Welcome to The BabyTok Project! Our story began in 2020, right in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many, I turned to TikTok for a little joy and some adorable animal videos. But beyond the fun dances, I discovered a world of learning—history lessons from passionate teachers, language tips shared by people across the globe, and, of course, skincare secrets every millennial can appreciate! What really inspired me was the authenticity and creativity of everyday people sharing their ideas. Seeing different perspectives from around the world on important topics truly opened my eyes, and I started to wonder: could short, engaging videos help shape what we know and how we connect? What if we used this power to support caregivers and highlight just how important they are in their child’s early learning journey? Imagine delivering helpful tips right when a caregiver needs them most—showing, not just telling, how to nurture little ones and spark meaningful moments together.

 

At that time, a few speech-language pathologists (SLPs) were already making waves on TikTok, but I decided to start small—with a private page—to explore if short videos could offer something meaningful to caregivers. In spring 2020, I teamed up with infant-toddler teachers to launch our first study. We wanted to find out if this fun, bite-sized video format could boost their knowledge about children’s communication (see our study!). Next, we reached out to parents and caregivers of toddlers, and then to those with infants. Each group gave us wonderful, constructive feedback, and our final study showed measurable growth in caregiver knowledge from start to finish!

 

We’re proud to be among the first to offer free, research-based early development content to caregivers—always with no sales or gimmicks. As researchers, we’re also dedicated to understanding how this content truly helps families. Our next big adventure is to discover whether, over time, these playful videos can boost children’s social and communication skills and help caregivers feel even more confident.

 

We’d love for you to join us on this journey—no matter where you watch your favorite short-form videos!

 

Explore our links below to learn more, connect, and get inspired!

Mollie Romano, PhD, CCC-SLP