Doting mum Sophie Jones wasn't sure what to do when her baby started crying whenever she left her side.
Every time the 25-year-old moved away from her daughter she'd get upset, meaning she had to be touching her daughter at all times to keep her settled.
But the mum came up with a genius hack to trick little Darcie-Jane Francis into staying relaxed, creating a handy stand-in for herself by using a plastic glove filled with rice.
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The idea was the glove would mimic the reassuring weight of her own hand.
And, remarkably, it worked.
A suspected milk allergy meant the unsettled eight-week-old craved extra attention from her mum, meaning Sophie had to have her daughter in her arms or on a sling for 24-hours of the day.
But when Sophie needed both hands to clean her home, the inspiration struck.
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At first, the mum-of-three was dubious that the trick would work, but, believe it or not, the fake hand offered her daughter enough comfort that she stayed asleep for nearly two hours.
Now, it's a staple in little Darcie's routine. Sophie soothes her baby with her own hand before swapping in the glove after she has dozed off.
Sophie, from Shaftesbury, Dorset, said: "It is definitely a life-saver for me. I just can't believe it actually works.
"I wouldn't have expected it to. I just thought I would give it a go. I was quite sceptical."
Explaining the reason for her daughter's clingy-ness, Sophie said: "She was on some prescribed milk that unsettled her, but she went back onto the normal formula and that unsettled her again so she just wanted to be in my arms all the time.
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"I don't know what possessed me to do it. I just really needed to clean the house and I put her down and I saw a glove and some rice, so I thought, 'let's see if this works'. Luckily it did.
"The rice has got a bit more of a weight to it so I think she thinks it's my hand so it's a bit more of a comfort to her.
"I put her down and I have my hand on her stomach or back, whichever way she is laid. I will tap with my hand and let her doze off. Then I'll gently move my hand and put the glove on her.
"She just stays asleep. Normally when I move my hand she will wake up and start crying again.
"I'm pretty much doing it every time she goes for sleep at the moment."
The hack attracted the attention of Sophie's two elder daughters, with Lola Francis, five, and Ellie-Rose Francis, four, finding it all rather amusing.
"[Ellie] asked why I was tricking her sister and she really laughed. She found it really funny actually," she mused.
Hey, if Darcie gets her sleep and you get two hands to yourself it sounds like everyone wins, Sophie!
Topics: Life