Viral TikTok video captures the bittersweet emotions of saying goodbye to the baby crib

As moms, we tend to get a bit sentimental when it comes to letting go of baby gear and childhood mementos, like the baby crib or newborn clothes. But we don’t realize that letting go can be hard for the entire family. A TikTok video is going viral for the emotional reaction that saying goodbye to a baby crib sparked—not just for the toddler but for his older brothers, too.

Mom of three Megan, whose TikTok handle is megan.elizabeth.x3, shared the sweet video with the caption, “How am I expected to hold it together now?”

Related: Your baby has grown—is it time to transition from a crib to a bed? 

In the video, three brothers stand in the toddler’s bedroom talking about what will happen to the crib now that the younger brother is moving on to a bigger bed. His older brother tells him that they will take the crib apart, and then suggestions he say goodbye to it.

“Give one hug, one last hug to it,” the brother suggests.

After the boy hugs his crib, one of his brothers notices that he’s sad—and then he starts crying too.

“I’m sad, too, that it’s gonna happen,” the older brother says, wiping tears. “I miss he can sleep ’cause when I always go in to check on him when he’s still asleep, it’s gorgeous.” Cue the tears for everyone!

The brothers all snuggle up in the crib for a few minutes, before deciding that the crib has got to go. By the end of the video, the toddler is insisting that he doesn’t need help getting out of the crib because he’s “a big boy”.

Related: My daughters are no longer babies but I can’t let go of *all* of their baby stuff 

The video is going viral not just because it oozes sibling sweetness, but also because it captures the complicated emotions we can feel when we say goodbye to baby stuff. Sometimes those feelings can really catch you by surprise. When I gave our baby crib to a family member to use with their baby, I was downright shocked that I cried while loading it into the car. Even though I hate clutter and I was thrilled to see the crib being put to good use, the rush of emotions startled me.

Whatever you’re feeling, whatever your kids are feeling, it’s all normal and OK. Feel the feelings. Have a good cry. And if you need to, follow this older brother’s advice: “Give one hug, one last hug to it.”

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