Whether you’re a full-time parent or just a casual babysitter, if you have ever had the pleasure (not!) of caring for a fussy newborn, then you know just how draining the endeavor can be—especially when it comes to bedtime. Fortunately, there are plenty of techniques that you can try to help get that little one snoozing in no time.
Today’s hack comes to us from a Michigan woman by the name of Lauren Session. Recently, the 31-year-old mom was taking care of her newborn niece A’mire while her sister was in the hospital.
Like anyone thrust into a situation like that, Lauren had a bit of a tough time adjusting to the infant’s schedule, especially when it came to bedtime. That being said, the aunt did have quite the trick up her sleeve.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, the auntie recalls the events that led her to this particular parenting epiphany.
“I hadn’t taken care of a baby in five years and this baby was very fussy because I believe she was missing her mother,” Lauren says. “I wasn’t getting any sleep after just working a 12-hour shift.”
We feel you, girl! There’s nothing worse than being dead tired while dealing with a cranky baby.
Eventually, the incessant crying led the aunt to remember a trick that she used to do when her own child couldn’t sleep. “I then remembered when my daughter was a baby and had a fussy moment, I would go into the bathroom and run the bathtub water and that would soothe her,” Lauren says.
Lucky for us, the resourceful auntie turned on her camera to show the rest of the world this smart hack—even before she knew whether or not it would work. Can you guess what happened next?
Why babies love white noise
A’mire isn’t just an infant with a super cool name; as you’ve probably surmised, she’s a babe who really loves the sound of running water—and she’s not the only one. Believe it or not, a good percentage of newborns are comforted by white noise or rushing water sounds.
In fact, a study conducted in 1990 showed that, from a group of newborns aged 2 to 7 days old, a whopping 80% fell asleep within the first 5 minutes of white noise being turned on.
Researchers think that infants respond so favorably to the sounds because the tones are rather similar to what both the outside world as well as the inside of the mother’s womb sound like in utero. Makes sense!
OK, enough with the details! Without further ado, here is the lovely Aunt Lauren putting her sweet niece to sleep with a little help from the bathroom sink. You just have to see how quickly the adorable A’mire falls into the “land of nod” once that faucet turns on!
We can’t wait to hear what you have to say about this resourceful bedtime hack. Have you ever tried this with your baby before? If so, how did it work out? Do you know of any others that you would like to share?