This program is delivered to parents of infants who are 0 to 6 months old and is intended to impact parents and infants.

Happiest Baby, also known as Happiest Baby on the Block, is a family and community-based intervention that intends to teach parents methods to reduce infant crying, increase infant's sleep, and reduce the risk of child abuse.

No peer-reviewed evaluations that examined the program with the stated target audience or independently of other interventions were located.

Happiest Baby intends to meet a number of goals, including promote family strength, enhance parental confidence, prevent postpartum depression and shaken baby syndrome, and increase infant sleep. However, the intervention's core goal is to soothe crying infants by presenting a set of techniques called the 5S's, which are based on the idea that infants are comforted by sensory experiences that mimic the womb:

• Swaddling, which is snug wrapping, is the first step used to help calm a baby. Loose blankets around the face and overheating should be avoided.

• A side or stomach position is thought to ease the falling sensation babies may feel while lying on their backs.  Babies are held in these positions for soothing; although, when they are not being held, babies should only sleep on their backs.

• Shushing should be as loud as the baby's cries and can be provided by the caregiver or by a CD of white noise or womb sounds.

• Swinging consists of back and forth movements with the baby's head carefully supported.

• Sucking is accomplished by feeding the infant or providing a pacifier.

At least three of these techniques are typically needed to soothe a distressed infant. Happiest Baby educators teach participants how to use these techniques safely and provide a DVD for home use that demonstrates correct swaddling, a white noise CD, and a short written guide that describes safety points.  

There are more than 3,000 Happiest Baby educators at hospitals, clinics, military bases, health departments, and community programs and classes in 25 countries.

In order to become a Happiest Baby educator, individuals must meet one of the following criteria: be certified or licensed in a pregnancy/infant care-related specialty (e.g., childbirth education, massage therapist), have at least 1 year of teaching experience as a parent educator, or be licensed or have an advanced degree in a mental health profession. Educators must become certified in order to teach the curriculum at a registered Happiest Baby site.  The certification program is a self-paced, home-study program that includes a 2-hour training DVD, required reading, and an open-book exam. Online certification costs $195 per person, regular certification costs $275 per person, and an Institute Discount for any institution that certifies 5 instructors costs $1,100.  Recertification must be completed every 3 years. For more information, please visit https://thehappiestbaby.org/educator-registration/

Considerations for implementing this program include recruiting individuals to become certified educators or identifying local educators who are already certified, locating a space to hold classes, and recruiting and obtaining buy-in from participants.

The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

If you are interested in implementing Happiest Baby, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you!
Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

The intervention is presented as a single 2- to 3-hour course.

Digital parent kits cost $8.95 each each and parent kits with a DVD cost $10.95 each.  Additional materials are available at https://thehappiestbaby.org/shop/

To move this program to the Promising category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence, at least one evaluation should be performed demonstrating positive effects with the target audience and without simultaneous implementation of other interventions.

The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program.
Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: Clearinghouse@psu.edu

You may also contact Happiest Baby Education Association by visiting https://thehappiestbaby.org/contact/

https://thehappiestbaby.org/ and Harrington et al. (2012).

Harrington, J. W., Logan, S., Harwell, C., Gardner, J., Swingle, J., McGuire, E., & Santos, R. (2012). Effective analgesia using physical interventions for infant immunizations. Pediatrics, 129(5), 815-822. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-1607