Dr Karp: The Baby Whisperer

By Karli Steenkamp

Last month, Australia was graced by the visit of one of the world’s most trusted pediatricians and child development experts. He is a world-known American doctor, with over 25 years of experience that has been linked to names like Madonna and Pierce Brosnan. His parenting guides are such a hit with parents that he is now the world’s most renowned baby and sleep expert. Dr. Karp takes babies very seriously and his breakthrough discoveries are making life easier for parents every day. He knows babies, he is in tune with them and tries to teach parents how to do just that.

A humble person, a warm, friendly voice and knowledge that is golden; Dr. Karp figured out a solution to most parent’s trouble and that is sleeping. His newest invention the SNOO have people talking – even Jessica Biel and Kate Hudson are talking about this great product. During Dr. Karp’s visit, it was coincidentally the week that Australia celebrated its most popular due date on the 17th of September. Both of us were having a good laugh at the many reasons why that might be. He is more than willing to share his expertise to better the lives of all parents and children.

There are many challenges parents are facing today. It can be challenging to find a balance between working and parenting. When it comes to sleep time it could be a nightmare and the easiest thing is to put babies in our beds, which isn’t a safe option. I would love to hear about SNOO, your amazing creation.

Have you heard about ‘The Happiest Baby On The Block’? I believe babies are born too soon. There is what I like to call the fourth trimester. For the first few months, it can help to think of babies like a fetus… outside the womb. When you rock or hold babies they are calmer. When grandparents rock a baby and get it to stop crying, parents think they are doing something wrong, but it is the rocking motion from when they were in the womb. When you moved, your belly jiggled and the baby got use to this for 9 months. That is why we need movement and noise. The womb is louder than a vacuum cleaner.

We also accepted more help in the past. We had grannies, aunties and nannies that came over to help look after the baby. Now we try and do it alone and we don’t see people that much because we are so busy. SNOO acts as an older sister responding to the baby. Making noises and creating movement. SNOO is the safest bed ever made. It adds 1-2 hours of sleep for the baby by responding with white noise and motion. It has a sack that attaches to the side so that your baby can safely sleep on the back. You may only need to get up for a nappy change. SNOO was the Baby Safety winner last year; it won an Inaugural Sleeptech award from the Sleep Foundation and many more. It really improves quality of sleep and feedings.

If you do not get enough sleep, you do not produce enough milk and babies get upset or fussy. Enough sleep will help you to produce more milk and be more relaxed.

What if people can’t get the SNOO, what other advice could you give parents for sleeping?

The SNOO is an inexpensive product, it is not exclusively for the rich and famous, but can benefit middle class people as well. It works out at about $7 a day in Australia. If you use it for a second child then you can half that and of course you can sell it off once you are done. That is what a Redbull or coffee would cost you just to stay awake. But there are other things you can do. Play a CD with white noise and be alert to a babies sleep cues.

There is a running joke amongst parents that parenting doesn’t come with a manual, but then you came along with your groundbreaking discoveries. People call you the baby whisperer. Please take me through the calming reflex and the 5 S’s.

The calming reflex is an innate ability. It is like a knee jerk, if you do it in the right place it will happen a hundred times. Everyone can be a baby whisperer and there is a guide for parents. If you follow the 5 S’s correctly a baby should calm down. My video shows how to do it. The first one is the swaddling, not to tight and the hips must be loose, but they shouldn’t wriggle around. They should also not overheat. The side or stomach, just till they are calm, the back is the only safe position for a baby to sleep in. The shush – this should be louder than what you expect it to be. The swing – they should jiggle like when you take a drive and go over a very bumpy road and the head jiggles and then the sucking from a pacifier or nursing.

And if those 5 doesn’t work?

What a stupidly great question. If it doesn’t work, then you are doing it wrong. Watch the video again and then try it again. If you have done all that then you should maybe go to the doctor to check for food allergies or other underlying problems.

Please explain to me your concept of Toddler-ese?

Remember toddler-ese has three techniques: Repetition, short phrases and mirroring. You have to be empathetic. Empathy is important. Parents go too quickly to the ‘but’, without showing the empathy. When you apologise to an adult you are sincere, we should have the same energy.

On a more serious note, Postpartum Depression is a reality and more people are getting affected. Why is it so common, do you think it has to do with our busy lives or is it just more acceptable now?

It is a bit of both. Postpartum Depression is more of an anxious depression, where you check your baby constantly to see if they are ok or the parents that washes their hands all the time or can’t sleep.

Do you have tips on how to cope with Postpartum Depression?

You have to speak to people about it. Get a support network and speak to them. Also, you have to get enough sleep. They actually used sleep deprivation as a torture method years back.

What tips do you have for new parents or parents to be?

My slogan is, ‘Be flexible or die.’ Like if you get a caesarean instead of a natural birth. Prepare for anything.

What does the future hold for you Dr. Karp?

We want to rent the SNOO out per day like you would do with a breast pump, making it more accessible to all people. In 2019, we are starting that in the US and will hopefully bring that to Australia too.

What in your career are you most proud of?

I would say in all my years as a doctor, the SNOO has been sold to thousands of people and we did not have one death reported. So, that shows that we are saving lives.

SNOO can be bought online as well as Dr. Karp’s The Happiest Baby on The Block and The Happiest Toddler On The Block.