Relationship Educator Criticized For Claiming Parents Should Get Their Babies’ Consent To Change Their Diapers

Sep 05, 2023 by apost team

One of the activities new parents perform is changing their babies’ diapers. While the activity is not so enjoyable due to the babies moving their bodies most of the time or proving uncooperative, it is necessary as it enhances baby hygiene. Due to the importance of hygiene in an infant’s early life, changing their diapers is non-negotiable. However, while that is the case, a prominent Australian researcher, Deanne Carson, believes parents should seek their babies’ consent before changing their diapers. 

In a reported interview with Australia’s ABC News on May 8, 2018, Carson revealed that she works with parents from birth and teaches them how to enact a culture of consent in their homes. Part of Carson’s work also involves teaching parents how to talk to their newborn babies and asking for their permission to change their diapers.

According to Carson, babies will never respond when asked if their diapers can be changed. However, she maintained that if parents give some space, wait for body language, and make eye contact with their infants, they would be letting their babies know that their consent matters. 

Soon after Carson’s interview, her views about seeking permission from babies before changing their diapers went viral and led to diverse reactions from different people. Sadly, she also received vile messages and threats from some persons on social media who disagreed with her thoughts. One person stated, “I’m dumbfounded,” while another person said, "I'm not hearing this right surely."

However, Carson responded to the comments in a Facebook post. In addition, several television stations debated the matter on their live shows, leading to more views. Read on for more details.

After sparking a widespread debate and receiving criticism for her comments, Carson took to her Facebook page on May 9, 2018, to hit back at her critics. She revealed that some people chose to ridicule her and call her a lesbian in a derogatory way, among other nasty insults. 

In her response to the critics, she shared some facts about the rates of assault among kids and teenagers and highlighted how her work as a sexual education expert helped to teach children their rights and responsibilities and connect them to people who care and can help. She also noted that it invited parents into the discussion and was sensitive to family and cultural values. Carson concluded:

“Troll me all you want, add to your blog inches, but remember that when you do, you are negating the voices of these brave survivors of sexual abuse.”

Carson also told BBC Three that her words were misunderstood and emphasized that parents should communicate with their babies when changing their diapers. That way, babies can learn from an early age – despite not being able to respond – that they have control over their bodies. 

Carson’s comments were also the topic of discussion on a May 14, 2018, segment of Good Morning Britain. During the episode, Jane Evans and Hilary Freeman joined the program’s presenters to discuss the issue, with Evans supporting Carson’s stance while Freeman begged to differ. After several questions from host Piers Morgan, Evans did her best to convince the host that one should seek a baby’s consent before changing their diapers, though he struggled to agree with her. 

Despite the raging debate, multiple experts believe babies are communicating all the time and that parents and baby room practitioners should pay special attention to understanding babies’ non-verbal communication. 

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What do you make of all this? Do you agree with Deanne Carson and think parents should ask babies for permission before changing their diapers? Or do you think her opinion should be dismissed? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends, family members and parents!