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AITA for freaking out because my friend gave my baby a bitten off cookie?

· 3 min read

The Cookie Conundrum
An 8‑month‑old, a best friend, and a cookie that somehow became a family‑sized snack.
Our hero (the parent) was hosting a casual brunch with their bestie, who brought a plate of seasoned delights. The parent, being the responsible one, waved the plate away—no seasoned food for a tiny human. Instead, they offered a “baby cookie” that looked innocent enough to appease the little munchkin.

The twist? The baby pretended to gobble the cookie, making it look more enticing. The friend, thinking the baby was on a “cookie adventure,” handed over the entire cookie. Later, the parent noticed the cookie was gone… half of it. “Did the baby eat the half?” the parent asked. The friend replied, “No.” Then the friend revealed that they’d bit off a chunk of the cookie and fed it to the baby.

The parent was not amused. “No more food from your mouth to my kid!” they declared, labeling the friend a “hygiene freak.” The friend was defensive, insisting it was just spit and that the parent was overreacting. The parent? “If I catch you doing it again, you’re out of the house.” The burning question: Is the parent overreacting or is this a legitimate baby safety issue?

The Parent’s Point of View​

  • Safety First: Baby’s immune system is still learning, so any food from a stranger’s mouth could carry germs.
  • Cookie Ethics: A cookie isn’t just a snack; it’s a potential pathogen delivery system.
  • Boundary Setting: Friends should respect the limits set by a parent, especially when it involves the child’s health.

The Friend’s Defense​

  • Spit is “just spit”: The friend argues that a small amount of spit doesn’t carry much risk.
  • Common Sense: “You’re being too strict,” they say, implying the parent is overreacting.
  • Practicality: For a busy mom, a quick bite or a shared cookie is a harmless gesture.

Reader Reactions​

  • “Not a big deal”
    “I wouldn’t even rinse a pacifier that falls on the floor.”
    “Babies put EVERYTHING in their mouths—if you’re not sterilizing every 20 minutes, you’re already over the line.”

  • “Practical hygiene hacks”
    “Wipe it on a shirt tail and pop it back in.”
    “First child, huh? Soon your kid will be licking milk off the floor and grabbing fistfuls of dirt.”

  • “Totally overreacting”
    “My kids ate off the floor at that age, and nothing bad happened.”
    “You’re probably just a hygiene freak.”

  • “It’s not a big deal”
    “Unless there’s a reason to suspect an illness, it’s probably fine.”
    “The baby will survive a little spit.”

TL;DR​

Friend gives baby a bitten cookie → Parent freaks out over hygiene → Friends think it’s just spit → Readers split between “overreacting” and “practical parenting.” The moral? When it comes to baby food from a stranger’s mouth, the safest bet is to keep the cookie and the spit where they belong—on the plate, not the little one’s tongue.