Babies stop crying instantly with trick shown in this viral video

Could it be? A way to position babies that will instantly – almost magically – stop them from crying? In a recent YouTube video featuring a pediatrician from Pacific Ocean Pediatrics in Santa Monica, Calif., Dr. Robert C. Hamilton introduces “The Hold” and blows the minds of parents everywhere.

The viral sensation, uploaded on Nov. 29 has amassed over 5,700,000 views so far, and continues to climb. It highlights Hamilton’s baby-holding technique, with actual screaming babies. With parents nearby, Hamilton demonstrates how the specific hold, combined with a series of gentle rocking movements, will instantly calm crying babies who have just received vaccinations. He claims that the hold can be used anytime with a crying newborn, and it will be effective as long as the baby isn’t crying due to illness or hunger. (Or presumably, a soiled diaper.) Dr. Hamilton suggests that the hold is best for babies up to three months in age – any older than that and they are likely too heavy for the position.

With today’s reliance on the Internet to provide solutions for many day-to-day problems and inconveniences, it’s no surprise that a common Google search is, “How do I get my newborn to stop crying?” I have a nine-month-old – I’ve been there. There’s nothing quite like dealing with a screaming newborn to test your sanity – especially one who has been fed, burped and changed and continues to wail more ferociously than should even be possible. If the instant popularity of the video shows us anything, it’s that there are many, many desperate parents out there who are eternally hoping for foolproof answers.

The response to the video seems to be a mix of excitement and disbelief: “Does this really work?!” Many parents who have tested out the technique have shared their own positive results while others credit the effectiveness of the hold to the baby’s reaction to something new. In other words, the baby being distracted and experiencing an unfamiliar sensation is what does the trick – not the specific technique itself. That being said, I’d be willing to trust a practicing pediatrician of 30 years enough to at least give it a try.

The nature of the hold, which involves wrapping baby’s arms across his chest while he’s facing downward and securing them like that with pressure from the palm of your hand, could be compared to the positive effects of deep touch pressure or deep pressure therapy for those who suffer from anxiety and hypersensitivity. Deep touch pressure was traditionally executed with squeeze machines, developed in the early ‘90s by Temple Grandin, Ph.D. More recently, inflatable articles of clothing like the Snug Vest, as seen on Dragon’s Den, have become popular. Both are considered common types of coping strategies and treatments for autistic individuals – especially children.

Dr. Hamilton’s miracle hold might be new in the public sphere, but the positive benefits of deep pressure therapy have been proven time and time again. At the very least, even if the hand exuding pressure isn’t doing the trick, there’s always the other hand on baby’s bottom creating a mini twerking motion for some brief entertainment. Hey – it’s worth a try.