Home Baby Help This Mom’s Newborn Sleep Hack Will Totally Save Your Tired Arms By Erica LoopNovember 16, 2018 Search more like this sleephacknewbornhazardcoffeedreamlandencouragementsubstitutesupervisionrubberparentalcribwakecross Read next Baby Help The Best Organic Clothes for Babies & Toddlers Baby Help 45 Pumpkin Carving Designs That’ll Wow the Neighborhood Baby Help Target’s Best Holiday Deals Start Sooner Than You Think Baby Help This Larger Than Life Mister Rogers Monument is Exactly What the World Needs Baby Help Want a Free Donut on Halloween? Here’s How to Get One from Krispy Kreme Ah, sleep. You close your eyes and…boom, you’re out. But your baby? Well, your baby probably needs a little more encouragement than that. This newborn sleep hack is the new mama’s answer to getting baby off to dreamland—without an impromptu (and totally unwelcome) wake-up. You’ve been there. Your gentle patting ushers baby into a state of blissful sleep. With your little love clearly drifting off, you sneak your hand away, crossing your fingers and hoping they won’t wake anytime soon. But the moment your hand leaves your baby’s belly, they’re up—and crying. Sigh. Photo: Echo Grid via Unsplash Australian mom (or should we say mum?) Melissa Dykstra has a solution for this all-too-common problem. Dykstra posted her hack on the Baby Hints and Tips Facebook page, writing, “Going on 20 minutes now and she hasn’t realized she will crack it when she wakes up but for now I actually get to finish my coffee!!” Dykstra’s magical hack includes an inflated rubber cleaning glove places gently on her baby’s belly. The light pressure mimics mom’s patting hand—minus the actual mom. With more than 7,200 reactions and 11,000 comments, it’s clear that mamas from around the world are into this helpful hack. Even though Dykstra’s hack can free your hands, perhaps giving you a moment to sip a much-needed cup of coffee, it isn’t a substitute for parental supervision. Never place a heavy or over-inflated glove on baby’s belly and don’t leave your baby alone with the glove in their crib. Ever. Not even for a moment. If your baby rolls over or the glove moves, it could pose a serious safety hazard. So how can this hack help if you shouldn’t leave your newborn alone with the glove? It temporarily gives your pat-happy hands a mini break! Yep. You can sit back and watch baby serenely sleep without having to constantly rub their belly. —Erica Loop RELATED STORIES: Science Proves “Sleep Like a Baby” Really Is a Lie What’s Keeping Your Kid Up at Night? Not Screen Time, Study Finds How Much Would Parents Pay for an Extra Hour of Sleep? A LOT, It Turns Out
