What does alcohol do to infants?

Question

First, let me tell you this is something I witnessed, not something I did!

A mother of a teething 6mo old put a few drops of liquor/wiskey (I didn't see what it was exactly) to help her sleep. She said that she has had a miserable time napping since starting to teeth and no traditional method of relief has helped. If her daughter doesn't nap, she is beyond unbearable, so she says, and the alcohol is for all of their sanity. Baby gets needed sleep and relief from pain, parents get a break from the crying and fussing and can recharge.

Is this a legitimate excuse or should this woman be hanged? Are there any proven ways to relieve teething pain?

Answer 1

Everyone in my husband's family does that to their babies and recommended it to me.  My question:  What's wrong with Orajel?

I would never put even the smallest amount of alcohol in a baby's mouth.  Even if it does work on teething pain, that's just wrong.  I wonder how much they swallow?  Can the alcohol be absorbed into their bloodstreams through the thin lining in their mouths?  Other drugs can, like nicotine from the nicotine gum.  Surely alcohol can, too, right?  Their bodies are so small it wouldn't take much alcohol to overwhelm the liver.  Have you heard of college kids dying from drinking games?  They die because they drink more than their livers can break down.  The excess alcohol in their blood causes brain damage, just like in a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome.  Who would risk that?  Obviously my in-laws would.  I think it's crazy.

Answer 2

I think it is an old, outdated practice. babies have small livers and even a few drops of alcohol could cause problems

heres a lovely little story maybe your friend should read thishttp://www.wapt.com/news/14420619/detail...

Answer 3

She needs to be stopped, as far as hanging her...well that is extreme.  

Answer 4

Ive never heard of giving a baby a few drops of alcohol for the teeth but my great grandma and my grandma used to put rum on their fingers and would run it on their babies gums....  but that was a long time ago so i dont really know...

Answer 5

Way back when, a lot of moms used to rub whiskey on the baby's gums to supposedly numb any pain they may have. If she gave it to her to drink, that is bad. And stupid. My mom keeps telling me to do that to my daughter and I won't. I don't believe that it works. I tried it and it did nothing but make my mouth taste bad. No way. There's orajel and there are teething tablets that dissolve right away when put under the tongue that are suppose to help numb things.

Answer 6

That's an old remedy that was popular in the 60s and 70s. I remember my mom said she used to rub brandy on my gums when I was teething, in the 70s. My pediatrician recommended it!

That woman has just been misinformed and isn't up to date on the most recent knowledge, which would be that you shouldn't get your baby drunk to make them nap. An infant is so small, it's no wonder a few drops knocks them out...they're drunk! I think anyone with common sense can see that getting a baby drunk isn't okay.

If this person is a friend of yours you might want to gently guide her in the direction of some info that shows how that is a bad practice. She shouldn't be hanged, she should be helped. She's just had some bad advice given to her.

Answer 7

That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of.

If I knew someone doing that to a baby they would never get out of jail.