It’s every parent’s nightmare when their newborn is wailing in agony due to gas, and not knowing how to alleviate the discomfort can be heart-wrenching.
However, The Enchanted Nanny, dubbed TikTok‘s Mary Poppins, has swooped in to aid beleaguered parents. Danielle Anne Manton-Kelly, a mother-of-four who dispenses parenting wisdom online, took to TikTok to share a video demonstrating a technique for holding newborns that can ease their discomfort swiftly.
She credits an osteopath named Lucy for introducing her to the ‘hold’ after the birth of her son William, claiming it can “stop newborn pain from wind in minutes”.
The method involves standing with the baby cradled in your arms while gently cycling their legs, which purportedly promotes digestion and soothes the infant. Lucy stresses the importance of this technique before babies start “crawling or walking around” as they “need a bit of help with that movement”.
Within moments of Lucy initiating the leg movements, the baby appears noticeably relaxed, flashing a smile and then drifting into slumber. Contrary to common practices, Lucy asserts: “What you see an awful lot of is people polishing their babies’ tummy, but that does absolutely nothing.”
“If the tummy doesn’t have movement, then the milk gets a chance to sit and move too slowly through there, and then it can ferment and produce wind in their tummy and that then is painful. By just lifting up here and doing a figure of eight you’re stretching that side and you’re stretching that side.”
As the health professional continues the gentle motion, the baby visibly relaxes, “hanging his legs down” in contentment, while an astonished Danielle exclaims: “I’ve never seen him stretch out like that that’s amazing.”
The clip, since its re-upload, has gone viral with over 1.9 million views, sparking a wave of comments from parents who lament not knowing the trick earlier. One parent shared: “I wish I knew this with my now eight-year-old, he suffered so bad with colic,” and another chimed in: “I wish I’d known this for my son, he was so bad with colic.”
Colic, characterized by excessive crying in babies where no clear cause is evident, is a common issue that tends to improve after three or four months. Parents concerned about colic can seek advice from NHS 111 or consult with a GP.
Danielle also runs a website called The Enchanted Nanny, which serves as a resource offering guidance and support to fellow parents.
