Dad's Parenting Hack for Napping With Baby Delights Internet: 'Innovative'

A dozing dad has delighted the internet with his ingenious life hack for looking after his napping baby while catching up on sleep himself.

Few things impact sleep more than the arrival of a newborn child. It doesn't end when they stop being babies or toddlers either with a 2019 study from the University of Warwick estimating new parents will face an eye-watering six years of sleep deprivation.

Given the lack of shut-eye many moms and dads will be facing, it's understandable that a few parents out there might be eager to catch up on their sleep whenever they can.

That can be tricky though due to the demands of childcare and work. However, one fresh-thinking dad appears to have hit upon the perfect way to not only get some rest himself but also enjoy a bit of bonding with his young son.

After all, when it comes to listing the perks of parenthood, few things rank higher than a cozy nap alongside your newborn.

That's where comedian and entertainer Patrick Williams comes in. In a video that has earned over 10 million views on TikTok, he showcased his clever trick for napping alongside his son Caleb on the family couch.

It can be watched here.

In the clip, he can be seen snoozing with Caleb resting on his stomach. There's no danger of him slipping off, however, as Williams has tucked his young son into the waist of his shorts

Explaining the parenting hack, Williams told Newsweek: "My son likes to lay on me and get a good nap in, sometimes I drift off as well. One day I woke up and he was not on me anymore and it scared me to death. So I tucked him there so he doesn't fall off."

"I have an engineering background, so I'm always thinking of different ways to make things better," he added.

While Williams' parenting hack is a clever one, it certainly appears reminiscent of the way a kangaroo carries its baby around in a pouch. Regardless of the inspiration, people on social media were quick to praise Williams' approach.

"You gotta give Dad some credit," victory71711 said. "I'm lovin' the creativity." Another TikToker, _averyr21_ agreed, writing: "Can't even argue. Safe sleeping for both of them. Whatever works."

OhsoLizzee was similarly impressed, noting that "his method serves 3 purposes" as "he's keeping that baby warm, he's securing the baby from falling and they're bonding." Amixcat said: "This is the definition of work smarter not harder" with faithtospeak writing: "Dads are very innovative when it comes to watching babies."

Elsewhere, la_booogiee branded the hack "genius" with meikaaro81 warning: "He better trademark this or someone will."

Asked if he could offer any other bits of advice to the doting parents out there, Williams suggests: "When changing a boy's nappy, put a small mouth rinse cup on them so you don't get sprayed by the sprinkler."

Above all else, he recommends moms and dads just try to enjoy it as much as they can.

"Parenting is exhausting but don't overthink it," he said. "Mistakes are going to happen and that's OK. As long as you do the best you can do that's what matters. Babies are small for a limited amount of time, love them as much as you can."

A dad and his sleeping baby.
A dad and his sleeping baby - Patrick Williams earned plaudits for his inspired parenting hack. peatyrayred/Patrick Williams

Update 5/19/27, 9:38 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Patrick Williams.

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more

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