Moms Swear by This $5 Cat Toy As the Secret to Getting Babies to Sleep

Parents will know the struggle to get babies to sleep, with nights filled with singing, rocking and pacing.

But moms are claiming to have found a genius way to soothe their little ones without tiring themselves out—and all you need is a toy fish.

A dancing fish, usually sold as a cat toy, is being hailed as the answer to a good night's sleep by numerous parents.

The fish has a motor inside which allows the toy to flap its tail, and moms are strapping it to their kids to provide constant pats and reassurance.

Ryann Johanningmeier shared a clip to TikTok, showing her baby with the fish gently tapping his diaper.

The 23-year-old from Florida captioned the clip: "TikTok made me do it. Put him right to sleep."

She later confirmed she uses the toy to get her baby to sleep and then removes it.

Johanningmeier added: "I did not let him sleep like that I put him on his back in his bassinet once he was asleep!"

Her video has already amassed more than 16 million views after being shared on Saturday.

The tip has been circulating widely on TikTok, with Good stuff -Jackson posting a similar clip to her page last month, which was watched thousands of times.

It shows a baby snoozing on their side, with the fish held in place by their trousers, also patting their diaper.

She shared another clip, this time using an oven glove to keep the fish in place, while she also added a flashing, singing and dancing sunflower as entertainment.

"Can't sleep without music," she explained.

While fellow mum @enjoy_266 also uploaded a few clips of a toddler napping—with the help of the fish.

"He had to be slapped to sleep. Is that true of your children?" she asked in the video, shared in April, which has been watched nearly 5 million times.

She too shared a follow-up video of her little one asleep, with one fish slapping their diaper while they held another fish in their arms.

"A best gift for children," she raved.

While it's likely numerous stores across the country will stock the toy, Amazon also sells numerous fish designs in their pet section for as little as $5.

Parents are going wild for the tip online, with Johanningmeier's video amassing countless comments.

Jamier Brown wrote: "Gotta think smarter not harder."

Desmy Anderson commented: "I saw this on Facebook and said the same."

Timothy Huynh admitted: "I want to buy this."

Dog groomer life commented: "I wish I had seen this 8 years ago."

Newsweek reached out to Johanningmeier, @enjoy_266 and Good stuff - Jackson.