Baby Crying and the “Transportation Response”

Babies crying a lot is normal. But...

Human babies are said to cry more frequently than Japanese macaques or chimpanzees, and can sometimes be difficult to soothe.
For 95% of children brought to the hospital due to concerns about crying, no specific medical issues are found, and it is considered within the normal range. Even so, excessive crying can cause parents to worry and feel stressed. In medieval times and earlier, opium-laced syrup was sometimes used. Even today, persistent crying can sometimes be a factor in child abuse.

Therefore, research into safe methods to calm a baby's crying is considered necessary.。

Transport reaction

The reduction in infant crying and increased calmness through carrying while walking was first demonstrated in a paper by the Kuroda Laboratory (then at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute) in 2013. The same response is observed in other mammalian babies, such as mice, when carried by their parents. This was named the “transport response.”

Press Release: How Walking While Holding Your Baby Helps Them Relax

YouTube Video: How Walking While Holding Your Baby Helps Them Relax


Furthermore, it was reported that continuing to walk while holding the baby for an additional 5 minutes promotes sleep in crying infants.

Press Release: The Science Behind Calming Crying Babies and Getting Them to Sleep

YouTube Video: The Science Behind Calming Crying Babies and Getting Them to Sleep

Further research is needed on the mysteries of infant crying and sleep.

However, many mysteries still surround babies' crying and sleep. For example, a 2022 study found that when babies who had finally fallen asleep were placed in their cribs, one-third woke up. How can we put babies to bed without disturbing their sleep?
Therefore, the Kuroda Laboratory is currently developing SciBaby with support from the Japan Science and Technology Agency's CREST program, conducting research using infant physiological data transmitted from homes.

'Childcare DX: Controlling Infant Night Crying and Predicting Sleep Onset through Wearable System Development'

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