Most parents know what it is like to feel tired, especially those with newborn babies. A mum has shared a hilarious video revealing just how exhausting being a parent can be—as it shows her partner sleeping with his head pressed against the side of their baby’s crib.
In the clip, shared by TikTok user Lauren Festa in January, the dad appears to have fallen asleep while leaning over the cot, with his head resting on his arms. He is sprawled out face-down across the bed, next to a sleepy-looking golden retriever and a cat. The cot is empty, as mum Festa had already picked the baby up.
Festa, who filmed the scene, posted the video on TikTok with the caption: “Tell me you’re a dad of a newborn without telling me.”
In the comments, she said it had been a “rough night” and that her partner eventually woke up to help her with the baby. So far, the clip has been liked more than 9,000 times and shared more than 200 times.
One commenter said: “Even the dog is like I’m exhausted.”
Getting your baby to sleep through the night is a challenging task that all parents have to face. In 2019, a study published in the scientific journal Sleep, found that new parents face as much as six years of sleep deprivation following the birth of their first child.
The researchers found that sleep quality and duration was lowest during the first three months postpartum, with mothers losing around 40 minutes of sleep a night over the first year of a baby’s life.
Getty Images
In 2023, a childcare expert told Newsweek that establishing a bedtime routine is a crucial step when trying to get your baby to go to sleep.
Tami Wornham, a baby sleep consultant, also said parents often miss sleep cues, which means they try to put their child to bed when they are already overtired. It also helps to keep the room free of clutter, dark and at the right temperature for sleep, which is between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius (60 and 68 F).
To help your baby sleep at night, experts recommend not changing your baby unless they need it, avoid playing with them and to put them down as soon as they’ve been fed and changed. It can also help to keep nap times consistent during the day.
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok.
If you have a family dilemma, let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.