You know the saying, "If Mama Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Is Happy." It's certainly true when it comes to giving a treat to a baby without first getting their consent. Moms are known to be the gatekeepers of their children's health and well-being, so you can imagine the rage when someone ignores their authority and gives their child a boost of sugar without permission.
This scenario occurs quite frequently, and recently a TikToker described her experience.
More info: TikTok
Sugar, dairy, and caffeine are not the best thing to give to a four-month-old baby
Image credits: anokarina (not the actual photo)
Woman on TikTok shares a recent encounter when somebody gave her little one chocolate cake
Image credits: katieandariam
"Someone fed my four-month-old baby chocolate cake and I just need to rant about it"
"A couple of weeks ago, we were at someone's house and I was in the kitchen, my husband was in the living room, somebody was holding our baby and decided to feed her chocolate cake. He shouted 'Noooo', ran into the kitchen.
I learned of the news as he was trying to get it out of her mouth."
Image credits: katieandariam
"Anyway, I grabbed my baby, stormed out of the house, haven't spoken to this person since"
"But I have been told that it's not a big deal, and that I overreacted. At this point, we hadn't started weaning her. And the only thing that she'd ever had in her mouth was a piece of watermelon when we were in Thailand, because it was hot and you know, that's our decision, we're her parents."
Image credits: katieandariam
"I'm so mad about it is because I felt like a precious moment had been taken away from us and just for the expense of like, someone's laughter"
"On top of that, chocolate cake has like, sugar, dairy, caffeine, all these things in it that I want to control with my baby. That is my boundaries, what I set and nobody should overstep that. If somebody wants to feed my baby, whether that's even after she started weaning, you need to ask me. You tell me what you're putting in my baby's mouth and you ask me before you do it. IF she had a reaction or whatever."
Image credits: katieandariam
The creator of this video has over 14k followers on TikTok and goes by the username @katieandariam. With her audience, she shares her personal stories of unfiltered motherhood and tips for mothers.
Her TikTok video gained 1.2M views and more than 70K comments in just 4 days. Most of the audience members who shared their opinions on this topic agreed that she had every right to be furious and that it is terrible when someone makes decisions about what to feed your baby without contacting the parents. After all, you never know what kind of reaction or allergies a child may have. In addition, people told their own personal experiences regarding similar situations and how they would have acted.
“Not overreacting at all, I’d lose my mind,” one user wrote. Another member agreed: “I would be so annoyed as well! Totally out of line for somebody to give that to a 4-month-old baby! Lots of allergens as well - dairy & egg are both common.” Most of the people said that they would have also been furious and that the person had no right to decide to give an infant chocolate cake and mum should always protect her kids.
On the other hand, some comments said that mom’s reaction wasn’t appropriate. One user said that she could have explained to people why it was not right instead of storming out of the house as they may have not known her boundaries. “While your feelings were valid, your reaction wasn't BUT we all get angry and overreact sometimes, just talk it out with the people, explain WHY it,” another added.
Image credits: N i c o l a (not the actual photo)
Now, if you are still not sure on which side you stand in this situation - whether she was right or it's not a big deal - here is some research for you. According to the AAP, children under the age of two should not consume foods with added sugar or caffeine, both of which are present in chocolate. Due to the extra sugar and caffeine, offering your young child chocolate should be delayed despite the fact that food allergies are not a factor.
Additionally, according to Beatriz Camargo, some parents have highly specific dietary requirements for their kids because they are worried about their health or other conditions. This means that the child may not be permitted to consume carbonated beverages, sweetened fruit juices, ice cream, french fries, popcorn, chips, or fast food, especially if the child is younger than 2 years old. Even if the meal may look harmless, it's important to apply common sense and determine whether it can be given to the child because the parents could feel it's unacceptable.
It is evident from looking at these sources that giving cake to a kid who is just 4 months old was a bad idea, especially without consulting the parents. Depending on the individual and how it should be handled (explained, discussed, or stormed out and never spoken again), the response may differ.
So, guys, share your thoughts on this matter. Have you ever been in a situation like this? If so, how did you react? How, alternatively, would you have handled this situation?
Image credits: Jay Malone (not the actual photo)
You can check out the whole video below:
Folks in a comment section shared their insights
