Alcohol- Toddler

[Nicegirl123]

At a news years party for kids and some adult just gave my son a sip of some ring alcoholic cider! I know I’m a rubbish mum, I should’ve been watching more but I nipped to the loo.

I’m panicking about my 20month old ds! I’m so worried about brain damage or liver damage or death
(I have severe anxiety and this is the first party I’ve been too!)
Please help!

My son accidentally drank a mouthful of gin (but spat it out immediately) at 4. I was really worried and spent ages googling (was at the beach miles from medical care). Gave him a tonne of water and food, then watched him sleep for ages. I don’t think you have overreacted in the slightest, particularly given the worst case scenarios posted here, but I can’t agree more with those saying that your “best” friend is no friend at all. Really nasty response and being drunk no excuse. I just can’t think of anybody I know that would condone giving alcohol to a baby like that. But to defend him for doing it and blame you for being concerned? Inexcusable. Wait till you are calm and then disengage. Don’t allow yourself to be blamed, or shamed for your anxiety.

The fact that you suffer from anxiety makes it even more unforgivable to be honest. You’d be well rid of them both.

When my cousin was a toddler he got into the drinks cupboard and got drunk. I remember my aunt telling us about it. She gave him a cold shower to try and sober him up! After reading Greenshoots post I'm amazed he's still alive! (Now late 30s with four children of his own to run around after).

How are you today, OP? I suffer from anxiety too (although not to the extent you describe). I'd recommend CBT therapy too because children will give you scares like this fairly often! It helps to be as calm as possible if you can.

@Greenshoots - no-one is saying that calling 111 and getting the child checked out is a bad idea. But posting anecdotal stories about children who have died from drinking small amounts of alcohol was really unhelpful and no doubt very distressing for the OP.

Hope your OK this morning OP.

Your LO will be fine, one of my earliest memories is me having a huge mouthful of Bacardi and coke by mistake and I'm still here.

Normally I limit myself to lurking in AIBU for amusement value only but this thread made me feel the need to comment...

@Greenshoots - you’re a clucking barmpot. At one point you’re talking about a baby dying from drinking a mouthful of gin - then in the next breath it’s the dregs of a gin and tonic (which of course is diluted with mixer so barely stronger than a cider). As previous poster pointed out at this volume alcohol is not fatal to toddlers unless some other underlying issue causes a reaction. OP’s case shows no symptoms so time to relax.

May 2018 bring pestilence and plague to people like you and only calm and clarity to OP.

Back to lurking for me until the next unbearable comes along.

Ok, I’ll prob get flamed for this, but didn’t everyone’s parents give them a sip of beer when they were little? I distinctly remember it. Nobody batted an eyelid in the eighties and we’re still here. I understand anxiety but seriously suggesting the baby could die? Or ringing out of hours? I’m sorry but I think that’s an absolute massive over reaction.

Well I can't speak for everyone but I was never given alcohol until I was a teen.
Everyone is going on about a sip but the op didn't see how much her child had so did the sensible thing getting professional advice. No way would I have taken the word of the idiot who gave it to him regarding it being 'just a sip'.

Dear God 🤬🤬

My DB was a toddler and tried to get my dad's ale off him, so my dad decided to let him have a sip so he wouldn't want it anymore. DB took a sip, then a swig, and ended up wrestling with my dad for it like a pair of drunks.

I remember a couple of times swigging my gran's G&T thinking it was lemonade and serving myself the wrong fruit punch as a child (how it seemed a good idea to the adults to have two identical looking punches next to each other I don't know).

A lot of kids get hold of alcohol somehow or other, most have a little sip and don't get damaged at all.

A kid was in the news the other day when Frankie and Bennys gave her a cocktail by mistake, she drank half of it and was tipsy but absolutely fine.

I used to have sips of my dads ale when I was a toddler too.

dh and his cousins got tipsy on the sherry trifle once as kids, it turned out that not only had his dm added a slug of sherry but so had her dm, mil, sil etc. It ended up rather potent!