A mother has faced a wave of criticism after posting a video that appeared to show her leaving her 10-month-old baby unattended on a beach while she went for a swim. The clip, shared on TikTok by Renee, a 28-year-old mother of two from Brisbane, Australia, has amassed 4.6 million views and thousands of comments from concerned users.
In the video, Renee walks away from her sleeping baby, who is shaded under a shelter, and heads towards the ocean. The caption reads: 'Can you guys watch my baby while I go for a swim? Thanksss.' Many viewers expressed alarm, with one calling it 'horrible' and another saying, 'I won't even leave my phone, WTF, a baby? Are you serious?'
However, Renee has since clarified that her baby was never left alone. She explained that she had met another parent on the beach the previous day and felt comfortable leaving her child with them while she enjoyed a brief swim. 'He only stayed asleep for four minutes before waking up,' she said, adding that both she and her partner were watching from the water, only about 10 metres away.
Renee, a registered nurse, said the video was intended as light-hearted fun, inspired by a trend where people ask the internet to 'watch' their baby. She wrote in the caption: 'He is being watched… no one is out here stealing babies - please just take it as a joke.' She also noted that a fellow mother was sitting nearby and had offered to keep an eye on the baby.
Despite the backlash, Renee defended her actions, saying: 'Some people lack critical thinking; they watch a 20-second video and comment quite horrible things with no context, which is very strange to me.' She emphasised that there was never any risk of kidnapping and that she constantly assesses risks as a mother.
