Dad shows how unrealistic ‘sleep when the baby sleeps’ really is and tired parents are all agreeing

Parenting comes with a lot of compromise. While raising a child demands all of their care and attention, most parents unwittingly agree to an unspoken treaty of sacrificing their sleep. A dad-of-four, Rhett Scheurn(@rhettscheurn), summed up his bedtime struggles with a fleeting clip that shows his baby sleeping next to him while the annoyed dad buries his head into the pillows to get some sleep. New parents tend to fret over losing sleep after childbirth, but the best advice that exists is to sleep when the baby sleeps. Catching a rest when the baby is asleep appears to be the ideal opportunity for parents; however, there is little truth to that. 

In a viral clip with over 28.5 million views, Scheurn, who shares funny parent memes on Instagram, lies next to his 5-month-old baby daughter, tired of her coos and noises while sleeping. “When they say: ‘sleep while the baby sleeps,’” an overlay text on the snippet teased. The father hinted that getting some sleep while the baby sleeps is a myth that many parents are lured into, but barely get enough rest. Depicting the situation, the sleep-deprived parent grunts at his baby, whimpering on the bed, which seemed to have disturbed his sleep. “No sound has ever been more accurate, LOL,” the post was captioned, suggesting the parents used a viral baby sound to share the relatable post. 

Scheurn’s desperation for some shut-eye certainly did resonate with several on the internet. The clip was liked by 358,000 people, most of whom were parents to newborns and tagged their partners in the comments. One person (@tamieiam) wrote, “I’m going through this right now.” While another (@kii.ya.h) shared, “Cutest little noises ever. My baby is only 1 week old and I do nothing but hold her so whenever I sit her down she makes noises, because she doesn’t like being laid down.” “I be grunting like that too ‘cause I got to get out of the bed,” admitted @serenity_ssllc and @kashclark44 related, “OMG, I thought my baby was the only one that did this!” A worried parent (@tshidimolapo8) asked, “What’s happening, honestly, because I’m worried I can’t sleep but nothing is happening.” 

A few people also found the noises adorable. “So true, I don’t sleep unless she doesn’t make that sound,” wrote @dirksnorita while @naomiwilliams0619 expressed, “I love this sound though, LOL. It’s endearing and adorable.” According to Dr. Vyas, a pediatrician and founder of Sleepless in NOLA, the baby noises are linked to their immature musculature, which obstructs them from having smooth bowel movements or gas passage. “Babies are noisy. They are noisy when sleeping, noisy when pooping, and all around noisy,” the expert said, per Motherly. However, The Sleep Nanny, Lucy Shrimpton, advised parents to squeeze in some much-needed sleep whenever possible as it is non-negotiable to ensure self and the child’s well-being. “Even mindful rest can have amazing benefits,” she told Newsweek, suggesting that focusing on the absolute needs at hand can help tackle the problem. 

You can follow @rhettscheurn on Instagram for more videos.