Parents of Northamptonshire TikTok star want to encourage kids outdoors

Esmee, who is known to her family as Bug, celebrated her second birthday in January

The parents of a two-year-old girl have said they hope to inspire children to "get out more" after millions of people watched their TikTok videos of their daughter exploring the outdoors.

The account that features Esmee, who is nicknamed "Bug", from Northamptonshire, has more than 470,000 followers.

Sarah, her mother, said she started to post videos online when people commented on Esmee's advanced speech.

"We just film her as she walks, and she talks a lot," she said.

'Genius'

Bug's parents, who come from Rushden, said they first noticed she received attention for her speech when they were in a pharmacy and customers heard her talking about colours and the chairs.

Sarah, 30, said: "They said, 'you've got a genius on your hands there, she shouldn't know that much, for how old she is'."

They decided to post a video on TikTok in September 2023, under the handle its_abuglife.

"We got about 50 views and we were buzzing, then it started to get a bit of a following and it went from there."

The most watched video has been seen by more than 15 million people.

Bug's videos show her going for adventures at local parts, zoos and play areas

Her father, Alex, 31, said: "We always did those kinds of walks with Esmee and we used to get a lot of enjoyment from watching her, she can lift your mood no matter what you're feeling and we thought it would be nice for others to experience it.

"To begin with I wasn't keen for my daughter to be on social media, but I thought it was sending a positive message and I thought let's roll with it and it has just taken off.

"I wasn't expecting it at all. The message we want to share is, get your kids out more."

• Free nature walks to help neuro-divergent people

Sarah said: "Get your kids outside, get them dirty, get them learning about what's on your doorstep."

"It's lovely she gets so much joy from such simple things," her father said

For Alex it is all about "letting Esmee be free, if she gets muddy or wet, it doesn't matter it's only clothes, we can get new ones or wash them - just don't wrap your kids up in cotton wool.

"When we see things we'll explain things to her, she just seems to pick up on that."

"You tell her once and she retains it," Sarah added.

Alex said: "It helps her learn if we teach her things as we walk past them, if we find berries we explain what plant it is and say 'don't touch'."

Their videos often show Esmee "mastering the art of falling over", he added.

Bug regularly gets muddy and dirty on her walks

"She's a real life Peppa Pig, she's obsessed with muddy puddles," Sarah said.

Alex said the next step for the family was possibly creating educational books, which would focus on subjects such as rubbish.

He has not ruled out developing merchandise, such as puddle suits.