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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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A dad-of-three has revealed his inspired parenting hack for ensuring his young son is tired before bed.
Chris, a physician's assistant who lives in South Florida, told Newsweek getting his 5-year-old son ready for bed has always been a bit of a challenge. "He's very active with a ton of energy," he said, preferring to keep his surname private. "He loves playing with his two sisters, playing sports, being outside, and using his imagination."
Having a set bedtime routine is crucial to maximizing the amount of time a young child rests. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care found a clear correlation between children who follow a bedtime routine and longer sleep duration.
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Every child is different, though, and Chris quickly became aware that physical activity needed to play a role in his own son's routine. "I noticed the more tired my son gets, the more energy he has, so we always try and do something active before bed," Chris said.
However, it wasn't until his son came home from school after a particularly stimulating science lesson that he hit upon a way of channeling that energy into a nighttime activity.
"His school was teaching him about kinetic energy, and we were talking about it at home. He got this amazing idea that, if he moved, it could charge his iPad," Chris said. "So I told him we would try it and see if it worked."
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Chris took to TikTok, posting under the handle @the_solodad three days ago, to show off his impressive parenting hack.
"I think my rug is going to catch fire," Chris wrote alongside the video, which has now been watched over 13.6 million times.
"You're accidently creating an aerobic athlete," one user posted.
"Bro is about to power a whole city," a second commented, with a third adding: "That thing on 115% [battery life] now."
Chris has been heartened by the response to his video. He said that he first began posting clips on TikTok "to inspire other parents and show the reality of being a working parent taking care of three kids."
"I think a lot of people can relate to that," Chris said. "I shared the video because I thought other parents would get a smile out of it and want to try it with their own children as it worked so well with mine."
Chris added that he's also pleased to report that not only is his son continuing to "charge" his iPad, he's experimenting with some alternatives. Chris, meanwhile, is always seeking out new ways to keep his kids on their toes, both literally and figuratively.
"He loves doing experiments, so he is currently trying to think of another way to make it work," Chris said. "There are many fun videos on YouTube made specifically for children and their parents that make exercise a game. It's great for those bad-weather days when you're stuck inside."
If you have a parenting tips, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
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