Photo: TikTok
Her baby is not a chicken.
By Victoria Soliz — Written on Dec 07, 2022
Being a mom can be tiring in general but when you’re sick, it’s a whole other game.
Not only do you have to take care of yourself but you also have to take care of this other, small human being. In an effort to preserve your energy, sometimes you have to cut corners.
One mom shared on TikTok one such way she does this and is now facing backlash from commenters.
The mom shared how she feeds her son her snacks on the floor when she’s sick.
The viral TikTok was posted by Raquel Tolman (@desertbabysteps), sharing how she has to engage in "survival mode" when feeding her son while sick.
“Sometimes when I’m sick, I like to feed my baby his little snacks as if he was a chicken,” Tolman says.
The video shows her throwing the snacks down onto the carpet near her child as he rolls over to snag some.
“Hey baby, eat the snacks.”
Tolman says that her child loves it but many were quick to call the mother out for her actions.
Many were upset with the mother for making her baby eat from the ground.
People in the comments called Tolman out for how “unhygienic” the practice was.
“Isn't this unhygienic? Genuinely do not know.”
The main consensus was that they were upset over the fact the food was thrown on the carpet, which many claim can harbor germs that the child is then getting into.
“Why is nobody upset by the fact that she’s doing this on CARPET?” one user asked.
Others called this dehumanizing.
“I find it humiliating and disgusting,” one commenter wrote. “Sick or not, I would never treat my child with such disrespect.”
However, not everybody is so up in arms about the situation.
Many found the practice lighthearted fun, joking about how the baby was having 'enrichment time.'
Other mothers pointed out that the food will end up on the floor anyways so why not do something fun with it?
“At the end of the day, they are gonna throw them on the floor if you put them in a bowl anyways.”
Many also pointed out that there are real benefits to doing this for your children.
“It’s smart, gets them moving, keeps them thinking. 10/10 would do this.”
Others shared their own personal experiences of how their parents would do the same thing, which encouraged them to crawl, roll over, or walk.
“This is how I taught my baby to crawl with a trail of puffs,” one mother wrote.
Another shared how adding different textures like “a blanket or play mat” can help with a child’s hand-eye coordination.
Victoria Soliz is a writer with YourTango who covers news and entertainment content. Her work explores pop culture trends, film and TV, and celebrity news