Not fragile like a flower.
Fragile like a bomb.
- Frida Kahlo
this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2025
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With my worst napper I worked out the trick of getting them to fall asleep on my shoulder, then a slow smooth tilt forward down to the crib mattress.
Not a smooth enough motion and… KABOOM
As a non parent, do they explode?
sometimes when you go to put them down they can get startled awake, and what happens after that definitely gives off the explosion vibes.
The initial sound of a baby crying in the middle of the night when you're already exhausted triggered something that felt like an electric jolt through my brain.
Also we had a couple diaper blowouts that felt like explosions (more like when a tube of biscuits explodes though really).
I was told when you put them down you have to do it butt first and then slowly lower their head down otherwise some kind of reflex kicks in that wakes them up?
I don't have first hand experience, but I will soon 😬
yes, they can get really startled by that, but with ours I have noticed that she seems to even get spooked by the temperature of the mattress sometimes. it can help to gently hold their arms and legs still for a minute after putting them down because they fling them all around and wake themselves up
Thank you for this! I don't know how I will manage when my little one arrives but these tips will be invaluable in what I assume will be trial and error.
Congrats and good luck! You're going to do great! Children are amazing.
After putting down a sleeping baby / toddler down hundreds of time, I don't fully understand why it works or fails, but thanks, I'll take note of this.
One thing I've noticed, is that doing it veeeery slowly helps. But it can be hard to pull off with a toddler who feels heavier than a neutron star.
Yes, mostly from one end, but sometimes both.
In a manner of speaking.
Often
When you're rocking them to sleep, watching the eyelids slowly close, then BAM 👀
My oldest was terrible as a baby. I finally understood why people shake their babies to death. Sleep deprivation is used as torture for a reason.
So much this. Nothing enrages me or cuts short my fuse as much as depriving me of sleep. A tip for new parents: a crying baby is a live baby; walk away and let them cry if you need a reset.
I helped raise my sibling’s young twins. One slept fine. The other wanted cuddles and would erupt in crying moments after being put down.
The hardest days were when they got a little older, and we were trying to accustom the cuddler to falling asleep alone. I’d bring the baby monitor to the basement and wait out the crying. It sucked, but there really is no other way.
Thank goodness his brother was able to sleep through it most of the time.
Yes, absolutely. If you just cannot handle it anymore, put the baby on the floor and leave the room to breathe.
100 of their breaths, uninterrupted by any movement, change or disturbance of any kind. That was my hard learned rule.
Absolutely terrifying putting down a light sleeper. Terrifying. 😭
[a terrorist planting a baby on a supporting wall of a building] wait, something feels wrong ....
[his house explodes in the distance]
I'm glad the comments are about startling you baby awake by accident. They reframed my original thought that the meme was referencing SIDS, which is a bit dark but also a real concern. Not sure the traditional advice of always putting your infant on their back is still the best, so please consult your pediatrician.
That’s the current advice in US: back is best. Nothing in the crib with kiddo (no blanket etc).
As a side note, the random wake ups are like a built in anti-SIDS feature in a way.
Man, got lucky with mine. Both of those animals slept anywhere, anytime. And it's not like my ex took all the heat, we tagged teamed them bitches. "fine... my turn..."
Secret sauce: If they can only fall asleep, and stay asleep, in perfect darkness and quiet, you're raising a hellion. So raise a little hell!
Not one of those, "Meh, let 'em cry." parents. Now you're raising insecure teenage hellions. No. But stop pussy footing around. Your ancestors fucked in the same bed as the kids, they'll be alright if the TV is a little loud.