There’s more than one way to help your baby fall asleep. But one Australian father may have found one of the most unique techniques — swiping the baby’s head with a light piece of tissue paper.
In a video that’s garnered more than 5 million views on YouTube, Nathan Dailo tickles his baby’s face with facial tissue, which sends the young child off to dreamland.
“The tissue trick isn’t actually anything special. Any light touching on the baby’s facial areas such as the head, forehead or the bridge of the nose also works,” Dailo told Time magazine’s Sabrina Toppa.
Of course, this isn’t the only way to make a child fall asleep. Dailo says parents should find what works best for them and their baby, rather than depend upon one single method.
“Remember that each child is different, and what works for some parents may not work for others. And always use your instincts," Dailo told Time magazine. “You are the parent.”
Getting a new baby to fall asleep is troublesome for parents, and part of that is because babies don’t have normal sleep cycles. Experts told BuzzFeed this week that babies have shorter sleep cycles than full-grown adults and don’t need many hours of sleep to function.
“Human infants are not designed to sleep for long periods, it’s not good for them, and there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that there is any benefit to anybody from having a child that sleeps longer and consistently,” Peter Fleming, a professor of infant health at the University of Bristol in England, told BuzzFeed. “That’s not perhaps what most parents would like to hear.”
Experts advise parents to remain calm around their sleeping newborns and to stay by their sides so they don’t get stressed out. This will help keep babies calm and limit the amount of crying they do during the night.
Herb Scribner is a writer for Deseret News National. Send him an email at hscribner@deseretdigital.com or follow him on Twitter @herbscribner.