Mom Says People Should Baby-Proof Homes When Inviting Toddler Parents, Gets Mixed Reactions

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Toddlers are wonderful. They live in the moment and will not hesitate to stop and smell a flower or pick up an interesting looking rock. They are amazingly forgiving, getting mad at you one moment and laughing about something with you the next.

At the same time, though, they can be a lot. They have a lot of emotions they aren’t sure how to deal with and a lot of energy that they don’t always know where to put. And while their curiosity is truly admirable, the impulsiveness that comes with it can be quite intense.

That is why visiting new places can be so stressful for the parents of toddlers. Yes, there is so much to explore, but also, so much that can go wrong.

This is the message that the woman in this story wanted to convey. Brianna Knight made a TikTok about how she feels when visiting new places and in what ways family and friends can help. And, of course, it wouldn’t be internet if she wasn’t shamed for her reasonable insights. Scroll down to see what made people so upset.

This mom of a toddler had only one thing to ask of people that invite her over to visit. The internet thought it was too much

Image credits: briknighttt

“This is either going to be extremely relatable or I’m going to sound like a b***h okay. If you make a big stink about us coming to your house and bringing our toddler and bringing all the stuff and traveling all the way to get to you and where we show up and we are happy to be there, please for the love of god if you didn’t even try to baby-proof that place.”

Image credits: Stephen Andrews (not the actual photo)

“There is nothing worse than showing up at a family member’s house and there’s glass this, porcelain this, plant this, special books, special picture frames just everything is all of a sudden made of glass and then people are surprised when you only stay for 20 minutes because your toddler is running around wreaking literal havoc.”

Image credits: briknighttt

“Like he’s got a glass figurine in one hand and a handful of dirt in the other. Just come to us. We would love to have you over. Please don’t make us come to your house and just wrestle our alligator the entire time.”

Image credits: Alberto Castillo Q. (not the actual photo)

Watch her whole video here

@briknighttt Like at least put up stuff you don’t want shattered 😩 then we can actually talk and catch up! #toddlermom #momtake #momlife #momsoftiktok #babyproofing #toddlerproofing #boundaries #grandparentpsa ♬ original sound – briknighttt

The negative reactions to the video were overwhelming

The video received a lot of backlash, mostly form the child-free community of TikTok. After one popular creator made a now-deleted response to the video, Knight received a lot of nasty personal messages about the situation, calling her a bad mom.

Many suggested that the ask was too much and it’s everyone’s personal choice what to do in their homes. Asking for somebody you know to change their space for you is a bit of an entitlement, according to them. However, they seemed to have misunderstood the video.

The TikTok was a kind request for the most important people in life

The woman was not demanding for anyone to change their homes, she was simply saying that this would be more convenient and safer for all. “It’s so appreciated when people move the choking hazards and easily breakable things,” Knight explained when talking to Newsweek.

The TikTok was also not intended for friends, which is a point she clarifies in one of her follow-up videos. “We are not talking about friends. If you are a child-free woman I’m not asking you to babyproof your house. It is, however, perfectly reasonable for me to ask my grandma to move the giant jar of marbles off the coffee table if she really wants our 18-month-old to come over and visit her.”

Knight also points out that catering for someone with a toddler is similar to catering to friends with food preferences or allergies. “My mom has celiac and my sister is a vegetarian. The meal is always something gluten free when my mom comes over, always something vegetarian if [my sister] comes over.” For her, making her guests feel comfortable is a part of being a good host.

In the end, Knight simply invited everyone to be more compassionate and kinder towards children and mothers. After all, they are just trying to do their best.