Alicia Silverstone Chews Son's Food: A Safe Practice?
After the video of actress Alicia Silverstone feeding her 11 month-old son chewed food from her mouth made headlines some are wondering if the practice is as safe as once thought.
On her website, "The Kind Life," Silverstone explains the food she prepared and how much fun she and her son had eating together.
The video is titled "Bear eating my mouth," and features Silverstone eating from a bowl then feeding the chewed food from her mouth to her son's. The actress explains that the practice is a great way to bond with a child.
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"I just had a delicious breakfast of miso soup, collards and radish steamed and drizzled with flax oil, cast iron mochi with nori wrapped outside, and some grated daikon. Yum! I fed Bear the mochi and a tiny bit of veggies from the soup ... from my mouth to his."
She continues to explain that: "It's his favorite ... and mine. He literally crawls across the room to attack my mouth if I'm eating. This video was taken about a month or 2 ago when he was a bit wobbly. Now he is grabbing my mouth to get the food!"
Silverstone gave birth to her son, Bear Blu Jarecki, in May 2011. Her message on her website explains that people should be open to "living your healthiest and happiest life to the fullest, while taking care of mama Earth at the same time."
However, Dr. Jennifer Landa told Fox News in an interview: "There are those who think that a mom chewing a baby's food provides helpful enzymes from her mouth but it doesn't seem like a hygienic practice."
"Various viruses and bacteria, but especially herpes virus, may be passed from mother to baby," Landa furthered her explanation. "These microbes present a challenge that the infant's immune system may not be ready for. There's a certain ick factor here that needs to be considered."
