about movement that is so soothing to a cranky infant?

"I believe that babies are comforted by environments that duplicate the safety of the womb," says Dr. Vicki Rackner, president of Medical Bridges, which empowers people to take a more active role in their health and wellness. "The shhh, shhh that quiets babies is the sound they experience with each beat of the maternal heart. Similarly, they are bounced all the time in the womb!"

But it's more than just familiarity that makes babies enjoy movement. It's actually all part of their neurologic development.

"Newborn babies come into the world after spending many months growing in the mother's uterus and feeling the rhythm of her movements," says Marsha Baker, an occupational therapist for Erikson Institute's Fussy Baby Network in Chicago, Ill. "During this time, the baby is developing a basic part of its own nervous system that reacts to movement. This is called the vestibular system. When babies are born, they already have a way to respond to being held and moved."

It seems mostly instinctual, knowing how to move a baby, and maybe it does come naturally to most moms. But every infant is different, and what works for one might not work for another.

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