Babies and small children can get into almost anything it seems in the span of a second, no matter how careful we are. So what happens if your baby accidentally drank beer? How serious is it and how much does it take to hurt them?
If your baby has consumed more than a drop or two of beer, contact Poison Control immediately for assistance. Alcohol can be incredibly dangerous for young children as it can cause low blood sugar and affect their central nervous system; however, the ABV of most commercial beers is low enough that a small amount isn’t likely to harm your child.
Read on to see what amounts of alcohol will present a danger to young children as well as an alcohol content breakdown of the most popular beers.
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Is it bad if a baby accidentally drank beer?
Ideally, your baby would never drink even a drop of beer. However, as most parents know, accidents and mishaps can occur in the blink of an eye with little ones.
It’s unlikely that your child will have any ill effects if they sneak a sip of beer from an empty can or bottle, but you could be looking at trouble if they get a full gulp from a full one. How much alcohol your little one can “safely” tolerate will depend on how much they weigh.
Although you will undoubtedly be dealing with an intoxicated or even alcohol-poisoned baby if they drink less, babies can die if their BAC reaches .05%. Depending on the individual child, that may require as little as 30 mL of pure alcohol, or about 1 fluid ounce.
For instance, for a 20-pound baby, even a small amount of pure alcohol can be fatal. However, keep in mind that beer isn’t pure alcohol. A typical 12-ounce bottle only contains about 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol, so even an entire bottle shouldn’t get your baby to that lethal threshold.
Still, just because something is not fatal doesn’t mean it’s okay!
Can a sip of beer hurt a baby?
A small sip of beer is unlikely to hurt your child.
Most children will probably not like the taste of beer and hopefully not get past a sip anyway. While it is probably okay, it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to young children consuming alcohol.
You can contact the Poison Control Center if there are any questions as to how much alcohol your baby has consumed.
What to do if baby accidentally drinks beer?
If your baby accidentally drinks beer, your first action should be to contact Poison Control immediately by either the telephone hotline (1-800-222-1222) or via the online tool.
Poison control will have the following questions for you regarding the incident to determine if the amount ingested was poisonous:
- The name of the beer
- How much is missing
- How long ago it happened
- Child’s age and weight
- Whether the child is showing any symptoms
- A contact number for you
Having this information prepared will help the Poison Control Center determine whether the amount of beer your baby ingested is poisonous or not.
If it is determined that it was a dangerous amount, they will instruct you to head to the nearest emergency room for treatment. If the amount is not poisonous amount, they will instruct you to monitor symptoms and let your doctor know if anything changes.
Here’s what to do if your little one accidentally drank an energy drink or ate raw chicken.
Why is alcohol bad for babies?
When adults consume alcohol, the alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream where it is carried to all parts of the body until the liver is able to metabolize it.
When this happens in young children and babies, the effects of alcohol can be disastrous because their bodies are not fully developed and cannot process it yet.
Alcohol can cause low blood sugar in small children which can cause complications such as seizures, coma, and sometimes death.
Drinking alcohol also affects the central nervous system. Children may vomit, breathing and heart rate may slow down, and blood pressure can drop resulting in loss of consciousness or even death.
How much alcohol is dangerous for a baby?
The amount of alcohol that is dangerous for your child will be based upon a few factors such as your child’s age and weight and the amount of alcohol by volume (ABV) in the drink consumed. The truth is, it only takes a small amount of alcohol to be harmful to babies.
Small amounts of alcohol can wreak havoc on small children’s blood alcohol content (BAC). The BAC is a determination of how much ethanol concentration is in the blood.
Each person’s BAC is unique as it is based on body weight, metabolism, state of malnutrition or dehydration, and the amount of alcohol consumed. Small children’s BAC is drastically increased by even small amounts of alcohol.
The higher the ABV of the drink your child has consumed will also make certain types of alcohol more dangerous than others.
Increased BAC in babies triggers hypoglycemia and hypothermia, and those two conditions can each cause comas. And, because alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, it can cause respiratory distress as BAC increases.
How much alcohol can be fatal for a baby?
Fatal hypoglycemia, hypothermia, and respiratory distress can appear in babies who have a BAC of .05-.10.
As mentioned above, BAC is impacted, by age, size, metabolism, condition of the baby’s body, and the type of alcohol, As the weight of your child increases so does the amount of alcohol needed to be fatal.
If a baby hasn’t eaten for several hours or is dehydrated, as little as 30 mL could be a fatal dose.
Signs of an alcohol overdose in babies
If your child has ingested alcohol and exhibits any of these symptoms seek medical attention immediately.
Signs of alcohol poisoning:
- Confusion
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Slow breathing
- Irregular breathing
- Pale skin or blue-tinged skin
- Low body temperature
- Becoming unconscious and unable to be awakened
What is the effect of alcohol on babies?
Alcohol affects babies much more rapidly and severely than adults resulting in detrimental short-term and long-term consequences.
- Distorted vision, hearing, and concentration
- Altered perceptions and emotions
- Cirrhosis and cancer of the liver
- Loss of appetite
- Serious vitamin deficiencies
- Stomach ailments
- Heart and central nervous system damage
- Memory loss
- Increased risk of impotence
- High risk for overdosing
How much beer is safe for baby?
There is really no safe amount of beer for a baby.
The more your child weighs, the more alcohol they can tolerate. The lethal dose of alcohol for children is as little as 30 mL, which is right at 1 fluid ounce.
Alcohol by volume (ABV)
The amount of alcohol by volume is another factor that determines how dangerous a particular beer is.
Each brand and type of beer has its own ABV. The higher the ABV is, the more pure alcohol (ethanol) the beverage contains.
A typical beer that is usually 12 ounces and has a 5% alcohol content contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol (or 0.6 ounces), but this will vary from beer to beer. A Budweiser Select 55 for instance, only has an ABV of 2.4% while a Bud Light Platinum has 6%.
Current federal laws do not require that the ABV be listed on the container so there may be some beers that have an unknown ABV.
Alcohol content in mass-produced beers
| Beer (12 oz) | ABV (%) | Pure Alcohol Content (g) | Amount that would be fatal for a 20 lb (9 kg) child (oz) | Amount that would be fatal for a 30 lb (13.6kg) child (oz) | Amount that would be fatal for a 40 lb (18.1 kg) child (oz) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bud Light | 4.2 | 11.8 | 27.46 | 41.49 | 55.22 |
| Coors Lite | 4.2 | 11.8 | 27.46 | 41.49 | 55.22 |
| Miller Lite | 4.2 | 11.8 | 27.46 | 41.49 | 55.22 |
| Budweiser | 5 | 14 | 23.14 | 34.97 | 46.54 |
| Michelob Ultra | 4.2 | 11.8 | 27.46 | 41.49 | 55.22 |
| Corona Extra | 4.6 | 12.9 | 25.12 | 37.95 | 50.51 |
| Modela Especial | 4.4 | 12.3 | 26.34 | 39.80 | 52.98 |
| Natural Light | 4.2 | 11.8 | 27.46 | 41.49 | 55.22 |
| Beer (12 oz) | ABV (%) | Pure Alcohol Content (g) | Amount that would be fatal for a 20 lb (9 kg) child (oz) | Amount that would be fatal for a 30 lb (13.6kg) child (oz) | Amount that would be fatal for a 40 lb (18.1 kg) child (oz) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Nevada Pale Ale | 5.6 | 15.7 | 20.64 | 31.18 | 41.50 |
| Bell’s Brewery Two Hearted IPA | 7 | 19.6 | 16.53 | 24.98 | 33.24 |
| Russian River Pliny the Elder IPA | 8 | 22.4 | 14.46 | 21.86 | 29.09 |
| Guinness Extra Stout | 5.6 | 15.7 | 20.64 | 31.18 | 41.50 |
| Founders All Day IPA | 4.7 | 13.2 | 24.55 | 37.09 | 49.36 |
Home-brewed beer
Another option to consider that your child could potentially get ahold of is homebrewed beer. It can be harder to assess the ABV of this type of beer as it’s not mass-produced but done as a hobby.
Calculating the ABV of your home-brewed beer requires some math: ABV= (OG-FG) X 131.25.
Basically, alcohol by volume is equal to the original gravity (density before fermentation) minus the final gravity (density after fermentation), and the resulting number would then be multiplied by 131.25.
Another consideration as to the safety of home-brewed beers is the potential of wild yeast or outside bacteria making their way into the homebrews. Therefore any ingestion of this type of beer by young children would require a call to Poison Control.
Conclusion
While you’ll want to avoid intentionally giving your baby beer, an accidental sip or two shouldn’t cause a problem. If in doubt, always call Poison Control for details on your specific situation.
