Any parent has been there: It's late at night and you're trying to comfort a crying baby — holding them, patting them and singing a lullaby. You'll do anything to help them fall asleep. Then at last, they settle, but as soon as you lay them down, the crying resumes and the infant-soothing cycle begins once more.
According to a new study, there may be a simple, science-based technique to prevent the never-ending sleep routine: walking. Researchers from the Riken Institute have determined that carrying the baby and walking for five minutes significantly increases the chance of the child falling asleep. But make sure you wait for five to eight minutes more before putting the baby in bed, which makes them less likely to wake up again, they say.
The study was published in the journal Current Biology on Wednesday.