Mum saves baby from drowning in incredible TikTok: 'Expect the unexpected'

"It's a strange feeling to have all of these people comment on a video I didn't expect to go viral, but it had to be shared, " mum Abbey Lee exclusively tells Kidspot.

Mum-of-two Abbey Lee acted on instinct when she saw her seven-month-old daughter Poppy head towards a full paddle pool in their backyard.

"I was watching her the whole time and saw her heading in that direction," the North Island of NZ mum tells Kidspot.

"Her crawling has developed incredibly fast, and she only started pulling herself up on things last week. I was just about to go and get her when it all happened very quickly while looking at my son briefly who was right in my face."

What happened next was so terrifying, security footage that captured the moment has now been viewed more than 3.5 million times on TikTok in less than three days.

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Source: TikTok

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"I was panicking on the inside"

Abbey, who also has two-and-a-half year old Archie, posted the clip to warn other parents about how fast things can escalate.

It shows the mum running towards the paddle pool just as a curious Poppy falls in. Abbey sweeps her up immediately, turns her over to whack her back - as she puts one foot on the pool's wall to empty it.

She captions the clip, "I was watching my baby very closely and my toddler was having a tantrum in my face so trying to deal with that. Babies get quick so fast!

"It’s so hard sometimes and I feel guilty but it's just me and them. Dad left the pool up from the day before. It's not his fault just a lesson for both of us."

Abbey also adds, "No judgement needed, just spreading awareness."

Viewers were amazed at the mum's calm, quick thinking.

"I think staying calm is in my nature, but I am also a qualified and experienced Early Childhood Teacher and I have just updated my first aid training, Abbey tells Kidspot.

"I believe it is important to stay calm for your children who are clearly upset as well. I was panicking on the inside!"

She explains that the pool had been filled and played in the previous day, and the plan was to empty it, but the incident happened before she had a chance to.

"My toddler was yelling and demanding something and trying to climb on me. He is very loud and knows what he wants (like most toddlers). You cannot hear it because as soon as I ran towards Poppy, he stopped.

"It all happened in a matter of seconds, and I never expected her to fall in.

"In hindsight, I should have checked it before we went outside. I just underestimated Poppy’s capabilities.

"I felt guilty as anything as well as being shocked by the whole moment. I called out to my husband and started emptying the pool to eliminate the risk immediately. I didn’t want my toddler to go in while I was dealing with the baby and wanted backup (luckily he was there)."

Abbey knows they were lucky with their close call.

"I gave my baby cuddle and got her settled and changed straight away then went back and sorted the rest of the pool."

A follow up video to the viral response. Source: TikTok

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A mum's paddle pool warning

Abbey posted the video knowing she might be judged, but the safety warning to her was much more important.

"Disaster can strike at any moment and babies can be really fast.

"Only use paddling pools if you are there and tip them out while you aren't using them.

"It also really important to teach children about water safety and let them have positive experiences around water."

Abbey adds that, "Parenting is a tough job, none of us are perfect and accidents happen.

"Although I would love to be aware of every single movement my children are making at all times it is impossible to do so, especially when you are on your own.

"The lesson I have learnt from this is eliminate risks like this before accidents happen. It is common knowledge that children can drown in the tiniest bit of water but just expect the unexpected."

Response to the paddle pool clip

Abbey has mostly had support from viewers, who've thanked her for sharing her safety warning.

"Any parent who has been in a similar situation completely understands," she says.

"My main reason for posting was to spread awareness about how fast things can happen, especially with a baby who is developing so quickly before my eyes. I feel have managed to do this and will be switching off comments soon as I feel like the video and this article should have help a lot of people to understand the risk.

"It didn't look great on my behalf, but I learnt a lot. Things happen in an instant."

Originally published as Mum saves baby from drowning in incredible TikTok: 'Expect the unexpected'