Parents Left Crying Newborn Alone At SeaWorld With Their Frustrated Young Daughter So They Could Ride A Rollercoaster

As SeaWorld guests strolled through the theme park on one hot summer day, some of them were confused after they came across a young girl who appeared to be by herself supervising a newborn in a stroller. 

According to the girl, the baby was her sister and she had been “crying nonstop” ever since her parents left them so that they could enjoy some of the park’s attractions by themselves.

The girl’s parents left her with their crying newborn as they waited in line to ride a roller coaster. 

In a TikTok video that has been viewed over 1 million times, a SeaWorld Theme Park guest approached the young girl after noticing her and the infant, who was concealed by a blanket in a stroller, without any supervision. 

After speaking with the girl, the woman learned that she was the baby’s older sister and that she was put in charge of watching the infant while her parents went on a roller coaster without them. The baby girl was only a month-and-a-half old. The little girl could also be heard telling the woman that the baby had been “crying nonstop.” The woman summoned a park employee and informed him of the situation. “Stop the line, call the parent because she should not be watching a one-month-old baby,” she told the employee. “She’s like seven years old.” 

The woman claims that she had to notify park staff three times before an employee attempted to track down the girl’s parents and alerted other staff members. He stood beside the girl and her hysterical baby sister. The baby was screaming from inside the stroller as her big sister desperately tried to soothe her with a toy. 

At one point, the girl looked up at the roller coaster and waved to someone she claims to be one of her parents aboard the train. She then asked the employee when they would return from the ride. The woman revealed that the parents were gone for more than 25 minutes and that the girl was beginning to grow “frustrated” as the baby’s crying continued.

The woman alleged that SeaWorld staff members were not very helpful in the citation. “Not only did I notify the employees three times, but they didn’t know what to do,” she wrote in the caption of her video. When the parents finally returned, they were reportedly able to collect their children and go about their day without having to face any consequences for what they had done. 

People were horrified by the parents’ treatment of both of their children. 

“I can't with these parents! Poor babies,” one user commented. “I have a nine-year-old and one month old. I couldn’t imagine putting either of them under this amount of stress for a damn rollercoaster. This infuriated me,” another user shared. 

Other people expressed their sympathies toward the little girl, who most likely wanted to enjoy some of the park’s attractions herself before she was left to look after her newborn sibling. “I felt this, I never had a choice… I always had to watch my siblings, and never got the chance to have much fun as a child,” one user revealed. “I made a promise to myself that my kids will never have to raise their siblings not even for a couple of minutes,” another user wrote. 

The woman posted a follow-up video regarding the incident providing more details, including how the parents reacted once they got off the ride and reunited with their children. “I assisted the little girl with the baby the entire time,” she claimed. “Her job is to be a child. Not a parent to this baby.” 

The little girl expressed her frustration to those around her, asking if the baby would ever “shut up.” 

When the parents finally got off the ride, park employees and the woman who filmed the original video confronted them. “What is wrong with you guys? You don’t leave your one month alone!” people can be heard telling them. The parents appeared unphased, as the father even smirked and laughed about the situation while the mother walked over to check on her infant with no sense of urgency. They refused to state why they left the children unattended. 

Some believed that the police or CPS should have been notified about the situation so that the children’s home life could be examined for other signs of neglect. Others also noticed that the roller coaster appeared to be located at SeaWorld Park in San Diego, California, where the summer months can experience notably hot temperatures. Many people predicted that the infant may have been too hot outside. 

Experts say that newborns should not be left outside in extreme temperatures, nor should young children be in charge of watching their sibling.

According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, parents should avoid taking their newborns outside when outdoor temperatures exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid the risk of overheating. 

It is also not recommended that children under the age of 12 years old be left in charge of a newborn, even if they are siblings. Newborns as young as the one portrayed in the video may fail to have their needs met if their parents are not around, and their siblings are often helpless trying to determine what exactly it is they want. 

While having young children should not keep parents from going out and having fun every once in a while, they should at least ensure that their children are in safe hands. 

Parents can hire theme park nannies that can accompany families to the park and look after the little ones while they go on more thrilling attractions, or they can even hire a sitter of their own and leave the kids at home if possible. However, under no circumstances should siblings be expected to look after their parents’ newborn, especially if the baby is obviously in distress and their sibling is helpless to calm them down. 

Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.