Photo: TikTok
This mom believes that what she decides to feed her child is her choice, and no one else's.
By Alexandra Blogier — Written on Apr 20, 2023
A mom on TikTok is laying down the law when it comes to what she calls her "baby boundaries" after someone crossed a line while she was at a birthday party with her child.
When you think of a birthday party, you think "cake" but for this mom, the event did not mean she was about to switch up her mind about what she feels is appropriate and safe for her little girl.
So, she turned to TikTok for advice.
The mom wondered if she was overreacting to someone feeding her baby chocolate cake without asking her first.
Katie Jones is the proud mom of a 4-month-old baby girl who, like most kids her age, is likely not eating solid food yet. The mom explained the context of the situation, saying, “A couple of weeks ago, we were at someone’s house, and I was in the kitchen, my husband was in the living room. Somebody was holding our baby, and decided to feed her chocolate cake.”
She recounted that her husband reacted quickly. “He shouted, ‘no!’ and ran into the kitchen, and I learned of the news as he was trying to get it out of her mouth.”
She, meanwhile, was equally as swift in her actions, “I grabbed my baby, stormed out of the house, and haven’t spoken to this person since.”
Although the person’s behavior went against what Katie wanted, she said, “I have been told that it’s not a big deal and that I overreacted.”
The mom went on to explain that at the time of the cake incident, she and her husband had not yet weaned their baby, “and the only thing she’d had in her mouth was a piece of watermelon when we were in Thailand because it was hot, and that’s our decision; we’re her parents.”
“The reason I’m so mad about it is because I felt like a precious moment had been taken away from us, and just for the expense of someone’s laughter,” Katie said. She also noted the risks involved in feeding a baby solid food before they’ve been fully weaned.
“Chocolate cake has sugar, dairy, caffeine, all these things in it that I want to control with my baby,” Katie said. “That is my boundary, what I set, and nobody should overstep that.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the introduction of solid foods to babies around 6 months of age. There are certain factors to take into account before feeding a baby solid food, including their ability to sit up and hold their heads steady, their ability to coordinate their hands, mouth, and eyes to look at food, pick it up, and place it in their own mouths, and their ability to swallow food, rather than spitting it out.
Babies get most of their nutrients from breast milk or formula, yet it's important to note that certain foods should be avoided, including salt, which can affect a baby’s kidneys and sugar, which can cause tooth decay. According to these guidelines, feeding a baby chocolate cake isn’t recommended.
Katie explained that feeding her baby solids depends on the boundaries she sets.
“If somebody wants to feed my baby, whether that’s… after she started weaning, you need to ask me. You tell me what you’re putting in my baby’s mouth and you ask me before you do it.”
She ended her post by asking her followers how they would feel in a similar situation and most people in the comments took the mom’s side.
“I’m not a mom, but you’re valid!” Said one person, noting that the baby could have been allergic to the cake’s ingredients, or worse, choked.
“I would be SWINGING,” said someone else. “No solids are going in my baby’s mouth until she’s 6 months old.”
Katie responded to the comment, affirming, “exactly, no solids let alone something like cake.”
“You’re her mother,” commented someone else. “Don’t let anyone tell you you’re overreacting.”
Katie utilized the hashtag #babyboundaries, which taps into the conversation of parents being allowed to set boundaries for their babies, including the conversation on consent in babyhood.
As Katie reiterates, her role as a parent is to protect her baby, part of which is setting boundaries as to how her baby is treated. To ignore those boundaries is to disrespect her parenting choices, and possibly even cause harm to the baby.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.