There may be times when your baby cries and the usual list (nappy? hungry? tired? wind?) have led nowhere...Hearing your baby cry is hard and all you want to do is make them calm.

There are many ways you can bring your baby down from a heightened state of upset while, or before, exploring the possible causes (of which the answer may just be...it's the end of the day, your baby has been exposed to a lot of new experiences, and just needs a break...and you!)

The 5 S's are a series of strategies that can often do a great job at quickly calming a baby, or even simply resettling them when they wake after a sleep cycle but still seem tired. They were coined by Harvey Karp (author of 'The Happiest Baby on the Block and designer of the Snoo... - a product I do not actively recommend...) to summarise easy methods of calming a newborn, based on the 4th trimester: 

Swaddling - This can (although it is very much dependent on your baby) help babies feel extra secure in an environment where they suddenly have much more space to flail about in! It restricts their ability to startle (there's lots more information out there on whether this is a good or bad thing...maybe one day I'll get into that) and can make them feel held when laid down to sleep.

Side/stomach position - Although this is not a safe position for unsupervised sleep, positioning baby on their side or tummy, against your body or temporarily in their sleep space and then rolling them over once calm and settled, can be a helful imitation of the position they were in in the womb. I often find holding a baby in such positions is a quick way to calm.

Shhhing - leaning close to your baby's head while holding them and 'shhhing' also takes baby back to the noises of the womb! 

Swinging - When in-utero, baby was in near-constant motion so mimicking this activity can help to trigger calm. This is a reason I'm such a big fan of babywearing, as it allows baby to be settled to sleep in motion but while held close and my hands are free!

Sucking - Non-nutrient sucking has been found to reduce stress and increase pain-relieving chemicals in the brain which also helps create calm and encourage settling (or re-settling). Dummies are obviously an option but I personally am also a big advocate for letting babies suck on their hands as a soothing mechanism (since they do it anyway...) as, unlike a dummy, these are constantly attached to them so it reduces the need for you to constantly be digging around for dummies, whether in the sling during the day or in the dark of the cot at night. When babywearing, I always make sure babies have their hands up by their face so that, should they want to, they can get their hands to their mouth. 

Nutrative sucking is also an option: Breastfeed/Feed your baby - sucking triggers certain hormones and neurochemicals as well as sleepiness in babies (hence feeding to sleep being a brilliant tool in your sleep toolbox!). Additionally, when feeding, they are close, warm and safe with their most important person: you! 

Rock-a-bye-baby or pat (a-cake) - rocking, swaying and patting calm a crying baby as they remind him of sensations from in the womb: the near-constant movement of your body while they were cozy inside and the gentle rhythm of your heartbeat.

Hold your baby - Babywear (inside or outside, skin-to-skin to bring them even closer to you, in different positions to find where you baby feels comfortable (gas or a recent jab may mean certain positions and areas are more uncomfortable when held).

Movement/a change of scene - get outside with your baby and wander around, run an errand or buy some cake. Make sure your baby is dressed appropriately for the weather (and so are you!) and you may find fresh air - or cake - is just what you both need! 

Bathe your baby - personally, when I'm stressed, tired or uncomfortable, a bath can be a great first step to relaxing and finding some relief. Make sure the water isn't too hot or too cold, and use a muslin to cover them so they feel extra held in the water. You could even have a bath with them! 

Let's keep adding to this list!