Baby Dies After Grandfather Gives Him Alcohol During Celebration

In a tragic incident, a one-month-old baby died after his grandfather gave him alcohol. The incident took place in Beijing on Friday.

Family and friends had gathered to celebrate the birth of the child when the baby’s paternal grandfather, who was holding him in the hand, proposed to raise a toast. However, one of the people in the party jokingly told the unidentified grandfather that he can’t drink unless the baby consumes alcohol. Falling for the taunt, the man picked up a glass of alcohol and gave a sip of it to the baby in order to “save his face.”

The child’s furious mother immediately grabbed the baby back into her arms. The baby was rushed to the hospital half an hour later when he became breathless. Despite best efforts, the baby could not be saved. Tests revealed the baby had died of alcohol poisoning.

“Babies cannot drink alcohol, how can you treat a child’s life as if it’s a joke?” the doctors asked the grandfather. According to reports, the baby’s heartbroken mother slapped her father-in-law several times and was unable to believe her child was no more. The in-laws reportedly ill-treated the woman prior to the baby’s birth as she was unable to conceive even after several years of marriage. There was no information if a police complaint was filed against the man.

In a similar incident in Romania in 2017, a 15-month-old baby was hospitalized with severe alcohol poisoning after his uncle and aunt gave him snacks soaked in alcohol. The aunt, however, rejected the claims and said they only used compresses soaked in vinegar. Doctors, however, said, "The child was having convulsions and suffering with clear signs of poisoning with ethanol. They have given the baby corn snacks soaked in alcohol. There is no question of inhaling vinegar."