A San Diego Mom Was Filming a Baby-Care Tutorial When Her 6-Month-Old Said Her Apparent First Word, and It Was ‘Poop’
Tiffany Gaines had her phone set up for an infant-care tutorial when her 6-month-old daughter said what sounds like her first word: “poop.” Gaines, a 36-year-old San Diego mom of three, posted the moment on Instagram, and the clip, replayed in slow motion, has gathered 20 million views, according to PEOPLE’s exclusive, republished on Yahoo Life.
The timing was the joke. Gaines had been making playful videos about training her daughter to say “mama” first, and the baby picked something else. Gaines told PEOPLE, “She undoubtedly said ‘poop’ in proper context.”
A Tutorial That Took a Turn
Gaines posts parenting content for followers on her Instagram account, @tiffany.creates. The video that took off started as one of her infant-care tutorials, with the baby on camera.
Gaines said she could not help laughing. The Instagram reel has drawn thousands of comments alongside its 20 million views, and the version that spread replays the word in slow motion.
The Running Joke About “Mama”
Before the tutorial, Gaines had been teasing her followers with clips of herself coaching the baby toward “mama” as a first word. The baby’s actual word became the punchline to a bit that was already running.
Gaines also has a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old, and the 3-year-old was being potty trained, according to the PEOPLE report. Her youngest is the third child in the house.
What Parents Said in the Comments
Gaines said the comments filled up with other parents sharing their own babies’ first words. Some commenters joked that the clip was a signal to start potty training right away.
She described the moment to PEOPLE as a “wink from the universe.” She added, “Maybe it’s a sign not to take anything too seriously, especially when it comes to motherhood.” Gaines said she wants her content to help other moms feel less alone in their parenting experiences.
Why Six Months Is Early for a Real Word
Gaines described the word as an “apparent” first, and the timing is ahead of the usual schedule. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists the language milestones for most babies by 6 months as taking turns making sounds with a parent, blowing raspberries and making squealing noises. Spoken words are not on that list.
The CDC places the first named word later. By age 1, according to its checklist, most babies use “mama,” “dada” or another special name for a parent, wave bye-bye and understand “no.” That is why a sound at 6 months that happens to match a real word, in the right moment, reads as a funny coincidence rather than a milestone met early.
What Parents Can Do With Early Sounds
The CDC’s 6-month page suggests that when a baby babbles, a parent can answer as if it were a conversation, and that parents can copy the sounds the baby makes. It also suggests reading daily with colorful pictures and naming new things seen on walks.
The 1-year page adds that when a baby tries a word, a parent can build on it. If a baby says “ta” for truck, for example, the parent can answer with a full phrase about the truck. The CDC also says that if a baby is not meeting milestones or has lost skills, parents should raise it with the doctor and ask about developmental screening.
For Gaines, the takeaway from the clip was simpler. Her daughter’s first word did not go the way she had planned, and 20 million views later she is still laughing about it.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: “San Diego Skyline at Dawn” by Nserrano is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/.
