People are shocked at a dangerous ‘baby sleep hack’ involving an electric mixer

Yes, babies can experience bouts of sleeplessness that seem to last days.

And yes, a desperate parent will do anything to get their baby to nod off. But still - how could anyone think this was a good idea? One parenting tip that's currently doing the rounds on the internet involves tying your child's bouncer to an electric mixer to keep it rocking and soothe the baby to sleep with some gentle white noise. Consider all that could go wrong. An electrical fault or the mixer overheating could result in a fire less than a foot away from baby's head. If the mixer gives out, baby could be flung forward out of the bouncer or, more worryingly, if the band got tangled and pulled the bouncer backwards, she'd be headed for the mixer's spinning blades. Users on the Reddit thread where the dangerous 'hack' was first shared were horrified by the idea.

"This video to me is similar to dangling a baby off a 10 story balcony for sh**s and giggles," wrote one commenter. "This is a cautionary tale waiting to happen," said another.

So yes, it's probably best to use your foot to rock your baby rather than resort to something as potentially lethal as this.