A father has been left outraged after his mother-in-law turned to an old-school "remedy" to help his daughter with teething pains.
Teething can be a tough time for babies, and one supposed remedy that has been passed down through the generations is to rub whiskey on their gums to numb the pain - despite scientific research showing that it's not a great idea for many reasons.
In a post shared on Reddit’s Am I the A***ole forum, the mother of the baby revealed that her mom had done exactly this to her child, and the baby's dad was pretty furious when he heard about it.
The 28-year-old revealed that her baby had been "teething horribly" and she sought advice from her own mom on how to best to soothe her while visiting her house.
She explained: "My mum does some old [fashioned] things and she’s really into herbs and natural healing and such, so she wanted to try rubbing whiskey on my daughter’s gums."
The woman said that she allowed her mom to rub alcohol on the little one's gums as she had done the same to her and her siblings when they were younger, noting: "It did seem to calm my daughter down a bit."
However, it really didn't go down well with her husband when she got home and told him as he was "furious", adding: "He said that’s harmful to our daughter and it does not relieve any pain.
"He got really upset and said I shouldn’t [have] let my mum do something like that, and told me I couldn’t bring our daughter to my mother’s anymore."
She continued: "He’s since called the next two days off of work and is super paranoid watching me every second with our daughter. I feel this is unfair."
Users on the social media platform were divided over the decision, with one commenting: "I think in the world where Internet is at our fingertips, it should be easy enough to Google if something is safe or not. I'm not a mother and even I know, without having to look it up, that some of those "old remedies" aren't safe. I'd think that a first time mother would also know that, even if the advice is coming from her own parent."
Another responded: "You'd think so, but there's a lot of misinformation out there, often disguised as 'wellness'. It's hard to figure out what's valid and what isn't if you don't already have some knowledge."
Another person stated that the mother was "NTA (not the a**hole)" in the situation, adding: "Your husbands response is actually the most concerning part of this post. Taking off work multiple days to 'watch over' your wife over something like this. This should have been an easy discussion about how that’s not the right way to handle teething and then move on. This isn’t real a big deal, the damage done to the child was literally zero. If this is how something like this is handled how are things that matter going to handled."
Someone else suggested: "I agree with you about her being a first time mom and that it's normal to go to your mom for help. I also agree that this is a mistake and she's learned not to do it again. I do think Dad needs some grace here too. As far as we know, he's also a first time parent. She let a non-medical professional give something to their six-month-old without his knowledge. And Grandma gave their baby something that can damage gums. Will it happen again? Probably not. But I think it's understandable that he's emotional and doesn't trust OP right now. If he's still micromanaging a week, a month, etc. from now, that would definitely be a red flag. I think a few days isn't."
Despite it being a common "home remedy" from decades past, according to medical professionals, using whiskey on babies to help with their teething is a big no-no.
The Pediatric Dental Association advises: "Never use whiskey or alcohol to 'soothe' gums, as this does damage the the mouth and doesn't provide relief. You may also try over-the-counter remedies, but always check with a pediatrician or pharmacist. Avoid numbing agents unless they're prescribed by a physician."
Featured image credit: Getty Images
.png_QOkb6n?tr=h-184&config=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)
