Toddler Has Tantrum Over Not Bringing Doll to Daycare — Then Mom's Creative Solution Goes Viral (Exclusive)

Tiara wanted to build trust and have some fun with her toddler daughter

• Tiara came up with a way to help her daughter through a difficult moment when the toddler learned she couldn't take her baby doll to daycare

• The dedicated mom took photos with the baby doll throughout her day, sharing them with her daughter later that evening

• Tiara tells PEOPLE the support she got when the video went viral is extra-meaningful to her as a single mom

TikTokers are praising a quick-thinking mom who came up with the perfect way to handle her little girl Emma's big feelings.

Tiara, on TikTok as @tiara3787, explains that her daughter has been in daycare for over a year, but was starting a new school. While it wouldn't be a huge change to her routine, the school had one policy that was going to change the toddler's day: no personal toys were allowed.

"My daughter has been attached to her baby doll since the day she was born. She'd had it with her every day. She loves babies," the mom tells PEOPLE.

"At the previous daycare, she was allowed to take the baby doll, but this new one did not [allow it]. I totally respect it, because they explained it creates a lot of tension with the kids. It causes some of them to be very anxious guarding their toy."

In a Tiktok of her daughter's first day at the new school, Tiara calmly tells Emma she can't bring her baby in as the toddler stomps a foot and cries on the sidewalk while clutching her doll.

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Tiara came up with a "completely impromptu," solution to her little girl's tears.

"I was just standing there thinking, 'Oh my gosh, my heart's broken. You are so sad.' I expected her to be sad, but I wanted to make her feel better. I realized that she's feeling anxious. It's like what can I do to distract her from that anxiety? And I'm like, 'Well, maybe she thinks her baby's gonna have a really fun day,' " she explains.

Tiara's daughter "loves going to the doctor and thinks work is fun," so the mom promised to take her baby doll along for those tasks throughout her day.

"I promised her, and then I got in the car. I was like, 'Well, I really should do it,' so I went to work with an extra baby.' "

Tiara thought it would be a fun, quick sidebar to her day, but the baby actually gained fanfare after she explained to a co-worker what she was doing.

"When I got to work, I thought, 'Oh, I'll just take one or two photos,' and then a co-worker saw the baby on my desk and she had her own plans," Tiara says.

"She's a manager, so she took the baby to her team meetings all day and people were getting a kick out of it and posing with the baby. It was just really a beautiful thing. Later, someone asked me, 'How are we going to know if she liked it or not?' So I said, 'Oh, I'll make a video.' "

Tiara shared her video on TikTok, where it's amassed over 2 million views, with many "beautiful" comments about her parenting.

"It was a couple of days before Mother's Day and so it felt like a really beautiful Mother's Day gift because people were overwhelmingly supportive. It really got me thinking about the generational differences in parenting because there are some comments about how this healed people's inner child," she says.

"I think if someone saw this video 20 years from now, it wouldn't be remarkable because we generationally become a little bit more emotionally intelligent and softer with our kids."

Tiara adds, "I think the people that saw it, by and large, were of a different generation where parents were more, 'Throw the baby in the back seat and forget about it until the end of the day.' "

Tiara knew she didn't want to do that herself, because "One of the things that I'm really cognizant of are things that cause her stress."

Explaining that she and Emma's dad co-parent 50-50 between Nevada and Salt Lake City, Utah, she notes, "We're very hyper-aware and vigilant of things that cause her stress. She's coped very well, but we pay close attention."

"The comments were overwhelmingly positive, but there were people that were like, 'The worst thing a human could do is put a camera in their child's face when they're having a vulnerable moment.' What a lot of people don't know is that her dad and I have co-parented since she was born. Because of that, I record a lot of her day and since I knew it was going to be a difficult moment, I wanted to keep him filled in."

The mom continues, "When she is anxious, I tend to lean in a little bit more to helping her with those feelings. So I felt like after taking the baby to work, if I could show her proof, that would be really cool for her."

The only thing better than the fun she had taking the photos is the fun she had sharing them with Emma.

"I didn't even expect her to conceptually get it and think it was funny, so when she was laughing at the videos, it just totally warmed my heart. It solidified that she remembered what happened in the morning," the proud mom says.

Of going viral, Tiara says, "It's been so endearing, but also a little overwhelming at times."

"It's overwhelming when you check your phone and there are hundreds of thousands of notifications every few hours. I heard from so many people. It even reached her great-grandmother, Nana Gogo, and made her laugh. It's been fun and exciting."

The viral video even reached the doll's manufacturer, who surprised Emma with a few gifts.

"They asked if they could send her an accessory set for the baby, and so they sent her the baby walker to push the baby around in. They thought that she was so sweet and excited, so that was really heartfelt for us."

Being a single mom to a toddler isn't always easy, but Tiara is enjoying this season in her little girl's life.

"The toddler years have been my favorite. They're just so interactive and comical and I find a vast majority of the day is actually more endearing and sweet and funny. Don't get me wrong — there are meltdowns but she's a really even-keeled toddler. That meltdown that she had in the video, I can probably count on one hand how many times that's happened. I just enjoy this time," she says.

"It's also fun on TikTok to share with others. A lot of people really struggle in co-parenting, and I share that part of our journey. I want to show that she can be a well-rounded and whole happy, healthy human with a mom in one home and a dad in the other."

The reaction to the video has meant a lot to Tiara, who says she "probably felt it even a little bit heavier because I'm a single mom."

"As a parent, you always wonder, 'Am I doing this right or wrong?' so this bit of validation from other people was really heartfelt on my end because sometimes a little bit of validation goes a long way."

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