Before Ethan turned one I was quite strict on the food that I gave him. It was okay since I’m the one who fed him, until we went back to KL last year. There were obviously many people back there who played with him and all and apparently some people, especially those who doesn’t have a child, who doesn’t know about food allergies, just offered him some food without asking me first. I was just off to the toilet or something and when I returned I saw him chewing something already. Normally if I see him chewing something that I did not give him I’d be worried and anxious to get it out. Then I saw that person picking out the food that he/she was eating and gave Ethan, right in front of me. It was pieces of bun so I didn’t want to make a big fuss out of it by telling that person off.
I’m writing this because it was brought up by a couple mum friends. All of us agreed that people (no matter how close the relationship) should ASK for our permission before stuffing ANYTHING into our children’s mouth. All of us breastfed our children for at least 6 months and never offered them any solids before they turned 6 months. Even now we still don’t allow certain food for them, like sweets and chocolates. So please, if you ever want to offer food to someone’s child, be polite and ask them first.
6 responses so far ↓
1 whoisbaby // Sep 25, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Was that me? ha ha ha, guess not, since you mentioned some without kid.
ya me too, i haven’t really given him any candies or chocolate. Well got a little big chocolate last time but now no more. Since I don’t eat too much candy myself there will not be chance that he will get to eat it anytime soon.
Of course not you la! If you I say you already lor…hahaha… I give him chocolate-coated biscuits but not chocolate. No candies for him too.
2 Mrs. Wallace // Sep 26, 2007 at 9:11 pm
I totally agreed. As you know Claudia is allergy to cow’s protein and prawn. As for candy and chocolate I’m not that particular but again I don;t want her to have bad tooth at such a young age. It does look awful.
Oh, I didn’t know Claudia has allergies. So what milk do you give her?
3 Here at last // Sep 27, 2007 at 1:20 am
[…] Please ask before you offer […]
4 Priscilla // Sep 27, 2007 at 3:22 pm
It is true. I still remember a few years ago when JD was just 9 months old, some relatives gave him egg tarts to eat while we were not around. Turned out JD had severe egg allergies, vomitted and was quite sick after that.
That is scary. Sometimes you just don’t expect people to feed your child that’s why you never tell them that he’s allergic. Did you know then that he was allergic?
5 Sweetpea // Oct 5, 2007 at 2:43 pm
i guess it is OUR responsibility to ‘educate’ our relatives in malaysia, u know, there are aunties and then there are aunties who will just stuff anything into our children’s mouth and hands.
it’s quite a norm here in aust. to ask and offer and i made sure i did the right thing to ask the parents at aidan’s kindy if their children can have a lolly at the end of the term becoz it was aidan’s bday.
i know wat u mean. it’s difficult to sound them as they may be close relatives and think wat so ‘par pei’ about giving kids just a little of this and that
but if we don’t say anything, it’s us who will end up suffering from nursing an allergy and a very cranky child 
have fun in m’sia!
You know how sometimes the elders would say, “I gave ’so-and-so’ everything when he was young, and he turned out fine.” Well, you happened to be lucky because your ’so-and-so’ was not allergic to anything. It is actually rude to offer other people’s children food without asking the parents first. Lucky Ethan is not really allergic to anything that I know of, except for kiwi fruit.
You have fun in Malaysia too! Hope to meet you here.
6 merry // Dec 15, 2007 at 2:33 am
Ethan is alergic to kiwi fruits? i think Ryan is allergic with eggs.. everytime gave him eggs.. he will vomit…
Oh.. how i wish my parents and my aunts in Indonesia can read this… they stuff everything to Ryan.. even the food from thir mouth… (like sweet, take out from thier mouth gave to Ryan to suck)
Told them many times still doing that.. like u said … they said, bullshit, my kids all eat this and that bla2…
one of the aunty also ask me to give Ryan Honey. she said good for health, last time my daughter 3 months already drink honey… Told her lucky she is not poisoned… she dint listen..
Gosh.. really headache with my parents and relatives… they are not educated and dun want to be educate…
until Ryan is vomit or whatever only i said.. see told u all dint believe me… come on.. He is my baby, i know him better than u all even u all raise how many kids… a parents esp mom will know their baby better than any other people, even an experienced mother who raise their 12 kids… agree?
Yeah, totally agree. I’m not sure if Ethan is really allergic to kiwi fruits or not but that time I fed him some his eyes bengkak, then spots broke out on his face, like kena bitten by mosquitoes ten times. That was quite long ago already, before he turned 1. Might try to feed him again. Good luck in educating your relatives, if they are willing to let you. If their ways work for them then forget about it lah. Just tell them, they use their way on their children, you use YOUR way, and everyone has to follow their parents’ way! You don’t tell them what to do, they don’t tell you what to do.
Leave a Comment