Police question how a toddler was served alcohol in a restaurant

A restaurant in California is under criticism after serving alcohol to a toddler.

A large family dining at Fujiyama Japanese restaurant in Salinas, California, ordered apple juice for their 2-year-old daughter. Instead, the child was served homemade cooking wine, according to a local news report.

The family was unaware of the dangerous exchange as the wine was served in a child’s cup with a drinking cap. It was only when the child showed signs of disability that the couple became aware that the child was being served alcohol.

The child’s mother, Noemi Valencia, said the signs became apparent quickly. “She was swaying, she was falling over, she was leaning on walls, she couldn’t hold her head up and her words were slurred.”

The family took the two-year-old child to the emergency room, where it was determined that the child had a blood alcohol level of 0.12, which is above the legal limit for adults. Fortunately, the child made a full recovery after sobering up overnight in the emergency room.

The restaurant explains how this could have happened by saying that the homemade wine was kept in the fridge in a jug labeled “apple juice.” The waiter did not know that the drink was actually wine and made the mistake.

Police are investigating the case, and parents of the toddler who was given too much to drink are urging parents to taste their child’s drink before passing the sippy cup to the other person.

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