'Sorry excuse': Mother slammed for giving newborn coffee

The mother of a newborn baby has been forced to defend herself after she shared a photo of her newborn daughter drinking from a baby bottle filled with milky coffee.

“Needed her coffee,” the mum commented beneath the image, which has since gone viral across a number of parenting groups on the social-media platform.

Many have expressed outrage over the photo.

After receiving criticism from a number of concerned onlookers, the mother explained it was another family member who had given the infant a caffeinated drink.

“I didn't give her coffee my aunt did,” she wrote. “I didn’t allow her to.”

Many pointed out, however, that she appeared to have supported her aunt’s actions, by posting the photo.

"‘She needed her coffee’ sounds like a person who wasn't too shocked at the fact her baby was given coffee,” one commenter said.

“That doesn't sound like she was too upset.”

“A sorry excuse if you ask me,” wrote another.

And still others have taken to Facebook, pleading with the mother to rethink her approach to her daughter’s diet.

“Please go see a dietician, pediatrician and do a parenting class,” wrote one concerned reader.

“Idk [I don’t know] what makes you think giving coffee to an infant is okay when you’re not even supposed to give them food or water at 3 months.”

The Australian government recommendation is that babies be exclusively breastfed or formula fed until they are six months old.

Dr Melinda White, Associate Director of Dietetics and Food Services at Children’s Health Queensland, recommends waiting until the end of adolescence (19 years) to start drinking coffee regularly.

“The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating canteen guide recommends that coffee-style products (including flavoured), and coffee-style milk drinks are avoided until high school,” she told Queensland Children’s Health.

“It is best to also avoid caffeinated drinks in adolescents while they are growing and bones are developing.

“If your child does drink caffeinated drinks during this time, keep serving sizes small, or under 375ml serve size.”

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