People are accusing this mum of child abuse for feeding her daughter wasabi (2024)

Letting children try spicy or sour foods at a young age may result in amusing reactions - but for one mum, a video of her daughter trying wasabi has prompted backlash and claims of child abuse.

In the video, which recently went viral, young Rosie's mum can be heard asking: “You want to try wasabi?” to which the little girl responds “No.”

Rosie's mum then asks again: “Do you want to try it?” as her daughter looks curiously at the wasabi offered, before again saying “No.”

But it seems Rosie really did want to try the wasabi because just seconds after her mum sounds prepared to drop the subject, the child wails: “Wasabi.”

After asking her again if she wants to try it, Rosie's mum prompts her daughter to smell it first.

Finally, her mum raises a chopstick with a small amount of wasabi to her daughter’s mouth and her daughter takes a tiny bite of the spicy sushi topping, which she swishes around in her mouth as she ponders the taste.

But just seconds later, the little girl looks into the camera and says: “Help.”

Some viewers have been infatuated with the little girl’s "adorable" reaction - but many are calling her mum’s decision to feed her daughter wasabi child abuse.

On Facebook - where the video has been shared over 211,000 times - it has prompted outraged parents to leave angry comments criticising the mum’s parenting.

“Someone needs to turn this video into authority for child abuse! Wasabi burns, and when it does burn the mouth it could also choke the kid,” wrote one person.

Another said: “Not only is that not adorable, but I’m sure that’s borderline abuse. That poor girl. She also wasn’t really ‘warned,’ more like coaxed into it. Why would the mum laugh at her reaction?”

However, others have been supportive of the mum - and have defended her choice to feed her daughter the spicy food.

“You guys, she didn't take a giant bite, she barely put any on her tongue. Yes, it's hot but come on it’s ok for kids to try new things. This is not abuse at all. My baby wanted to try my buffalo sauce just to realise: ‘Oh that's what spicy means.’ It's ok. The child will live to fight another day,” wrote one person.

And others have compared the video to innocent videos where parents feed their children lemons for the first time and film their reactions.

According to website Parenting Healthy Babies, feeding your child a small amount of wasabi is harmless - and potentially beneficial, as wasabi is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and its use as a digestive aid.

The spicy condiment can also help cavity prevention and help rid your baby of toxins.

And Dr Lisa Lewis, a paediatrician and author of "Feed the Baby Hummus," told The Independent that introducing flavourful food at a young age can discourage picky eating - and there is no reason babies need to eat bland food.

Although the little girl was displeased with the taste, it is unlikely she will suffer any lasting effects from her experience with wasabi.