Mum-of-six shows how to transfer a sleeping baby from your arms into the cot
The absolute stress of this.
If you are a parent, you are no doubt familiar with the very nerve-wracking move of trying to successfully transfer your sleeping baby from your arms (or the car seat or pram) into the cot for nap- or bedtime.
I lost count of how many times I had to abort the mission and start all over again when my babies were still doing naps.
However, it seems I might have been missing this very crucial trick.
Lynda Harding, a UK mum-of-six from the UK and self-described sleep-expert, recently took to TikTok to share a tip that may help us all navigate the cot transfer that little bit easier.
Bum first, head last
Harding shared the step-by-step video with her 90,000 followers, and captioned it:
"Does your newborn baby wake up every time you put them down to sleep? This could be why."
The video starts with Harding holding a baby doll over a cot. She then demonstrates what she says is a commonly used but problematic technique.
"Putting your baby down so their head and shoulders touch the mattress first can give them the sensation of falling and trigger the startle reflex, even when they're sound asleep," the mum-of-six explains.
"To remedy this, try putting them down so that their bum, back and then their head touches the mattress."
She adds, "Why not give it a try. This small change can make a big difference."
"I'm always nap-trapped"
The TikTok video has been liked over 30.000 times, with plenty of parents thanking Harding for her sleep hack.
"Why wasn't this tip here when my baby was a newborn?" complained one person.
"About to try this now. She’s woken up the last four times I’ve put her down so here goes," wrote another mum hopefully.
However, not everyone who tried it found it to work for them and their babies.
"Nope, doesn't work," one parent wrote.
Another one added:
"My baby wakes as soon as I lean over the cot to put him down."
Another one shared those same struggles:
"Immediately when he doesn’t feel my body anymore, his eyes shoot open. I’m always nap trapped!"
One TikTok user complained it was easy to demonstrate the 'hack' with a doll, like Harding, but much harder to actually make this work in real life.
Let us know – how do YOU manage the cot transfer? Got any genius tips to share?
