In a hilarious TikTok video, a dad reveals how he discovered a way to sit down while holding his newborn—without her crying
Parents everywhere know the struggle: you have a newborn who hasn’t quite figured out sleeping. You’re exhausted. You’d give anything to sit down and relax for a minute. Except that babies everywhere have one thing in common: they require being held while standing or walking—no sitting allowed.
But thanks to one dad, we may finally have the solution. In this hilarious TikTok video, baby Charlie’s father appears to have cracked the code for how to sit without her crying.
“Rule number one when you’re taking care of a baby: Always, always stand up or walk around when you’re holding that baby,” he explains. “Don’t you ever even think about sitting down.”
@charlie_and_aj What a journey it was to finally sit down with Charlie. AJ is the exact same way 😂 the technique at the end is 100% effective against all babies 😂😂
♬ original sound – Charlie and A.J.
He then sits down to demonstrate that as soon as an exhausted parent tries to take a load off, it’s like baby’s cue: they start to cry.
But Dad is determined to figure out a way to rest, so the video cuts to the next day, and he explains it’s time to experiment. You know, for science.
“OK, gonna try a couple different techniques where I can maybe sit down while holding Charlie,” he says. “I was thinking maybe if I, you know, sit down extra slowly, she’ll have no idea. OK, let’s see.”
He then lowers himself, ever so slowly, into a seat. You can see the concentration on his face—and the confusion on Charlie’s. For a minute, it looks like it’ll work. But as soon as Dad stops moving, Charlie looks around and starts to cry. Fail.
For his next attempt, Dad thinks, “Maybe if I distract her.” So as he sits, he makes funny faces and noises. But this attempt fails, too. As soon as his butt is in the chair, Charlie is crying.
Is there any hope for parents who just want to rest for a minute? Well, thanks to his experimenting, yes. After his several failed attempts, he lands on the solution: if he cries before Charlie does, she’ll let him sit in peace. He demonstrates, sitting down and bursting into fake sobs and cries of “I hate sitting in this chair!” Charlie, confused and concerned, forgets to cry. And all of a sudden, Dad is sitting and baby is still calm. A true miracle.
So parents, when you need a break, here’s the cheat code. You’re welcome.
