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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Feeding babies lemon for a laugh?

98 replies

GooglyEyeballs · 08/04/2022 12:10

I don't have kids so really I don't get a say! (TTC at the moment so please MN fingers crossed for us!)

Lately I've been seeing on Instagram/Facebook loads of videos of people feeding their babies lemon and then laughing at their reactions. It probably doesn't do any harm, but it seems a bit off to me, making a baby uncomfortable for laughs. Babies are pretty funny things without the feeding them sour stuff just to see their faces scrunch up. Maybe I have a stunted sense of humour and need to lighten up?... But I was wondering what MN thought about it.

I also keep seeing videos where parents blindfold their kids and get them to dip their finger in something and taste it and then remove their blind fold and the parents are holding up their dogs arse and the horror on the kids faces is just horrible. I'd be really upset if someone did that to me.

Don't get me wrong I love a good prank but I think they're only funny if the prank makes the victim laugh and not feel awful. What does MN think?

OP posts:

SpringHasSprungYay · 08/04/2022 20:46

Ha! used to do this to my baby brother when we were young 🤣🙈

MrsSkylerWhite · 08/04/2022 20:50

SpringHasSprungYay

Ha! used to do this to my baby brother when we were young 🤣🙈“

That was your duty, as elder sibling, though.
Bet you’d have been pissed off if someone else had done it though, then plastered it all over the internet.

GrandTheftWalrus · 08/04/2022 20:53

I put a pic of dd2 trying lemon on my fb. Mainly as she screwed her face up then ate it all. She made a worse face at trying yoghurt. I didn't do it just for likes etc. She was reaching for it so I let her try it.

ntsure · 08/04/2022 20:54

Lemon is harmless I think a side just a fairly normal food. I loved eating lemons as a child! However I hate the people rust prank their children it’s horrible. The worst ones I’ve seen are when they pretend to do a magic trick to make the child invisible and all the family pretend it worked and the child is invisible- that would have scared me so much as a child, exploring your child’s trust in you like that for a laugh is evil

CoverYourselfInChocolateGlory · 08/04/2022 21:11

DD loved lemons when she was a toddler

ChiefWiggumsBoy · 08/04/2022 21:14

When weaning my kid tried everything. He loved (and still loves!) lemon slices but did the face at other things. So I’m fine with that.

The dog arse thing is disgusting and I would probably barf if someone did that to me.

Bramblecrumble21 · 08/04/2022 21:15

I gave my 8mo baby lemon and filmed it. Was very disappointed that she didn't pull a face, she enjoyed it. Now she's 3 and will eagerly eat lemon slices (out of cups I. Restaurants) raw onion and garlic, pickled foods etc

MrsSkylerWhite · 08/04/2022 21:27

Bramblecrumble21

I gave my 8mo baby lemon and filmed it.”

For yourself or wider audience?

Whelmed · 08/04/2022 21:31

I did the lemon thing for both my DC and hoped for a funny video for grandparents to enjoy and for the DC to enjoy when they're older. Well they both liked lemon so it was very underwhelming. The dog thing just seems a bit cruel.

Branster · 08/04/2022 21:38

I am absolutely disgusted when I see idiotic videos of pets being given weird food or being made to dance or all sorts of stupid shit like that just 'for laughs'. Apparently it is funny and it becomes a trend etc. One of the reasons I refuse to watch anything from ticktok as they are quite bad for this.
It is degrading and pointless and I absolutely hate that such behaviour is seen as normal.

I had no idea similar videos exist of babies or young children. Appalling really.

Notanotherwindow · 08/04/2022 21:42

We give my niece spicy food just to see if we can find anything too hot for her. She is 14 months.

We had these crisp things, kind of like sunbites. Sriracha flavour. She loves them. So when we had Indian we let her try a little bit of the curries.

This baby literally sat there dipping her fingers in her dad's Madras and licking it. I tried a bit but was way too hot for me. There's me sitting there with my eyes watering, chugging ice water and she's just bloody eating it. Offered her a bottle of juice she didn't want it!

Sometimes babies like strong flavours. Just because they make a face doesn't mean they don't like it. We let them try anything we're eating. Sometimes it's funny but if they don't like it they'll just drop it.

LadyLothbrook · 08/04/2022 22:01

Not read the full thread but I detest things like this. A couple of years ago it was throwing a cheese slice in a baby's face 'for a laugh' and then another vile one smearing chocolate on a toddler hand when they handed you a toilet roll and pretending it was poo. I hate the world and I wanna get off.

XenoBitch · 08/04/2022 22:09

Videoing babies eating lemon has been a thing since you could send the footage in to You've Been Framed.

Porcupineintherough · 08/04/2022 22:13

I used to have a lot of fun giving ds1 olives when he was small, he'd do the shocked face and pucker every time, then reach for another one. Didnt think to film it though.

PurpleNebula84 · 08/04/2022 22:25

I've got a fabulous set of pictures of my DD trying a very tart raspberry for the first time ... Her face scrunched up, but then she actually wanted more - to this day she still demolishes raspberries by the bucket load - and the tarter the better. And yes, I tried her with lemon - not to be mean, but to introduce her to the sour taste. I also like tart/sour fruit and has enabled me to perfect my resting bitch face.

The dog one btw is awful and downright disgusting.

OakPine · 08/04/2022 22:31

I have low tolerance for this sort of exploitation of children for likes.
Also hate the instagram parents whose children are props in their perfectly curated online lives as bait for “gifted” items.

CapMarvel · 08/04/2022 22:52

Obviously allowing your kids to experiment with different foods etc is fine.

Deliberately giving them something you know they aren't going to like and filming it is dickish, but then I fucking despise anyone who exploits their kids for likes/money etc on youtube.

Itmustbeaproblemwithyourdoodad · 08/04/2022 23:08

Hmm I actually think the lemons thing is pretty harmless. My kids LOVE hearing about the funny and silly things they did as babies, they would really enjoy a video of themselves trying lemons for the first time.

Plus laughing at your baby’s facial expressions is surely one of things that get you through those tough, tough days of early parenthood. And the baby isn’t exactly going to be offended by it (obviously they might when older if it’s on social media, so yes that’s an issue).

Wouldn’t do it to a toddler or older though. Those pranks with the poo sound horrific.

FrancescaContini · 08/04/2022 23:24

Pranks = cruel tricks

Really nasty to do this to children

FrancescaContini · 08/04/2022 23:25

And even nastier to film it and put it on YouTube

StageRage · 09/04/2022 09:56

YABU OP

What’s the point in even having a baby if it doesn’t build your TikTok following?

yestothepest · 09/04/2022 10:18

@toomanydogsandcats

I think we need a new service. Not social workers or police but a team who bollocking people for this stuff and also educate on damage that stays with us from our parents shit. As a 70s kid, my parents were not perfect but it's because they were negligent through something that rhis isn't. This is abuse. If someone did this to a puppy or kitten, the RSPA would probably take the animal away (in an ideal world where they actually attended and dealt with anything) and of course they Re .assuredly funded in comparison to child safety.

Child safety?! For a fucking bit of sour lemon? Get over yourself

Bramblecrumble21 · 10/04/2022 14:17

Myself and close family and friends. I don't publise my child on social media before she can consent to it.

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