Mom Can't Get Infant To Stop Crying, But Then Her Son With Down Syndrome Takes Over

Oct 31, 2019

Anyone with kids in their life knows how difficult it can sometimes be to calm a crying child. Whether you’re a parent, an aunt or uncle, or someone who babysits other people’s kids, we’ve all had difficult experiences trying to keep a child calm at one point or another. One mom in Utah recently found a special helper in her effort to keep a baby from crying. 

Oakley Peterson of Salt Lake City was babysitting her neighbor’s son Alek when the little boy wouldn’t stop crying. No matter what Oakley did, Alek wouldn’t calm down. Near the end of her tether, Oakley let her own son, six-year-old Welles, have a try at calming Alek when he asked to hold the little guy.

Peterson took a video of the incident writing next to it, "I could not get our buddy, baby Alek, to calm down yesterday. Welles, my son with Down syndrome, climbed up into the chair and said, 'Mom... baby?' with his arms stretched out."

Amazingly, the instant that Welles took Alek into his arms, the smaller guy began to calm down.

Welles is not like most children. The six-year-old boy has Down syndrome, something that Oakley encourages others to see beyond when they meet him. Oakley runs a social media page called “Nothing Down About It,” which displays all the wonderful moments Welles brings to her family.

Peterson later said, "As soon as I handed him over...he calmed. Welles sat and cuddled him, taking his job of baby whisperer very seriously. I sat watching... thinking yet again... man, this kid is magical!"

The video Peterson posted has been viewed more than 15 million times. 

What do you think of how Welles was able to calm Alek? Do you know anyone that has the ability to create an instant rapport with strangers? Tell us your thoughts below.