Boy With Down Syndrome Dubbed ‘Baby Whisperer’ After Calming Inconsolable Crying Baby

For 6-year-old Welles Peterson of Salt Lake City, Utah, empathy for fellow human beings comes second nature. Despite being born with a developmental disorder that affects both his mind and body—he has Down syndrome—love is something Welles is well endowed with.

Welles’s family has always known that he had a knack for giving a little more of himself to those who need it most—so much so that Welles’s kind acts spread online, and the internet now calls him a “baby whisperer.”

Welles’s propensity for comforting others went public after the boy’s mother, Oakley, 33, was babysitting the neighbors’ new baby, Alek. The infant seemed inconsolable; try as she might, Oakley was unable to calm the baby down.

Enter Welles.

“Alek would not calm down. Nothing I did would calm him,” Oakley told Good Morning America. Welles asked to hold Alek, and Oakley agreed. “Within seconds, the baby calmed down,” Oakley recalled. She recorded the transcendent moment on video.

The Video Goes Viral

Welles’s “baby-whispering” abilities became apparent, and she captured a sweet video of the touching moment. She shared the video on Facebook, where it quickly went viral. Over 15.6 million viewers have viewed the heartwarming video so far, and many were blown away by the 6-year-old’s tender treatment of the fussy baby.

Overwhelmed viewers sent messages of love and positivity to the mom and her young son. Welles was quickly dubbed a “Baby Whisperer” by his most avid fans.

The mom of three said it’s “just part of who Welles is.” Down syndrome, Oakley said, is less of a burden and more of a gift to the Peterson family.

“At every family reunion or big dinner, he finds the person struggling,” Oakley shared.

“My sister was pregnant and knew her baby would pass away shortly after birth,” Oakley continued. “Usually I can’t get Welles to sit still, but he would just sit with her and hold her. He knows how to sit with someone in their grief.”

To date, Oakley’s sister’s baby has spent over four months in the NICU. Welles, ever the empath, has been his aunt’s “rock” throughout the tenuous time, his mom revealed.

A New Baby and a New Outlook

Six-year-old Welles was born on Sept. 11, 2013. His Down syndrome diagnosis came as a complete shock to both his parents.

“When we were in the hospital when Welles was in the NICU, I just knew that he had this mission of positivity to spread,” Oakley told People. Amid the family’s shock, the baby boy’s special qualities quickly shone through.

“Even going through the process of mourning the loss of who I thought I was having,” Oakley opened up, “I could feel the specialness from him and this crazy, unconditional love.

“Initially, my thought was our whole lives are going to change. I’m constantly surprised, because I find we can still do trips as a couple and fun family adventures.

“It’s not holding us back, we do all the normal things and [Welles] just brings more perks to the table.”

The mom explained that her son gets a lot of enjoyment from new sensory experiences in particular. He adores the textures of plants and the way different objects feel on his lips.

“He appreciates and loves in a way that we are not able to do,” Oakley said. “He has this lust for life that is so beautiful. I just knew that there was something about him that I needed to share.”

Oakley did share; the mom of three started a blog called Nothing Down About It, where she has been “celebrating ‘Up syndrome’ since 2013.”

Advocacy and Awareness

On Welles’s sixth birthday on Sept. 11, 2019, Oakley shared a picture on Facebook of the day her baby son was born. “I used to feel shame looking at that puffy-eyed woman who had no clue what she was in for,” Oakley wrote. “Now I feel gratitude.

“I’ve come so far, the way any mother would when experiencing the greatest surprise of her life, such as Welles. All that you are, all that you’ve taught us, the light you shine on this world ... you’re as pure and beautiful as it gets, my son.”

Ultimately, Oakley has a message for everyone: “This not [sic] a terminal illness,” she explained, speaking to People. “This is not some kind of horrible disease. Down syndrome isn’t a tragedy.”

Oakley hopes that sharing Welles’s story will help alleviate misconceptions about people with special needs.

October is Down syndrome awareness month. As such, Down syndrome advocacy programs throughout the United States organize sponsored “Buddy Walks” across the nation for people with Down syndrome, their friends, families, and supporters alike.

The Buddy Walks raise awareness and funds for the continuation of the programs that benefit people with Down syndrome. The National Down Syndrome Society helpfully lists all walks by state.

“We might see things differently, live differently, worship or not worship differently, have different dreams and ideas,” Oakley shared on Facebook, “but we can all be inclusive and kind.

“That seems like an good mindset that can tie us all together.”