A baby has died after his grandfather decided to give him a sip of an alcoholic drink at an event celebrating him turning one month old.
Mother Wen Huang and her husband had been trying to have children for over three years before Huang became pregnant, in Beijing, China.
Grandfather Weng Weng was making a toast at a banquet for his grandson’s first month celebration, which in Chinese tradition is meant to celebrate a new addition to the family and give good blessings to the child.
One of the many relatives who were invited suddenly joked that Weng was not allowed to drink unless the baby had some too.
Weng was understood to be drunk and wanting to “save face” so he allegedly poured a cup of alcohol and gave the infant a sip.
Huang became very angry when she witnessed her son drinking and tried to take him back into her arms. The baby cried and its mouth smelled of alcohol when Huang took the baby into a private room.
After about half an hour the baby stopped breathing and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Health professionals spent hours trying to revive him but ultimately failed to save his life.
The doctor confirmed the infant died from an allergic reaction to alcohol.
“Babies can’t drink alcohol,” the doctor told the family, according to Sin Chew Daily. “How can you make a joke with the child’s life?”
Los Angeles County doctor Taylor McCormick confirmed baby bodies seem to digest alcohol faster than larger adults.
He also revealed giving alcohol to babies can produce similar effects to what adults experience in larger doses.
“Ethanol intoxication in infants produces similar clinical effects as seen in adults: central nervous system and respiratory depression,” McCormick said.
