A TikTok video can make you famous, but it may not be famous in a good way. That’s what happened to a mom recently who posted a video that started with “Why I don’t use a crib for my five-month old.” It’s been viewed over 7 million times, and people aren’t anywhere close to agreeing whether her set-up is problematic or not.
She explained how she sees the “typical American nursery” as designed for parents and not for children, with artwork high where a baby can’t see it. One user on Twitter had thoughts on that tidbit, tweeting, “she lost me at artwork. it’s a baby. it doesn’t know.” And another user followed up with “Also 1) babies can’t really see that far and 2) by the time they can THEY CAN SEE THE WALL! I don’t stop seeing s*** that’s hung above eye level. Do you??”
After dropping the artwork comment, the mother went on to call cribs “baby jails” and declared she won’t ever use a crib because “I will never enforce a bedtime for my child” since “babies are people too and forcing anyone to sleep when they’re not tired is inhumane.” There also happens to be a bunny hopping around in the background of what seems to be the nursery as the mom goes on to explain that she co-sleeps with her baby.
Many commented that babies appreciate boundaries
While some are coming to her defense in the TikTok comments, pointing out the floor bed setup and co-sleeping is a common Montessori method, most of the internet seems to be either confused or stressed by the video.
Over on Twitter, a user pointed out, “I mean… I have two kids, and I am definitely generous about skirting certain rules (screen time, video game ratings, ice cream for lunch on occasion) but this seems wildly irresponsible. Kids (and humans) thrive on routine. And, of course, sleep. This video gives me anxiety.” Another is just worried about the mother getting sleep, tweeting “I’m sorry is this woman awake 24-7 to make sure her baby doesn’t crawl everywhere from its floor bed at 4 am?!” A woman who sounds she like tried a similar setup in the past had some thoughts, “Advice like this did actually harm me. My child was so fussy and never wanted to eat or sleep and I felt like I HAD to go with it. Once I learned loving boundaries are actual better for the whole family… it was life changing.”
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