Woman Considers Cutting Ties With Mother-In-Law After She Gave Her 2-Month-Old Baby Ice Cream Against Her Wishes

Mar 20, 2023

Mothers-in-law can be quite a handful to deal with, but sometimes, they can be downright dangerous.

One mother learned this the hard way when she discovered her mother-in-law had not only gone directly against her and her husband’s wishes but also put her baby’s health at risk. She took to Reddit to recount the situation and ask the community if they thought she had overreacted. She shared her story on the website’s r/JustNoMIL (mother-in-law) forum on Feb. 26, 2023, and began by saying she felt “so aggravated and upset” before getting into the details.

“Let’s start this with: my MIL has never truly liked me. We go through phases of being okay with each other back to her trying to control my husband and our major decisions. She’s always had this thing of trying to control my husband and make my input or advice seem wrong or like I don’t know what I’m saying/doing. It’s so bad that my MIL’s mother (GIL) told her daughter (MIL) to start being nice to me. So I know I’m not alone here,” the original poster (OP) said.

She shared one example in which her mother-in-law showed little care for her. 

“When my husband and I got pregnant my MIL referred to me ‘as just the incubator’ and never really checked on me, just the baby.”

Meanwhile, she said prior to giving birth, her mother-in-law had “been itching to give my baby ice cream or frosting from before I even gave birth. I have noooo idea why. Both my husband and I said no multiple times.”

However, the mother-in-law flat-out disregarded the woman and her husband and proceeded to do exactly what they had told her not to do.

The woman continued in her post:

“Yesterday she turned her back to me and gave my 2-month-old ice cream. I’m assuming it was just the fingertip full of ice cream. I know this was true because later on she told my husband she did it,” she wrote.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, infants should not be introduced to dairy, specifically cow’s milk, before 12 months old as before then, “cow’s milk may put him or her at risk for intestinal bleeding. It also has too many proteins and minerals for your baby’s kidneys to handle and does not have the right amount of nutrients your baby needs.”

The mom said after the incident, her child “had two blowouts after a night of non-stop grunting and farting. She had a rash that went away on the second poop.”

“I can’t forgive my MIL. She knew it was wrong or she wouldn’t have hid. We have repeatedly said no. She’s still too young, we were worried about allergies, and we want to be there for fun stuff like that,” the OP continued. She then asked readers for their opinion on whether it would be wrong to “cut ties temporarily.”

Enraged readers were quick to voice their outrage at the mother-in-law’s behavior in the comments, and many said they felt the OP hadn’t responded with a sufficient level of anger.

“A 10-week-old can’t even have water – what the eff was she thinking? This would be my hill I’d happily die on. The rage I’ve got for you!!!! Mumma you are underreacting!!!!” one emotional comment read.

Another user wrote: “What is wrong with this woman? She does not care about your child, you need to realize this and never trust her again. This is frightening.”

Many commenters also shared what they would have done in the situation.

“If any of my parents did that and walked all over all my boundaries like that with my kids it would be game over. I would tell them that they would not be allowed around my kids ever again until they apologized and I truly believed they had changed. This is what you should be expecting your husband to do,” one user wrote.

“Honestly, if I were you I would get a restraining order. Your husband needs to get on board. I have a 6-month-old. I kind of feel very paranoid and protective to newborns. She’s very irresponsible,” another comment read.

Others urged the OP not to let her mother-in-law anywhere near the child.

“You MIL should never be left alone with your kid. Seriously. She has shown herself to be unfit,” one reader suggested, while another said, “she shouldn’t have the chance to be near your baby again. that’s entirely unacceptable and your poor baby! she wanted to hurt baby and hurt you. That’s terrible.”

Another incensed reader commented: “Not overreacting AT ALL. Read the TITLE and gasped! Read the post and went 🤬 Dont let that woman around your baby AT ALL. Well within your rights and boundaries. She can GO.”

“Temporarily? You can cut ties forever, honestly,” another comment read.

Meanwhile, one reader offered an explanation for why the mother-in-law may have behaved the way she did and said:

“There's an old superstition that the first person to feed a baby something sweet will be the baby's favorite person. It's a recurring issue here on (the forum.).”

What do you think of the mother-in-law’s decision to feed her infant grandchild ice cream? Do you think the mom should now cut ties with her? Let us know, and don’t forget to pass this on to friends and family to see what they think of the situation as well.