Alicia Silverstone feeds her toddler from her own mouth, posts video and explanation


Video is below

Like the Octomom story, Kaiser, Bedhead and I all had a little e-mail conference yesterday in which we agreed to skip this story for a while. Now that it’s even bigger news this morning, we’re giving in and covering it. So you’ve undoubtedly heard that actress Alicia Silverstone posted video in which she chews up food and feeds it to her baby, Bear Blu, now ten months old, from her own mouth. Alicia wrote that Bear was a month or two younger when she filmed that video and that now he will crawl across the room expecting to eat from her mouth whenever he sees that she’s eating. It’s controversial to say the least. Alicia put out a vegan cookbook in 2009 called The Kind Diet. This may be a natural parenting thing, but this is the first I’m hearing of it.

Is Alicia Silverstone getting her parenting tips from birds?

The actress’ 10-month-old son, Bear Blu, is already eating solids — as long as they’ve been pre-chewed. In the latest video posted on Silverstone’s website, the 35-year-old feeds her baby by chewing up his food and feeding it to him mouth-to-mouth.

“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!” she wrote on The Kind Life, the website for her vegan cookbook, “The Kind Diet.”

The “Clueless” star explained, “I fed Bear the mochi and a tiny bit of veggies from the soup … from my mouth to his. 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!”

“Pre-chewing” is actually a thing, but it’s very uncommon in the US and other Western nations and not recommended by health care professionals, as it can pass infection and disease from parent to child.

Dr. Jennifer Landa, who dedicates her practice to bioidentical hormone therapy, customized nutrition and fitness programs, told Fox News:

“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. These microbes present a challenge that the infant’s immune system may not be ready for.”

[From The Huffington Post]

Some people are saying this is shocking and not at all hygienic. Others are saying that this is how mothers fed their babies for thousands of years (we haven’t been around for millions yet) and that it’s natural and safe. This is why I quoted this story from Huffpo, because it seems to have a good balance of both perspectives. My reaction is more of puzzlement. I’ve read comments in which people say they’ve chewed up food for their babies, and maybe I’m naive or not creative but this never occurred to me and I’ve never seen other moms do it. I just fed my baby soft food. Plus there are blenders, food processors and gadgets specifically for making baby food. So it seems unnecessary and kind of risky. Alicia is putting this out there, though, so she wants us to talk about it. To each their own I guess. As long as her kid is happy and healthy.

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188 Responses to “Alicia Silverstone feeds her toddler from her own mouth, posts video and explanation”

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  1. Jenna says:

    Can’t the kid chew his own food? If not, like stated, there’s soft foods. I’m not about to go all mama-bird on my kid.

  2. Marianne says:

    I saw this yesterday on People, and it’s so disgusting to me. He is not a bird.

    It’s called invest in a blender, or chop the food into smaller portions. I just can’t see how this is sanitary and not creepy.

  3. dahlia noir says:

    Blender all the way. It didn’t even occured to me to chew my baby’s food. I don’t know,it kind of keeping the dad appart too. Mommy here seems to be the only one feeding the baby, daddy should have a part to play methinks.

  4. Leticia says:

    I’ve seen a lot of disturbing things, but this takes the cake.

  5. Nessa says:

    Umm. Two words: baby bullet. Best way to process any food enough to feed your infant/toddler. And it is more sanitary.

    • gg says:

      Shoot, I use one of those for myself every morning to blend berries with my protein and greenfood shake. They’re great! And way less hassle than a regular blender.

    • bluhare says:

      It’s her mouth!! She kisses him, is that unsanitary too?

      I think it’s weird; I wouldn’t do it, but I don’t get how her mouth is any more unsanitary than a spoon that’s been on a high chair tray or his fingers which have been god knows where.

      • irishserra says:

        I’m on par with you here. It’s strange; I’ll admit I don’t understand the purpose of it, don’t care to… But it’s not the grossest or weirdest thing I’ve seen and I’m pretty sure it won’t hurt her baby at all and definitely not worth getting up in arms about.

      • ol cranky says:

        is she swapping saliva with him when she kisses him?

      • Samigirl says:

        If it’s a slobbery kiss, perhaps she has 😉

      • whodoo says:

        not okay because of cavity spreading, its been proven. nurse or pump if you want to continue building immune tolerances, and go easy on sanitizers etc, swapping spit is just uneccessary and frankly gross

    • jen d. says:

      Question about the baby bullet: Is it better than just a regular blender? I’ve seen them, but I’m wondering if I should bother since we have a pretty good food processor.

      • Rhea says:

        I would say that baby bullet make it easier since they have tray and storage cups already with dated storage system so you could just put in on the freezer without later on have to thaw the whole food container when you want to feed your baby.

        But other than that a food processor is a good one too.

  6. SLas says:

    I see a child used to come close to his mother in order to eat (breastfeeding) and a mother who forces (a little, it’s not abuse) her child to take food from her mouth. He clearly wants to discover the world (he looks all around him)…
    It seems she enjoys this very much.
    But I think it’s not a matter of right/wrong

  7. momoftwo says:

    I’m sure in remote villages of the world, where stick blenders are not easily accessible, this practice is probably necessary.

    It’s funny how parenting techniques that were born out of necessity are adopted by westerners, like slings, early potty training (required when diapers are not available) and chewin’ up food for junior.

    Oh well, she seems to love her kid and who can say what the best is for each kid 🙂

    • Rhea says:

      True to that. I have the option of diaper, blender and everything that helps me taking care of my babies easily but I met a few people that came from a remote village where electricity just came around 4 years ago and that’s how they feed their babies normally. As long as the mom not sick when she’s chewing the food for her kids perhaps it’s ok. Who am I to judge?

      • beta says:

        very interesting
        my first reaction to this was :S
        but its true, its probably the most straightfwd way of feeding when the blender etc is not an option.
        I like the slight provocation of A Silverstone, that makes us question whats “normal”

      • Rhea says:

        LOL. 😀 That’s my first reaction too when I met them. But, you know… when they live way up there in Himalaya, blender probably not something that easily come across. Especially when not all part of the area have electricity yet.

      • momoftwo says:

        I also think if those blender-less mothers from remote Africa came to America and saw this…they would think we were f-ing nutjobs.

        Such is life for the priveleged…to chew or not to chew

      • bluhare says:

        I need glasses; I could have swore you typed “diaper blending”.

      • thetruthhurts says:

        How about putting it in a spoon first? It’s unhealthy to make him think this is the proper way to eat at that age.

      • Rhea says:

        @momoftwo : Life is funny and ironic at the same time when you think about it…

        @bluhare : 🙂

        @thetruthhurts : well if she bother to use a spoon then she wouldn’t chewed the food with her mouth and used the blender instead 😉

    • Sam says:

      You are right – some cultures do this. However, the crazy thing is that in cultures where this is common, they pre-chew almost eclusively MEAT. Meat tends to be fleshy, can be tough and fiberous (tough for babies to break down, especially without the sharper canine teeth), so they pre-chew it, along with fiberous veggies and stuff. However, seeing as how Silverstone and her son are both vegans, and neither eats meat, she really has no legit reason for doing this. I say this as a vegan, because it freaks me out too – there is no actual reason to do this!

      • Rhea says:

        Actually it’s not exclusively for meat. They tend not to cook baby food separately with their family meal.

        So the babies would eat whatever the adult eat (except for spicy stuff). They would not make the vegetable extra mushy for the babies to eat and would pre-chew it for their babies because otherwise the vegetable would still choke the babies.

        I guess the video is “shocking” because it’s not a common way here in western. But in other place feeding mouth to mouth like a bird is not uncommon.

      • Rhea says:

        I think what’s more questionable is her motive to post this video. She knows that this is not common in here. So what is she trying to show by posting this in public? It’s should be for her family only.

    • thebutlerdidit says:

      Actually, in most 3rd world countries, there are signs everywhere warning mothers not to do this. It greatly increases the risk of HIV/AIDS, Hep B, and Herpes. Also, even though you may think you are healthy, you pass onto your child all of your bacteria-poss causing stomach and mouth ulcers, gastroenteritis, viruses, and it is horrible for a child’s teeth, because the adult bacteria in your mouth is the number one cause of caries in baby’s teeth. This is NOT an ok thing to do, and even if Miss Alicia is the picture of health, imagine some of the girls/women she is advocating to do this, they may be giving bjs for rent money. Still think it’s a good idea? To me, it’s not as bad as that ignorant Jenny McCarthy and her no vaccines BS, but it is still irresponsible. Actors. Geez. STFU.

  8. Wif says:

    How is this any less hygenic than kissing your kid on the mouth? I have never done it, it never occurred to me, but I’d need to see some solid evidence that it’s bad before I’ll slam her for it. The woman has grass stains on her knees, that makes her a good mom, in my books.

    And what a sweet little munchkin he is!

  9. DavidBowie says:

    I’m a mom of three and this is just…gross. Blech.

  10. Jackie says:

    i think it’s kinda sweet.

  11. dorothy says:

    I think she’s taken this whole earth-mom too far.

  12. Zorbitor says:

    What??? Everrrr!

  13. shruti says:

    Actually Saliva has a lot of natural antibodies which the babies immune system could use

    • marlee says:

      In all fairness, saliva also contains a lot of bacteria. Which the child could do without.

    • Holly Hobby says:

      There was a lot of alk about this on the parents boards yesterday. It’s unsanitary because children do not have the same antibodies (no build up yet) that adults do. Taking food from the mouth of an adult causes cavities and, in an extreme quote, herpes.

  14. po says:

    Ok, so I think its kind of gross but since women breastfead regularly I don’t think we should get on our high horse about the chewing food part. What gets me is the discription of the child eating the food out of the mother’s mouth. (I say description because I haven’t watched the video due to the likelyhood of me getting extremely nauseus)I really kind of think this was for shock value.

    • Marie Antoinette Jr. says:

      I agree. The weirdest thing about this is filming it and putting it on the internet.
      What are Bear’s jr. high friends going to say to him when they discover this 12 years from now?
      I used to like Alicia, now, not so much.

      • Rhea says:

        His friend would likely want to know why his mom gave him that name instead of talking about that video 🙂

    • whodoo says:

      breastfeeding is NOT the same, breastfeeding supplies all antibodies the mothers ever had. spit does not do tht, it is part of the digestive system and the pH etc varies by person, its an acid created to digest food in your own body, if mothers were intended to do this infants wouldn’t have their own! baffled

  15. maggie says:

    I fed my baby pureed foods before he had most of his teeth but occasionally I’d be snacking on something and he’d seem interested so I’d chew it a little and let him try it (not directly from my mouth, though.) It may not be the norm but I don’t see the harm (just don’t do it when you or your baby are sick).

  16. Snowflake says:

    I don’t see what the big deal is. Now if he was six and she was doing it,creepy. but he’s a baby, who cares if she feeds him from her mouth?

    • Holly Hobby says:

      The only concern is that she is conditioning him to eat out of her mouth. She already says that whenever he sees her eating he runs over for a nibble. So is she going to stop or is he conditioned to think this is the norm?

      I’ve seen mothers who breastfeed beyond 2 years and their school aged children would run over, pull Mommy’s shirt up for a sip – in front of company. So when does that stop?

      • thetruthhurts says:

        Exactly. My sister breast fed past two years & my niece wanted to breast feed off of me and other women. I love her, but it was disgusting.

  17. Lisa says:

    Maybe I’m a “trippy-hippy” or something…but I didn’t have ONE problem in what Alicia is doing with her child…

    I understand the health benefits (which runs along the same lines as breast feeding)…and more importantly…I understand the benefits from bonding with a child like that…

    One of the SWEETEST things I have ever seen!!!

    • MorticiansDoItDeader says:

      I have yet to see any reputable organization claim that premastication has the same benefits as
      breastfeeding. In fact, certain viruses are more likely to be passed via saliva than breast milk.
      “Breast milk contains several anti-infective factors such as bile salt stimulated lipase (protecting against amoebic infections), lactoferrin (which binds to iron and inhibits the growth of intestinal bacteria) and immunoglobulin A protecting against microorganisms.” Salvia does NOT have these properties. Although I can certainly understand instances where premastication is necessary, I don’t think it should be compared to breastfeeding.

  18. Adrien says:

    First, there was Jessica Simpson and her amniotic fluids, then January Jones and her placenta eating, now Alicia and her prehistoric food chomping practice. Is this mommy gross-out week?
    I really don’t care about Alicia’s child feeding beliefs. Hers are likely better than some mothers I know who just take whatever instant and feed it to their infants. But the video was just gross, sorry.

    • DeltaJuliet says:

      “prehistoric food chomping practice”

      **snort** thanks a lot….you just made me choke on my water lol

  19. konspiracytheory says:

    Putting aside the ‘Ewww’ factor for a second: If AS has ever had any cavities, she is passing the bacteria that cause cavities to her son. Heck, I don’t even share a bottle of water with my kids for that reason alone.

    • ol cranky says:

      there’s also the possibility of transmitting things like mono even if you’re not symptomatic and mono is worse on the little ones than it is on HS students and even adults

      • The Truth Fairy says:

        Not to mention herpes, which is rampant in Hollywood and can be contracted by kissing an infected co-star.

  20. paola says:

    hygienic or not it sounds really gross to me. eww

  21. Guest says:

    As an early childhood professional, that is disgusting and there is something strange about the whole thing.

  22. Anastasia says:

    I think it’s gross, but whatever, my bigger problem is that he’ll see this video when he’s older. UG.

  23. fabgrrl says:

    Okay, this does ring true to me as something that mothers have been doing for thousands of years. Just think about it, how else would you chop and mash up food without utensils? So, I don’t think it’s necessary to harp on the hygiene.

    But does she really need to post a video of it? Really? This seems like a blatant, earthier-than-thou, cry for attention. If I’d read about this practice in a book my reaction would be, “huh, okay, yeah, that makes sense for mothers without blenders, knives, forks, etc”. But it just seems bizarre in this context.

    I feel bad for this kid. He already has a terrible name, and he is going to be his mom’s prop for her most-organic-mommy show.

    • lucy2 says:

      I remember seeing this in a documentary or something years ago, but I think it was more out of necessity – no blenders, etc.
      I do think her putting it out there is really about her getting attention.

      • Cindy says:

        Yeah, they also used to have surgery in non-sterile environments and give birth out in the woods with no anesthesia. These inventions aren’t bad things.

    • Holly Hobby says:

      Don’t forget the Oedipal complex that would surely develop if this continues as he gets older. Watching the mouth to mouth action (not an innocent brief peck on the lips) is disturbing on all levels.

    • 88Modesty88 says:

      We have been using utensils for at least 2000 years. When exactly did we not have a mortal and pestle to soften tough food?

      I like Alicia but we’re not birds.

      I can understand, however, if people with no blenders (not that regular a feature in rural Africa) chew meat to soften it. But just because something came into existence for necessity does not necessarily make it the best solution to a problem.

  24. Darlene says:

    When my daughter was very young (6-10 months old) I would take bits of food and lightly pre-chew them, especially meats, but I would then put them on my finger or in a spoon for her to eat. My mom did it with me, I’m told, and comments on other sites are having people say they are doing the same thing. What I did not do, however, was pass it directly from my mouth to hers. It’s the same principle, effectively, but I don’t care for how it looks like she’s making out with her child. (and yes, I do kiss my daughter on the mouth; there’s just no “lingering!”)

    I will stand strong and say that I am a mom who “pre-chewed” some foods for their child. My daughter is eight now and, truly, she has only been really sick once in her life and has had only a handful of minor low-grade fever-producing viruses in her entire life. I don’t think one has to do with another, but with the talk about the bacteria being passed from one to another, I wanted to add that bit of information….

    Also, my daughter chews her food just fine on her own now. 🙂

  25. Gia says:

    I don’t think anyone has the right to tell someone how to raise their child (as long as there is no abuse of course). Is this gross…sort of, but it’s up to her.

  26. MrsBarneyStinson says:

    I personally find this very, very gross. But to each her own, I guess.

  27. Talie says:

    The placenta thing, fine…this is on a whole other level. It’s just too new-agey. Celebs always have to be different, don’t they? From the creepy names to feeding their kids like f*cking birds!

  28. Eleonor says:

    I am not a parent,so I can’t know what’s wrong or what’s right to feed a baby. She is doing what she thinks it’s right, and I’m fine with this.
    My point is: why do you have to show US how do you feed your child?
    It’s not like she is a mum in a mall: the child wants to eat, and she breastfeeds. No she is on her couch, and she wants to show us this.

  29. txmom says:

    Hmm, seems very much motivated from the mom’s side, not the baby’s.

    Everyone has their own standards or boundaries, tho. I remember comparing notes re: weaning with a friend. When your nursing baby starts eating more foods, he/she will start dropping nursing sessions. Books will talk about offering the breast and then taking the child’s cue on whether they want it or not. My version of this was to offer the breast once, and if they didn’t want it, stop offering nursing as an option for that meal. My friend’s version was to continue offering the breast for that meal for a week, just to be sure her son didn’t want it! I guess she was more into than I was!

  30. Me says:

    I dont see the problem. The only way it would be weird was if he was quite a bit older.

    • jano1981 says:

      Thats what I find creepy. It will get weirder as he gets older. If he attacks her mouth now 2 months later then I don’t think this should progress anymore. No reason to feed him directly from her mouth! At all. PUT IT ON A SPOON.

    • Holly Hobby says:

      She is already conditioning him to expect this. She proudly says he drops what he’s doing if he sees that she’s eating (this is not during meal time but when she’s snacking). That’s conditioning. He’ll be 2 soon so now is the time to get rid of that habit.

      She’s a freaking narcissist. I think she posted ths so she can start a revolution ala breast feeding. Sorry but it’s not the same.

  31. Sillyone says:

    Maybe it is just me..BUT if he can’t chew it on his own then it is a choking hazard and he shouldn’t be eating it.

    Good lord invest in a blender or hell put it in a baggie and use a hammer to smush into little bitty pieces that makes it edible for him.

  32. ohiogirl says:

    The worst part of this is feeding him from her mouth! Couldn’t she at least spit it into a bowl and use a spoon? I would be grossed out if I found out my mom had been doing this to me back when I was a kid.

    I wonder when he gets older if he will have some unexplained fetish for watching people eat.

    I also wonder if she is doing this out of laziness. I do remember with my nephew, that it was a pain to cut up all his toddler foods into small pieces.

  33. poppy says:

    i love birds but i don’t want to be one.

  34. Sakyiwaa says:

    he just a BABY. It’s gross a little but i’m creeped out…

  35. Ginger says:

    I heard about this practice when I was pregnant with my son ten years ago. I was reading a lot of holistic and natural child birthing and rearing articles and books at the time. Supposedly this dates back to ancient times of human survival and immunities are passed on to the child from the mothers saliva. I won’t judge her but I ultimately decided we are in the modern era of shots and food processors. I try to raise my son in a healthy way without going overboard…a little candy, tv and video games won’t hurt.

  36. Jess says:

    I don’t think it’s that big a deal. My little girl has always loved fancy olives, so at restaurants that have olives with seeds I’d take bites off the olive with my mouth and put it on her plate to eat. As for the hygiene claims, what mom hasn’t shared her used spoon or straw with her kid – the same germs are being passed around there. Plus, if you’re breastfeeding, your milk actually develops antibodies to counter any germs in your system, so any germs you and your baby share can be fought through breastmilk. I don’t know why so many people want things with babies to be so antiseptic and sterile – and distant.

    • normades says:

      Same. The other day I was eating some sausage, my girl really wanted to taste it so I chewed it up and took it out of my mouth to give to her. But I felt kinda gross about it. The mouth to mouth thing is going a little bit too far imo.

    • fabgrrl says:

      Oh, I probably did that too. Say, we were out somewhere, without access to utensils, and the kid wants to try something that I think is too hard or big for them. Yeah, I’ve definitely bitten off something and then given the small piece to the kid to eat. But I never actually chewed something up and then had the kid take it directly from my mouth! And if I had, I surely wouldn’t post a video of it online!

    • jc126 says:

      I wonder if her kid’s even old enough to be eating that food. If the saliva and mastication are supposed to break it down a little to make it more digestible for an infant.
      Why not just breastfed exclusively for a year or more? She’s got the time and money, I am sure.

      • fabgrrl says:

        Ten months? Yes, definitely old enough for “solid” foods. You aren’t really meant to breastfeed EXCLUSIVELY after around 6 months. Babies get teeth and start wanting to chew on things. It’s Nature’s way of saying, “find additional sources of food”.

      • jc126 says:

        Trying to reply to fabgrll, can only reply to myself lol – I have always heard from the super-fans of breastfeeding that you can breastfeed exclusively for like 2 years, or at least over a year. Haven’t experienced it myself, just that’s one of the alleged claims. I don’t know ANYONE who’s actually done it in real life (besides people online, for what that is worth (nada)). I just wonder if the foods she’s choosing are really digestible.
        Is she raising this child vegan, I assume?

      • TheOriginalTiffany says:

        I breastfed mine each for two years, but they start eating when they get teeth and the nursing starts dropping off. By the second year they are naturally just feeding a couple times a day. I smashed real food and fed it. Would never use prepackaged crap. I may have chewed up a few bites, but more smashing no matter where I was.
        This seems a little too crunchy granola even to my attachment parenting soul.

  37. bub says:

    GROSS.

  38. Diana says:

    creepy…

  39. Isa says:

    I thought of the bacteria that causes cavities too. People used to do this out of necessatity, and Alicia seems like she’s doing it because she think it’s all Earth-Mama-cool.
    She can afford a baby bullet or blender or whatever.

  40. MSat says:

    This is yet another example of how modern parents are making their children dependent on them for absolutely everything. At 10 months old, a child usually has 4-5 teeth, at least, and the motor skills to start learning how to sit in a high chair, use a spoon and a cup. Instead of spitting pre-chewed food into a child’s mouth, a parent’s job should be to teach the child how to feed himself. I mean, that really is our job, right? To prepare our children to be successful adults? It sure feels like the new crop of touchy-feely parents have forgotten that.

    • Isa says:

      Everyone in my birthclub (we have 7 month olds) seems to be trying out baby led weaning. Which is where you give soft, small pieces of food and the baby feeds itself. Just trying to give you a little hope for the future. 🙂

      • normades says:

        I was very excited to try BLW but when I did at around 7-8 months I felt my baby was not developmentally ready for it. She would “eat” pieces of cauliflower or brocoli but I’d find lots of unchewed or undigested bits in her diaper. I think around 10 months they are much more ready.

        I also think some people take the BLW too far. An 8 month old shouldn’t be eating a bean burrito. SALTY!

        That said I’m all for letting the child feed him/herself. My child started with her hands and then drank from a cup and used a spoon early.

      • Isa says:

        I used purees with my first and again with this baby. But I do give him chunks of banana. I’ve tried some other food and it didn’t quite work out. We’ll try again in a few months.

    • cc says:

      This is sort of what I think too. Like when she said “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”. He should be becoming more INDEPENDENT, not more DEPENDENT. And that has to be encouraged by the parents. Right? She might enjoy the bonding, but is it really good for the kid developmentally?

      Also, umm. . . it’s the INTERNET!!! He’s gonna see that video when he’s older, as will all of his friends.

      And I dunno, the whole using your kids for your own self-promotion(website, book, political/social agendas etc) without thinking, ‘hey, this kid will actually grow up and be aware of this one day!’ that celebrities sometimes do, always always bothers me.

      So yeah, it’s really the long-term

  41. Julie says:

    if you do those things why do you have to go public with them?

    i hope she stops breastfeeding him when he is in highschool.

    • Mich says:

      I agree. This child is going to be teased something awful when he gets older! Some things just don’t need to be shared with the entire planet.

  42. truthful says:

    yeech.

    I’m sure she does adult things w/her mouth w/her husband.

    her choice but its gross and creepy to me.

  43. Melissa says:

    She is doing this to push an agenda, like selling a new book about “natural parenting” or something. Whatever. I wouldn’t be concerned about passing viruses, though, since when you’re living with little ones, I feel it’s impossible NOT to pass things around. And frankly, I feel like babies and kids need to be exposed to some stuff in order to develop healthy immune systems.

    All this is reminding me of an SNL skit from a number of years back where somebody was chewing food at the dinner table and spitting it into a family member’s mouth. All of the cast members in the skit were absolutely losing it, which made it more hilarious!

    • Jackson says:

      LOL, I remember that skit!! Grossed me out!!

    • Original Lucy says:

      I remember gagging and feeling like I was going to vomit when I watched that SNL skit…and I thought, I hope those players get paid a lot of money cause that is GROSS…

  44. mona says:

    Babies will have plenty of microbes in the mouth already, have the squeamish amongst not realized how many things babies put in their mouths?

    The mother’s saliva also contains enzymes which start to break down food chemically, something a blender cannot duplicate.

    Honestly, the next thing you’ll hear from all squeamish peanut gallery is that breastfeeding is unhygenic, dusgusting, and unnecessary with the advent of formula. Oh wait…

  45. Assistantrachel says:

    I think it’s gross, but whatever. Not my kid 🙂

  46. Shelly says:

    I’m not going to say she’s a bad mother or unhygenic or anything. But I think she’s weird.

  47. Jackson says:

    Blech.
    “Pre-chewing” is enough, but why does she have to feed it to him mouth-to-mouth? Seems borderline freaky to me. I respect AS for her lifestyle choices but even for me this is too much.

  48. orion70 says:

    I can maybe, just maybe, see pre-chewing meat for a baby, but AS is a vegan is she not? Assuming she’s not a raw vegan, not too much of that needs pre-chewing.

    Why are so many parents so proud of the gross things they do lately? It’s all hey look at the contents of my baby’s diaper, look at my cracked nipples, can I tell you in graphic detail about what my kid threw up last night? Oh wait, I have photos. etc.

    I know sometimes a parent will put something in their mouth to test the temperature or make sure there’s no bones or something, but chewing and mouth-feeding and taking videos? Overshare.

    • JB says:

      Exactly. It’s bizarre. And I have a two year old and 16 month old. I would never. And I’m not a prude whatsoever.

  49. Nanz says:

    What bothers me about this story is HOW it’s being reported, not why AS chooses to do it. It’s her business. What I find infuriating is that Fox News convinced some doctor to go on record and say that this type of feeding could spread the herpes virus or HIV from the mother to child. The doc FAILED to note that those outcomes are IMPOSSIBLE if the mother does not have or carry either of those viruses. Not to mention the fact that you can’t spread HIV through saliva. The mother would have to have OPEN SORES to pass anything. It’s irresponsible to engage in scare tactics just because the reporter or doctor disagrees with the method. Sure, it’s unconventional, but who the hell cares? To act like she’s endangering her child in this way is ridiculous.

    • normades says:

      Excellent point, but what do you expect from Fox news?

      • Nanz says:

        Exactly.

      • sarah says:

        Of course they can only be passed if you have them. But has she been tested for them? Does she now this for sure? You can get HIV through the mouth, if you have an open sore in your mouth. It is somewhat unhygenic to pre-chew your toddlers food, food that he could easily chew himself. Most mothers have probably done this themselves a few times in their lives. What we don’t do is have our child get the food out of our mouths, with their mouths!

      • MorticiansDoItDeader says:

        In all fairness, a child cutting teeth would have an open sore. So, she could transmit HSV-1, hepatitis B, C, HIV etc., if she was infected (and also had a cut or an open sore, like a herpes blister).

  50. TheOriginalVictoria says:

    I chewed up food for my youngest all the time and then gave it to him because I mean why not? It’s my child and I’m not abusing them. I would’t put it in his mouth with my mouth though. That’s too taboo for me but I’m not knocking others that do.

    Now my oldest I didn’t and the reason why is because I was sexually active with my husband and I just couldn’t go there. Not because of germs and stuff because babies need to be able to build up a tolerance for their immune systems. I just didn’t like the idea of it from mental point of view.

    I remember when I took my first born to the doctor for his six month check up and the doctor was all shocked and praising that I made the statement that while I am clean I don’t go overboard with hand sanitizers and sterilization because babies need to build a tolerance for shit. She was all like you’re absolutely right and that it was good to see a young mother with common sense and not over doing it.

    Everyone is different on this subject matter. But I feel bad when we are intolerant of how others choose to interact with their babies out side of blatant abuse of any kind. That poor Indian couple somewhere in Scandinavia had their child take from them and will not get him back because they hand feed their child as is the common practice in India and many other places. I’ve done it to control portions. And also they took the baby because he was sleeping the parents. Sad.

    • jc126 says:

      Going overboard with anti-bacterial soaps and all that is crazy for anyone, but esp. kids; glad you’re not like that!
      Kids who grow up playing in the dirt and living on farms tend to have healthier immune systems and far fewer allergies, because they’re exposed to so many pathogens early.

  51. ramona says:

    Um, I find this to be vile. But I don’t even share cutlery with my husband, so I’ve clearly got issues of my own.

  52. lisa says:

    This is being talked about all over.

    but bet a load of money it won’t be featured on the cover of any tabloids. But I could name a few celebs that if they were doing this it would be on every national news show. Dr. Drew would be giving interviews. Social Services would be called. But as it stand none of that will happen.

    This is an example of how the media and gossip sites. When people bitch about certain celebs. There is just a double standard..

  53. shawn says:

    This kid is going to need a lot of therapy someday. Just sayin’

  54. Lisa says:

    “Anything you can do to draw attention to your mouth is good,” quoth Cher Horowitz.

  55. Psyren says:

    Meh. It’s kind of gross and definitely not necessary in this day and age but to each her own. At least she’s taking an active role in caring for her kid. At least she didn’t make a nanny chew his food for him.

  56. Jess says:

    I would vomit, but they both might eat it. (sorry…)

  57. Chatcat says:

    Just another Hollywood whack job. She had one film and one MTV video and we are following here why? Oh because she regurgitates food to feed her infant and sent the story of hereself out in youtube land? Uhhhhh I can’t even say to each his/her own…and as far those that say “for thousdands of years people have fed thier children this way” I mean we use to rub two sticks together to get fire and now we have Bic lighters and we used to think the world was flat but CC changed all that for us and you use to have to get up to change the channel on the TV and now we have remote so I’m not buying that argument for how she gets soft baby food because we now have quisinarts!

    • Coucou says:

      Dear Chatcat, i would like to take your comment and chew it up and regurgitate it – but, no, that’s freaking gross, so i’ll just say DITTO and hells yeah she’s another Hollywood wack job – i can’t even believe she’s married, if i saw my man doing that, i’d be like WTF???

      • Chatcat says:

        LOL Coucou…and to think she put it out in cyberspace so that if her son isn’t traumitized enough by his name his middle school classmates see him smacking face and tonguing his Mom and may not figure out it was for nourishment! He’ll be ridiculed to no end…and it will be her fault. She should start him on self defense classes right now!

  58. Katija says:

    In some parts of the world, women walk around with their boobies hanging out too. Doesn’t mean I’m going to go trouncing down the streets of Chicago today with my chi-chis on display.

    Sometimes the Western world has it right, Alicia. Calm yourself.

  59. nordicgoddess says:

    another dangerous part is passing on cavities! aside from the weird and creepy have the kid attack your mouth bit.even my earthmother-hippy-vegan sister-in-law didn’t do this! and why post a video? attention h. if this was a video without food(gag) she’d be arrested for child abuse.

  60. Holly Hobby says:

    My Mil did his to our 9 month old niece. She said she does ths because she wants te girl to be dependent on her and listen to her. Granted it’s an old wives tale but I was grossed out nevertheless

    My father, the germaphobe, went berserk. He to,d us (not her) that it was so backwards country.

    I made DH to promise to keep MIL away from our kids during feeding time.

    Niece is almost 10 but when she was 5, she started unbuttoning MIL’s shirt at a restaurant – yes she went far enough that we can see her bra. I guess this is the codependency that MIL is fostering.

    Sorry but I can’t with this.

  61. Az says:

    Ugh I just threw up a little in my mouth. I won’t even share a drink with anyone because of backwash. Gross.

  62. Alot of people would say thats grose and that yor passing on your germs. Lol better then eating off the floor. Thats what birdies do when they feed their chicks. Cute as a baby and great hes eating this way now because he will love it later. The little three year old I nanny shares the organic food and veggies I make. Not vegan all the time.
    Go good influence carrys on. Healthy from the start and dont let him be brainwashed by the way society eats. Fast forward all those junk food commercials when he grows up. Thank goodnes PBS and Nick JR dont have those commercials such as Alicia Silverstone Feeds Bear Blu like a majestic Bird .

    • fabgrrl says:

      You do know that you can also put organic food in a BOWL, right?

      • MorticiansDoItDeader says:

        Birds regurgitate food (they don’t premasticate). It enters their crop (or bird stomach) and then they throw it up. My parrots used to try and feed me, and it was gross. There’s a whole dry heaving motion associated with it that’s pretty disgusting.

  63. Dimebox says:

    I have three sons, breastfed them all, because it was best for them. This might be the norm in other societies without electricity etc., but it is not the norm here. It is not loving to brand your child as weird and expose them to future bullying. I think if a video like this existed with my sons, especially one on the Internet, it would have had very negative effects on them, and our relationship. The teenage years are hard enough without having to defend yourself from something like this.

  64. The Original Original says:

    This is so gross. I cant bear to think of it, and this child is going to be upset when he is older and understands what mommy was doing.

  65. Lithe says:

    This brings back memories of my son being young enough to demand the last yummy bit of whatever I was eating, even if it was already in my mouth. I was so relieved when he was finally old enough to understand that “no” meant “no”.

    I sure hope Alicia’s putting enough money aside for her son’s future psychotherapy.

    • Wif says:

      Oh! That’s funny. You reminded me of the time my son (who was around one at the time) finished his cake and then tried to get the cake out of my mouth. I thought he wanted a wee kiss, then all of a sudden my cake was gone. Greedy thing. So funny.

  66. DappaDaph says:

    I chewed up little bits of chicken and fish, placing it on the plate and like Darlene said, My parents did it with me also. I have a healthy and intelligent 12 Y/O. No harm done.

    I breastfed for 1.5 years with pureed food, cereal flakes @ 6 months. Independence asserted at 2 Y/O with lots of “NO’s” and hands pulled away

    Now any food chewed that she sees and is not her own is followed “GROSS, EWWW, REALLY?”

  67. Ann says:

    Little Bear might end up with cavities, sadly. One good reason NOT to do this is sharing the bacteria and plaque in an adult mouth with a child. My son’s pediatric dentist has even cautioned against washing off his pacifier in my mouth if it falls to the floor. And against sharing bites of the same food, let along chewing it up and feeding it to a child!

  68. Tania says:

    It’s kind of disgusting… I have twins and at 10 months they ate soft food and sometimes baby biscuits.. I mean they usually have at least 2 teeth at this point. And if she has a flu or a cold she just passes him the germs like this… not to sound too paranoic but it’s common sense.

  69. Joy says:

    I’m all for to each his/her own.
    BUT–

    Think about the backlash that would’ve resulted had it been a father feeding his daughter in the same manner.

    Just sayin’

  70. BRE says:

    This doesn’t bother me, but I’m wondering if he is in public if he just latches on to any person’s mouth who is eating. I could just image eating my lunch and some baby lunge out my mouth to take my food 🙂

  71. the original bellaluna says:

    Okay, I’ve chewed my kids’ food before. I’d give it a little go, then place it in their mouths and let them finish it off.

    They didn’t eat it out of my mouth like a bird-bath, but I’ve partially chewed my kids’ food before giving it to them.

    I think people are getting a tad ridiculous over this. FFS, the kid lives inside you for 9+ months, then lives OFF you (nurses) for another year or two, so it’s not like he’s getting exposed to something he’s not been exposed to before.

    *disclaimer: I haven’t read the comments, because I really don’t care to (yes, that sounds really bitchy) and I don’t have the time right now.

  72. dee says:

    It’s not gross, it’s mom and baby. I’ve done this too………
    Get a life people.

  73. Moi says:

    I’ve seen this done in 3rd world countries…well, not eating from mom’s mouth, but chewing up food, spitting it out and feeding it to the baby or toddler.

    It’s kind of weird to me, that being said, he is a baby and it’s obviously there’s nothing sexual going on whatsoever. Might be cute/endearing to her, maybe she shouldn’t have put it out there for anyone else to see? Also, baby gets chewed up food and enzymes to help digest it, but gets lot of germs too.

  74. Kim says:

    The risk for infection/diseases is to high to be doing this. Its not about lifestyle its about the childs health & this is not healthy for the child period. They sell blenders for this.

  75. Lukie says:

    I am not grossed out that she chews the food and feeds him this, because I know cultures that do it and I am sure this is what was done before there were other options.

    I am kinda grossed out that she feeds him from her mouth. I find this unnecessary and just… 😕

    There is no reason you can’t take it out of your mouth and give it to the child directly. Is this some weird mother child bonding thing that is way over my head because I don’t have kids because I just don’t see the appeal…

  76. Samantha says:

    He’s already going to get hell at school because of his name. Wait until the other kids find this video… Would you want to be forever known as the boy whose mom spits in his mouth?

  77. The Truth Fairy says:

    She should be investigated by Child Protective Services for treating her child like a dog. How disgusting! Does the child drink her urine too?

    Not that she is at all relevant anymore, but this seals the death of any future acting roles she could have had and puts her in the “wacko category” along with Sean Young, Gary Busey and Victoria Jackson.

  78. mmhmm says:

    wtf….this is gross…

  79. Sienna says:

    This made me GAG. Sick.

  80. christinne says:

    i just threw up in my mouth. f me!

  81. Jaana says:

    He is going to be traumatized when he is older and really understands what’s going on in that video

    • Floridaseaturtle says:

      You beat me to it, Jaana, just what I was thinking. My child will just be mad at me for the semi-nude chicken pox pics.

  82. JB says:

    Sorry. I’m all for hippy stuff, veganism and breast feeding (which is amazing) BUT ARE YOU KIDDING? Dear lord, It’s straight up gross. Talk about fame-whoring. Jeeez.

  83. JessSaysNo says:

    Not only is that gross but I would never, ever raise my child to run over to me and grab at my mouth to get my food. That’s rude and creepy. Teach your child manners. We aren’t cavemen anymore. Feed your child vegan foods if you wish but seriously? This teaches the child that HE is in control and everything that mommy has is really just for baby.

    How stupid does she sound? Like she is proud that she is raising a selfish little brat who will scramble on over to mommy and claw at her face until he gets her chewed up food spat into his mouth. NASTY!

  84. Anguishedcorn says:

    I’m really enjoying the growing independence of my pre-schooler, and the thought of teaching him continued (rude and personal-space-violating) dependence on me at this point just .. no. I just wouldn’t ever do that.

    Besides the fact that it’s about the grossest thing I’ve seen in quite a while.

  85. Michelle says:

    That is just simply horrible! Poor baby. A baby has to learn how to eat and chew food on its own, this is all apart of our ‘development’ process.

  86. Annie says:

    My question is WHY???? Doggies etc feed their babies predigested/prechewed food simply because they don’t have blenders or other tools but we do. Even cavemen could crush up food to wean their kids.

    I’d be willing to consider the placenta eating thing if it helps with hormonal balance etc, hey, whatever works right? But this draws a blank for me.

  87. LeSigh says:

    This is bad! The hospital told us not even to put anything in your baby’s mouth that has been in yours. The reason is that babies are born WITHOUT the bacteria that causes cavities. This affords them some natural protection while they are still to young for a fluoride toothpaste (although experts recommend brushing their teeth with just water in the mean while).
    Food mills and processors are readily available. I’m sure early humans did this but they had no other options! They probably didn’t have the luxury of toilet paper, floss or deodarant. Ever hear of progress?

  88. ryan says:

    Sure the kid will get shit from other kids when he is older…from the kids of people like you who want to blast him & his mother for doing things out of the norm. Kids would be more accepting and tolerant if they had parents that were.

  89. judy says:

    My great Grandma told me that is how they got babies to start to eat meats was by chewing them a little for them and then giving it to the baby. I had an old fashioned blender in the 60’s and used that.Thereis no way I can do that and no way I would chew food and give to my baby btw who would happen to have teeth at 10 months.Tmi for me lol

  90. Madrid says:

    I´ve never seen or heard of any mother doing that. To me, it´s not a sanitary issue but it´s totally unnecessary to known about this. My friend´s cousin was 18 and he couldn´t go to mcdondalds with their friends because his mother used to blend every food. Maybe it´s a extreme case, but some people just dont know when to stop.

  91. Lizzie says:

    This is so disgusting! Bear should have teeth by now. If he can’t chew for some reason, hasn’t she ever heard of a blender? I wonder if she will have to go to lunch with him in elementary school and chew his food up there!! I suppose he is going to be single forever. I don’t think most wives would go to this length. So gross!! What is she feeding him – worms?

  92. MM says:

    An 11 month old can chew food. He NEEDS to chew food – it develops muscles necessary for talking.

    And cavities are caused by bacteria that feed on sugar on your teeth and secrete acid that puts the holes in your teeth – sharing food like that spreads the bacteria.

    And it’s just plain gross. How/why would anyone ever think of doing something like this?

  93. KK says:

    I think this is soo beautiful. They way she interacts with him is just gorgeous 🙂

  94. Mrs. Odie says:

    The really disturbing part is she’s mouth-feeding him January Jones’ placenta.

  95. Laura says:

    Jeez anyone would think she was sexually abusing her kid the way they’re posting above. This is how we EVOLVED and how some people still live. So why say it’s disgusting when it’s completely normal and an everyday practise globally? Yes she may be doing it for attention, but at the end of the day we got this far with countless generations doing this and hey, guess what, we’re not all disease-ridden freaks! Maybe the people who do this every day would think Westerners are freaks for spending vast amounts of money sanitizing and removing every natural element from their child’s world. Typical consumerist attitude insulting those who are different.