Mom Shares Rice Glove Hack for Getting Her Newborn to Sleep & Sparks Heated Debate
New parents in the baby stage know that the sleepless nights get old -- fast. That's why when someone has a tip for how to get their little one to sleep (or at least stop crying) they listen. Especially if it's a hack that a fellow mom swears by as working like a charm, exhausted parents take it seriously, which is why one mom's tip is going viral. Despite her rave reviews, however, many find Abigail Rivera Garcia's trick to be dangerous, and it's sparking a debate between parents excited to try it and others who are warning that moms or dads need to seriously think twice first.
Abigail shared a photo of her 2-month-old sleeping soundly with a "fake hand" and people are taking note.
"Saw this and it’s the BEST THING I’VE DONE YET!" the Massachusetts mom shared on Facebook. "She forever wants to be held and now I get my break ... Let me tell you it works."
Abigail tells CafeMom that her baby girl, Anayah, was born seven weeks early and is extremely colicky. Because she also suffers from bad reflux, she's "constantly cranky" and always wants to be held. Abigail, who also has a 16-month-old son, was at a loss for what to do. "It got to the point where I couldn’t put her down for more than 10 minutes without her crying," she says.
But then she remembered coming across a tip on Pinterest for how to trick babies into thinking that mom was still there: a rice-filed latex glove placed on their back. Abigail says that Anayah instantly responded to the sensation of mom's hand still there, even when this tired mom couldn't be.
The hack quickly went viral with more than 75,000 shares and 16,000 comments debating it.
"The moment I laid her down and placed the glove on her back, she stopped crying and that was such a relief!" she says.
Not everyone, however, thinks this trick is a good idea, but Abigail doesn't care about any negative comments. "Of course everyone has their own opinions on it -- some like it and some don’t -- but every mother knows their child," she says. "My daughter loves it and is doing fine. I posted it because I know how hard it is to not have a break due to kids, and if I can help a mom out, I definitely will."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SIDS, also known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, refers to any unexpected deaths during a child's first year of life without any explained cause. These deaths typically occur during their sleep, and to help reduce the risk of any sleep-related deaths, parents are advised to follow safe sleep practices. This includes always having baby sleep on his or her back and keeping any soft items out of the crib.