in thinking feeding a 3.5mth old baby chocolate isn't a spectator sport???

[glaskhamhasoneintheoven]

I was picking DS up from nursery today, one of the mums was there with her friends (parents of other nursery children) and she pulled out a bag of milkybar buttons and started feeding them to her baby... Her and her 3 friends were all stood round the pram laughing and poking them back in when she spat them out... At one point she was holding her lips closed saying 'come on just eat it'. In the 5mins we were waiting a few other parents gathered around the pram to watch, all laughing and giggling about feeding a baby chocolate... One mum asked the babies mum how old she was, the mother replied '3.5mths, I've been giving them to her since xmas, she loves them' so at 3mths she was feeding her baby buttons!!!!

I was horrified!! Seeing this... I was also horrified to see so many other parents thinking it was highly amusing!! So AIBU??? I just couldn't go on the rest of the day without ranting about this, and DH is at work so I can't rant to him!!

YANBU - you need to move to a more upmarket area

nametaken beat me to it

I think feeding chocolate to a baby that young is very ill-advised, and the other parents who crowded round to watch clearly have far too much time on their hands.

YANBU

I do already nametaken!! just the good nursery and school are in the 'bad area'.....

they'll be giving em fruit shoots next

haha- now i admit mine get fruit shoots on the odd occasion we're out for the day and mumm forgets to pack juices..... but mine are 2.9yo and 4.1yo!! Mine never touched chocolate until over 12mths... obviously i know a bit isn't going to kill them before that, but i do know it can be doing serious damage to their digestive system... I really wanted to say somethign but feared i'd get battered by all the other parents!!

I don't usually like to make negative comments on how others chose to parent their children, but that is absolutely shocking!!!!!
I wonder if any of those mum's would have had a problem if this mum started feeding her 3 month old baby rice and purees?

YANBU

chocolate to a 3.5mth old

i would almost call this abuse!!

baby rice and puree's must be so much better for a 3.5mth olds insides- i'd have much preferred to watch her feed her DD baby rice than witnessing the chocolate!!

Exactly glas it just seems that wherever you look there is major uproar about early weaning (am talking RL) but yet these people are ok with chocolate I too would much rather see a 3 month old being shovelled carrot and sweetcorn than chocolate buttons! What next? A packet of Skips in the supermarket queue?

yeah... i mean its one thing to judge someone's parenting... but feeding a baby isn't what i'd call parenting of any kind!! I'm now wishing i had said something as i feel really guilty witnessing that when i know what damage it could be doing to her poor baby.

I'm no model parent by far but i am appauled that she thought it firstly OK, and secondly funny to do this!!

Terrible. This is really terrible. Poor baby.

My husband was at a central court recently (as a witness lol!) and there was a mother screaming at her 2 year old and smacking her and even calling her a f*king c*t. The Dad then joined them and was just as bad. It's scary what some kids go through at the hands of their parents and protectors.

Agree. I said on another thread how I think feeding is one of the most nerve racking but important things ytou'll do as a parent, there are so many different routes to follow, so many different ways to wean, it's tough to decide what's best and how's best, but choc at that age is def not one of them.
Tbh, I can't see how these people would be unaware of the negative affects any food could have at the moment.
Don't feel guilty, if anyone should feel guilty, it's the people standing and watching. I wouldn't treat a dog like that

OMG!

I considered contacting the local HV or something, but I dont know a thing about the woman other than her older DC's name!! Dont know surname, mums name or anything. 2 of her friends actually fed the baby a button each too. I'm pretty sure they'd all know the guidelines around feeding and weaning etc, after all they all have DC's of 3yo at least at the nursery... its not that long ago since they'd have done it all themselves!!

YANBU, dreadful for the baby and shocking with all the advice on health and childhood obesity/diabetes in particular

But the depths to which some parents sink never ceases to amaze and sadden me - I have seen an approx 12-15 month old being force fed a McDs "happy" meal it did not want "You'll f'ing eat it cos I f'ing paid for it".

Not so much because it's chocolate, the fact they were shoving it back in, forcing the baby to take it is fucking disgusting.

Holding the babys lips closed???????????? fucking hell. Personally, and you'll all jump me, id get her details and call SS. This isn't offering baby bad foods, or too early blah bah, it's forcing an infant to swallow things for an audience and a cheap laugh.

My HV gave me a leaflet produced by the Dietician's Dept at our local NHS hospital. It gives examples of First Foods To Try (weaning) as chocolate buttons, maltesers, pink wafers, cheese staws and then the Govt wonders why we have childhood obesity.

God help that poor baby.
Hopefully if the 'mother' very loosely using that term, is capable of holding the childs lips closed to make her eat chocolate, she is also capable of helping the baby if she begins to choke as a result of these actions.

Some people
And yes it does basically border on abuse.

Arabicabean

You're JOKING ??