Chinese entrepreneur and etiquette expert Sarah Jane Ho has shared a glimpse into her morning routine with her 4-month-old baby, revealing that playing the Hanuman Chalisa helps calm him almost instantly.
In an Instagram post about motherhood, Sarah, who became a mother at 40, shared a carousel of pictures and reflections about her experiences with her baby. She wrote that she discovered the Hanuman Chalisa through Indian friends at Burning Man and now plays it on loop every morning.
“4 months old and some musings on becoming a mother at 40…” Sarah wrote in the caption.
She said that the devotional hymn has become particularly useful when her baby is fussy. “When baby is fussy or melting down, playing the Indian song Hanuman Chalisa calms him within 5 seconds and puts him to sleep in 2 minutes,” she wrote.
Sarah also shared several other observations about her parenting routine. She said that she immediately picks up her baby whenever he cries and does not believe in letting him “cry it out”.
{{/usCountry}}Sarah also shared several other observations about her parenting routine. She said that she immediately picks up her baby whenever he cries and does not believe in letting him “cry it out”.
{{/usCountry}}The entrepreneur also claimed that playing Brahms’ lullaby for eight minutes every day helps a baby’s brain develop faster, adding that there is “data behind this”.
Sharing details of her surrogacy journey, Sarah said that her surrogate is pumping breast milk for the baby. She added that she sends peanuts and soy milk to the surrogate because she believes it could help expose the baby to these foods early and prevent allergies. However, she acknowledged that she was unsure whether the practice was scientifically proven.
Sarah also said that she is exposing her baby to friends’ and neighbours’ dogs because she hopes this will prevent him from developing allergies to pets later in life.
Another part of her routine involves what she described as “grounding” her baby in the garden. “Letting baby’s bare feet touch natural surfaces like stone, grass, or dirt supports their neurological and physical development,” she wrote.
Social media reactions
The post prompted several reactions from Instagram users, particularly to her mention of the Hanuman Chalisa.
One user wrote, “Hanuman chalisa is a powerful Hindu song. I am glad your baby listens to it.”
“Interesting... Hanuman Chalisa is my daily mantra... It's very healing for people who have Ketu in the 8th house... natural medicine,” commented another.
“What a rare thing!!!…Chinese mom playing Hindu prayer.Loads of power to you and your baby,” wrote a third user.
“It’s sooo beautiful to see u with ur baby .. being an Indian and mother of 2 I can totally relate .. I used to sing hanuman chalisa for my daughters and while growing up they started hummming to it and learnt it gradually.. hanuman chalisa indeed works to calm ur body.. mind .. peace,” said another.