The video was posted to TikTok over the weekend by the baby’s mother, Sav (@savannahmarie_20), who wrote: “She didn’t know [whether to] cry or not.” In just four days, the post has amassed more than 12 million views and over 2.6 million likes while highlighting a special skill utilized by many babies when faced with something new.
The video opens with the hibachi chef throwing flammable liquid onto his grill, causing the surface to burst into flames. Of course, this surprises the baby who throws her arms out and begins to kick her legs. Both Sav and the man sitting to the baby’s right begin to laugh as the baby’s eyes go wide with panic.
“You’re good, you’re good, you’re good,” the man tells the baby as the fire dies down.
“Adorable!! [She’s] looking at you like…are we ok? I like this…but do you?” commented golferanna.
“She’s like ‘why [is] no one else worried!?’” wrote Elle J Hayes.
“She was looking like why nobody running,” joked 4512wire.
Semih Karaca noted: “Her reaction solely depended on yours lol if you were afraid she was gonna start crying.”
As it turns out, these commenters may be correct in thinking that the baby’s reaction was based on her mom’s. Babies “look to their parents’ emotional responses to help them interpret and react to the world around them,” according to the Arizona-based nonprofit organization First Thing’s First.
Speaking to the organization, Jennifer E. Lansford, Ph.D., added: “From birth, infants pick up on emotional cues from others. Even very young infants look to caregivers to determine how to react to a given situation.”
Because of this, Parents magazine said it’s important for caregivers to “display [their] feelings.”
“What you say to babies is less important than how you say it,” Alison Gopnik, Ph.D., told the magazine.
In addition to being entertained by the baby’s reaction to the fire, commenters were also delighted with the man’s reaction to the baby.
“The man’s face is killing me,” said Ally.
“The guy comforting her has me dying I’ve watched this so many times,” wrote jayceealysse.
Marina Montoya added: “Aww her reaction was cute but I think his was better! How stinking cute.”
Sav’s daughter isn’t the first baby to go viral online. In December, one toddler’s reaction to seeing a dog for the first time was seen more than 1.4 million times. That same month, a baby’s reaction to trying pizza for the first time was seen more than 29 million times. And in February, a baby went viral on Reddit after a video of them trying queso for the first time was uploaded to the website.