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Mom Praised for Why She Allowed Mother To Give Her 6-Month-Old Baby Alcohol

A new-mom who let her mother give her baby daughter alcohol is being backed online.

Sharing her story with the Am I the A******? (AITA) subreddit, user u/RowanRida explained she is a first-time mom with a 6-month-old girl.

Her daughter has just started teething "horribly." So, while visiting her mom a few days ago, she asked for advice.

Her mom is into "old-fashioned things" and believes in using herbs and "natural healing." She suggested rubbing whiskey on the baby's gums to help with the pain.

"She said she did it to me and all three of my siblings," the poster wrote. "I let her, and it did seem to calm my daughter down a bit."

However, when RowanRida told her husband about the whiskey, he was "furious."

"He said that's harmful to our daughter and it does not relieve any pain," the poster said. "[He] told me I couldn't bring our daughter to my mothers anymore."

He has also taken two days off work to watch the poster, acting "super paranoid" and refusing to leave her alone with the baby.

Although many agreed the mother's approach was outdated (and potentially risky), Reddit users were concerned by the husband's "scary response." Since being shared, the post has received almost 12,000 upvotes and nearly 5,000 comments.

Is Using Whiskey as a Teething Remedy Harmful?

Although it's now known to be harmful, for years parents would douse their infant's gums with alcohol to ease the pain of teething—both knowingly and unknowingly.

Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup first went on sale in 1845 and included morphine and alcohol as key ingredients. This was followed by "Gripe Water"—basically alcohol mixed with dill oil, water, sugar and sodium bicarbonate. Created to help with teething pain and other "ills," these sedatives were unsurprisingly popular amongst stressed-out moms.

Most mothers were unaware they were intoxicating their babies, as companies were not required to list their ingredients. Nevertheless, using alcohol as a home remedy for teething pain—particularly rum, whiskey or brandy—was a staple for generations.

"Desperate parents who are looking to soothe fussy babies will often try anything," Dr. Krupa Playforth, founder of the Pediatrician Mom, told Newsweek.

"This advice is sometimes passed down from older family members who will claim 'I did it and my kids turned out fine.'"

Playforth said that alcohol does have a sedative effect on infants, but it's still unsafe.

"Alcohol is known to depress the central nervous system and can cause hypoglycemia (a drop in the blood sugar)," she said.

"Both of these can be particularly dangerous for infants. Just because something works does not make it a good idea."

'Make Your Own Judgments'

In the poll attached to the post, Redditors voted RowanRide "NTA" (Not the A******) in the situation.

"You're a first-time mom, so you're naturally gonna listen to your own mother when she tries to give you advice," said ClauzzieHowlbrance.

"OP is a new mom on a fog of not being able to help ease the pain of her baby for extended periods of time. She's probably willing to try almost anything at this point," wrote Fennac.

Some were concerned by her husband's behavior, with Cobraputs calling his reaction "extreme and scary."

"Husband however is going nuclear over something that should just have been a learning experience as new parents," agreed Sheepshead.

"He's treating her like she allowed the baby to drink shots or something," said wehadabbayitspizza.

"Unless you've had severe lapses in judgement before this, I don't see why he's reacting this way," wrote pulchra_lunae.

"You two need to talk calmly about this," said bjm19047.

However, thirdtryisthecharm advised the poster to avoid her mother's advice in the future.

"You need to make your own judgments, not just listen to your mom without question," she said.

Wrangellite agreed, commenting: "Next time, do the research before letting your mom do any of the old fashion 'cures.'"

Newsweek reached out to u/RowanRida for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

If you have a family dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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Update: 2024-05-07