TikToker Shows How She Checks To Make Sure Twins Haven't Fallen Asleep in the Car

We've all been there—driving home from a play date or errands and desperately trying to keep a baby awake, so they can nap at home, and you can get stuff done. I have personally blasted music, opened the car windows (yes, even when it's freezing outside) and furiously pet my baby's hair, imploring him, "Don't fall asleep!" (Or, more accurately, "DON'T FALL ASLEEP!") While we all have our little tricks for attempting to rescue nap time, one twin mom has taken to TikTok to share how she keeps her babies from dozing off until they arrive safely at their house. I say on behalf of parents with cars across the country, "Thank you!"

The creator, who posts by the name hi_its_laura, notes that it is especially challenging to keep kiddos awake when they are still in their rear-facing car seats because you can't always see if they have succumbed to sleepiness on the sly. The TikTok twin mom then explains in her short video, posted from her vehicle, "This is how I make sure my babies are still awake in the car."

She says, "Let me see your foot," and we see two adorable tiny tootsies appear from each of the rear-facing car seats behind her. Awake status confirmed; times two! As the creator noted in the comments about why this mission to mitigate those car naps is so critical, "It'll ruin their nap time usually. They nap for like 5 minutes then get cranky in the evening."

Oh, how I feel that pain! Can we just talk about how if a baby falls asleep for an instant that's literally it? Like, game over! I can't get my 1-year-old to nap for the rest of the day if he drifts off for even a second in the car. It's as if babies build up a sleepiness bank and if you withdraw from that savings in a given day, your ability to take out more sleep capital is blocked for (a very long) 24 hours.

Meanwhile, commenters on this mom's TikTok were loving this hack for avoiding the dreaded car catnap but, to be fair, just as many folks were there to share how precious those baby feet are. And one fellow parent of multiples dropped the mic with a follow-up hack that works well for older children who have advanced to forward-facing car seats. "Did that with my twins when they were little too," they said, adding, "Now if they're being quiet and I ask then if they're awake, they kick the seat." Mom over here making a mental note of this idea.

In the end, it seems many of us exhausted and time-crunched caregivers needed this tip for staving off that car seat power nap because the TikTok had been shared 45,000 times at time of writing.

My favorite part of this transit siesta stopper is how simple it is. Nothing elaborate—just a little game to help parents everywhere cling on to a shred of sanity and make it through another day doing all the darn things for our families the best we can.