New mum under fire over video of baby being tickled
A young mummy blogger has received some unexpected backlash after she posted a video of her husband tickling their four-month-old baby.
Audrey Roloff shared the moment on her Facebook page, captioning it, “These two are my favorite” – but followers quickly slammed the couple for potentially harming their baby.
Some commenters noted that the baby had no control over the tickling, which they felt could cause harm, while others suggested it could cause long-term damage to the child.
Of the 66,000 views, one follower noted, “NOT a good idea to tickle a child. It renders them absolutely HELPLESS with a natural uncontrollable response of laughter.”
Another commented, “Don't tickle babies it will make them stutter. It hurts their nervous system.” According to YahooBe, this has been shown to be a myth.
Many followers quickly jumped to the couple’s defence, noting that ‘shaming’ of parents on social media was rife.
“My kids all survived by being tickled,” one comment read. “Leave them alone.
“If you don't like what they do delete them from your post. I am so sick of most people, you all must think you are or were perfect parents.”
Another follower noted, “I was tickled...maybe that’s why I was HAPPY KID and better yet HAPPY ADULT”.
Speaking to YahooBe, Tiffany Field from the University of Miami School of Medicine, explained that babies over two months old will often laugh when tickled, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re enjoying it.
"It's like a roller coaster: Rousing stimulation can be okay for a minute or two,” she said, “but if your child has had enough – she's squirming and struggling to get away – it's time to stop.”
Do you think there is anything wrong with tickling a baby? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Image credit: Audrey Roloff/Facebook.