Footage from the Kiser family’s June trip to Spain showed 16-month-old Teddy sitting on a boat without a life jacket
Credit: Emilie Kiser/TikTok
NEED TO KNOW
- Emilie Kiser apologized after her son Teddy was seen without a life jacket on a boat
- She said Teddy was briefly out of the life jacket because he was fussy and needed to be calmed down
- Kiser also addressed Teddy’s infant swimming lessons and confirmed the family has a pool fence
Emilie Kiser is addressing the recent controversy surrounding footage of her 16-month-old son, Teddy, sitting on a boat without a life jacket.
In a video posted on Friday, Aug. 14, the influencer, 27, acknowledged that she and her husband, Brady Kiser, 29, made a mistake and apologized for the incident.
@emiliekiser
Thanks for listening 🤍 Hope you all have a safe and good weekend.
♬ original sound – Emilie
“I understand this conversation. I think it is important. It holds people accountable, and I know that I am not perfect. I know that we make mistakes, and all I can say is that I’m sorry, and that I know we made a mistake,” Emilie said.
She captioned the video, “Thanks for listening 🤍 Hope you all have a safe and good weekend.”
The footage of Teddy was captured during a June family trip to Mallorca, Spain. The footage was shared by fellow influencer Madi Curtis in a now-deleted video. Teddy could briefly be seen sitting on the boat with Brady without a life jacket.
Credit: Emilie Kiser/Instagram
The situation drew renewed attention because Emilie has frequently spoken about water safety following the death of her 3-year-old son, Trigg, after a drowning in May 2025.
Emilie explained that Teddy had been fussy during the boat ride, so she and Brady decided to remove his life jacket for a few moments to calm him down.
“We see now that that was a mistake, and that there is no reason ever why a child should be out of a life jacket,” she said.
She also addressed questions about Teddy’s water-safety preparation, saying he has been taking infant swimming lessons for months and is currently in his second round of classes.
“He’s doing amazing, and I’m so proud of him,” she said.
Emilie also confirmed that her family has a pool fence at their home and said they do not use the backyard pool where Trigg drowned.
Credit: emiliekiser/Instagram
“We have not, we will not, and we do not swim in our swimming pool where our child drowned,” she said.
While acknowledging the criticism that comes with sharing her life online, Emilie said she plans to continue discussing water safety when she feels ready.
“I know how many families we can help, but it is hard. It is hard to talk about,” she said. “It’s not because I don’t want to talk about it. It’s because it’s hard.”
Emilie previously spoke out about the video from Spain in an Instagram Stories post on July 28.
“Our child should have been in his life jacket for the entirety of that boat ride, not even for the few moments that he was out of it,” she wrote in part. “We are painfully aware that in a matter of seconds, your entire life can change, and we should have done better.”
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Emilie has also spoken about how difficult it is to discuss water safety following Trigg’s death.
“This is a topic that I will continue to talk about when I feel comfortable, because it is so extremely hard to talk about, and I hope that people can understand that,” she said in a previous video. “Our son’s death was very preventable. It was an accident, but it was a preventable accident. I will always take full accountability for that, because as a parent, it is your job to protect your child.”
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