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Soothing the Savage Newborn, and Other Grandmother Tricks
By K.C. Summers, November 7, 2014 02:37 PM
As I reimmerse myself in the world of newborns (seven weeks and counting) after three decades off, I’m constantly amazed by the cool new inventions that make baby care so much easier the second time around. How did we boomer parents survive without resealable diaper tabs? Velcro swaddler blankets? Strollers with cup holders?
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But the resource I prize above all others, the thing that has truly made a difference in the quality of my granddaughter’s life (and therefore her parents’ and mine) is … YouTube. Specifically, YouTube videos of hair dryers operating at full speed.
Downloaded on our smartphones, the loud, endlessly whooshing videos have saved us on car rides and in restaurants, doctors’ waiting rooms, grocery stores and other retail establishments. Behold:
This video, and others like it (vacuum cleaners also work), has sent our little munchkin off to dreamland when rocking, singing and swaddling have all failed.
Who knows why she responds? Who cares?
You’re welcome.
Photo: Fabio Boari Fotografo/iStock
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