Angela Holm, 29, a mum-of-five from the USA, has been shamed by her viewers after sharing a video of her bringing her five-month-old baby to the gym for a workout. Many called her selfish for the routine.
Video shows routine with baby at gym
Holm, who has millions of followers across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, shares snippets of her everyday life as a stay-at-home mum. Her content often includes top tips for parents, sweet moments with her kids, and comedic sketches about parenting. In a recent video, she showed herself heading to the gym at 9pm with her five-month-old baby.
The video began with Holm getting out of the car and placing the baby in a pram, which she packed with a baby carrier and a water bottle. She then entered an empty-looking gym and walked straight to the treadmills. After giving the baby a dummy, she began jogging, explaining on the video that she would jog until her baby started crying and wanted to be picked up.
Criticism and support from viewers
When the baby started crying, Holm jumped off the treadmill and grabbed the baby carrier. "She started crying, so she's gonna join me now," Holm said in the video, as she strapped the baby close to her chest before returning to the treadmill for an inclined walk. "Walked her to sleep," she revealed, as the baby fell asleep on her chest. She left the gym one hour after arriving.
Thousands of viewers commented on the video, with many expressing conflicting feelings. Some shamed the mother, calling the practice unsafe. One person said: "So dangerous to walk on a treadmill with the baby, WTF." Another viewer added: "Gyms are so different here in uk, no children under age of 16! It's so noisy and certainly not an environment for a baby! I find this odd." A third wrote: "Yea that's not allowed over in Australia…. Massive safety risk."
Some viewers showed sympathy, with one writing: "I'm so conflicted about this. I get wanting to exercise postpartum. I was itching to get back to get those endorphins going. But could no one else watch the baby for the hour? I think it's also important to have that time by yourself and keep the baby safe."
Defenders praise the mother
Several viewers defended Holm. One said: "These comments are insane, women can't do anything with criticism, especially mothers." Another praised: "Can we give this mom credit for taking care of her mental health and body, while bringing her baby with her? I see so many harsh comments, this is amazing, we don't know her story.. I see a bad ass, hard working mom."
