When a baby cries, a mother’s first instinct is to carry the child. According to a recent study featured on the Huffington Post, this may be the best way to calm him down.

Researchers from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Saitama, Japan monitored 12 healthy infants between one to six months old. The study aims to find the best way to soothe a baby in 30 seconds.

The researchers found that babies automatically stopped crying when they were carried by their mothers while walking. Even when taking to account factors such as the child’s gender, the mother’s age, and even the speed of walking, the results were clear: babies get soothed faster when carried by their mothers while walking as compared with those whose mothers remained seated.

Researchers believe that maternal walking may be a better strategy to quell short-term irritations rather than other rhythmic motions like rocking back and forth or moving the baby up and down. However, it is merely a temporary solution. In instances when the baby does have a reason to cry, lead study author Dr. Kumi Kuroda recommends using this technique to buy you more time to figure out what is bothering your child in the first place.

(Photo by George Ruiz via Flickr Creative Commons)