Parents have a new trick up their sleeves when it comes to quelling their children’s tantrums … and her name is “Jessica”.

It’s quite simple. When a child starts screaming bloody murder you distract them by saying the name “Jessica” and pretending to search for “Jessica”.

The viral trend has swept social media and it appears to work.

Often toddlers stop crying, sometimes they even begin searching for the imaginary person too.

According to parenting expert Tanya Forster, the ploy works purely because of surprise and distraction.

However, she suspects its effectiveness has a short shelf life and could wear off as soon as the kids’ clock what’s going on.

Forster says the trick isn’t stopping the meltdown, but rather riding it out with the children.

So while the days of dummy spitting may not be over, this little hack could give you a moment of respite when you desperately need a bit of shush.