Tired Mom Makes a Smart ‘Fake Hand’ to Soothe Her Crying Baby to Sleep

Being a mother is not easy, especially when you are caring for a newborn baby.

The newborn is always in need of attention. A mom has to feed it, frequently change diapers, and soothe the baby around the clock.

Taking care of a baby 24/7 can all seem pretty exhausting. It was even more tiring for busy Massachusetts mom Abigail Rivera Garcia, who was looking after two infants—then-16-month-old Jeremiah and then-2-month-old Anayah.

Jeremiah and Anayah were both born as preemies; thus, they require extra care.

Even worse, Anayah has colic and reflux. As a result of her tummy discomfort, the baby was “super cranky,” and constantly wanted to be held.

“It got to the point where I couldn’t put her down for more than 10 minutes without her crying,” Garcia, 23, wrote for Love What Matters.

Having her hands full, Garcia certainly hoped someone would be able to lend her a hand to help soothe her crying baby.

So, when Garcia came across a clever tip to calm a crying baby online, she gave it a try.

Using her mom’s plastic glove, she poured some rice into it before tying it tightly to make a “fake hand.”

“The moment I laid her down and placed the glove on her back, she stopped crying which was such a relief!” Garcia wrote.

The worn-out mom finally got her break as Anayah slept like a baby, thanks to the comforting touch of the rice-filled glove.

Wanting to help out other busy moms, Garcia happily shared the glove tip on Facebook.

“Saw this and it’s BEST THING I’VE DONE YET! she forever wants to be held and now i get my break. It’s just rice in a glove & Let me tell you it works,” she wrote.

Garcia’s post went viral, eliciting more than 15,000 reactions from readers online.

While some social media users raved over the smart hack, others were worried the plastic glove may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

One child care health consultant advised: “Evidence has proven thru many years of autopsies that sleep related deaths ie. SIDS can be prevented by placing babies on their back with nothing else in crib at least till they can rollover on their own.”

Still, most thought highly of the idea.

“Brilliant idea wish I had thought of it!!!” one user wrote.

Responding to the criticism on Facebook, Garcia wrote: “My baby never sleeps with all the blankets around her or near this window; she has a crib for that. This was just a quick picture and she was being monitored the whole time.”

“I know about sids etc. both My babies are fine so thank you for the concern.”

Every mother has her own take on how to care for a newborn. The glove hack may not work for every baby, but we’re glad it worked wonders for Abigail and Anayah—the baby simply loved it.