A mother from St. Louis, Missouri, was shocked to find her toddler fast asleep on the floor, holding his poop in his hands.
Jordan Scarfino smelled something foul in the house but couldn't tell where it was coming from. After going upstairs, she discovered her two-year-old son, Giovanni, without a diaper.
It took her ten minutes to locate the source of the unpleasant smell. Immediately, she video-called her mom to ask for help.
Highlights
- A mom discovered her two-year-old boy napping on the floor with poop in his hands.
- Jordan's son, Gio, has been potty training since he was 1 year old.
- The mom recalled her own toddler poop antics, suggesting that she's now experiencing "karma."
Image credits: Jordan Wolf
Image credits: Jordan Wolf
Her mom didn't panic. Instead, she found the situation hilarious and suggested Jordan document the moment.
"I don't know if I'm laughing or crying 😭#sendhelp," Jordan captioned the TikTok video, which was posted last Friday (January 3).
If you're eating, you might want to skip what's next, as she strictly followed her mother's advice and recorded everything.
The mom noted a foul smell but didn't know where it was coming from
Image credits: Jordan Wolf
After capturing the moment, she cleaned her toddler's hands using a baby wipe, triple-checking that any traces of fecal matter were gone as Gio continued to lie on the floor, asleep.
"He's been potty training since he was 1," Jordan told People. "He wears diapers overnight, and we try undies during the day.
"He still sometimes throws fits when it's time to go on the potty. I think it's an attachment thing, but I'm not sure!"
Jordan's video has since amassed over 20 million views and 45,000 comments.
"Where's the girl with the list???😭" one user jokingly asked, referencing the Australian model who listed over 100 reasons not to have children.
"Nothing could have prepared me for that moment," another admitted.
"If you didn't record it, no one would have believed you 😭😂," a separate user said.
"He took matters into his own hands," someone else quipped.
As disgusting it may seem to adults, it's actually natural for young children to be curious about their own feces, explains Rebecca Parlakian, director of programs at Zero to Three, a Washington, DC-based center that is devoted to the well-being of infants and toddlers.
"It comes from your own body, it’s warm and it has a distinct texture and smell. There’s a lot for children to be interested in, and for children who don’t have a medical or developmental reason for their scatolia [fecal smearing], exploring poop is probably just a reflection of their natural curiosity and interest in cause-and-effect," she told Bored Panda.
Children's perception of poop usually changes as they begin to actively engage in toilet learning, Parlakian adds.
Her son, Giovanni, had taken off his diapers and fallen asleep on the floor
Image credits: Jordan Wolf
The child development expert suggests different strategies for parents to manage these situations and teach their children positive hygiene habits.
"Say in a serious voice, 'Uh-oh! Touching poop is not okay. Poop is dirty. Now we have to wash it off and change your clothes.'
"You can also build in natural consequences: 'Oh dear, there is poop on your teddy! Poop is dirty. Now Teddy has to go in the wash. You can play with him again when he is clean tomorrow.'"
According to psychoanalytic theory, children do not innately experience feelings of disgust and may even view their feces as something that is “part of them," potentially developing an attachment to it.
Image credits: Jordan Wolf
When Gio woke up, he asked where his poop had gone. Jordan laid him back in bed, put him in a diaper, and he went back to sleep.
In a follow-up video, Jordan asked her toddler why he liked snuggling his poop. "I don't know!" the cheeky 2-year-old said, laughing.
"When you're older, you're gonna think it's funny or mean?" asked the 28-year-old mom, who also has a girl, referring to the viral video. "Funny!" Gio responded.
"She eventually had to put my crib in the middle of the room so I'd stop painting the walls. I can't even imagine what she went through! She says it's karma."
Gio seems to be just as determined as she was when she was a child. "I learned from this experience that no matter what precautions you take, toddlers will do what they want to do.
"Gio has been able to take his onesies off and climb out of his crib since before he turned 1 year old. There's no stopping him!"
Image credits: Jordan Wolf
After the incident, Jordan found a peculiar invitation her parents had sent in 1999 for a Super Bowl party at their house. The card featured a picture of a young girl standing in her crib, covered in poop.
"Come get sh*t-faced," the invitation read, adding, “Bring your own beer…we’ll have sh*tty beer.”
"My parents had a freaking fantastic sense of humor," she said, then wondered: "Is it a toddler thing? Does he get it from me?"
"I used to make my mom cry every day when I was two—because that was a daily thing for me."
"I was expecting the worse and still got surprised," a TikTok user admitted
