Parenting expert calls viral craze of throwing cheese at babies 'abusive'

A trauma parenting expert has criticised a social media craze where people throw cheese slices at babies’ faces, calling it “abusive”.

The trend began after a video was posted on twitter saying ‘just cheesed my lil brother’. The tweet was deleted but not until the clip had been watched over 10m times.

The prank involves flinging a cheese slice at a baby’s face with the aim of making it stick to their face.

In the videos, the cheese slice is left on their faces while you can hear the parents laughing and the baby either cries or peels off the cheese looking surprised.

Jane Evans, an expert on childhood trauma and its effects on the brain, said: “This is distressing to watch as we see the babies flinch with shock. Imagine you are sitting quietly and suddenly a loved one flings something in your face!

“We might be able to say something to them about it, or move away, or say how it made us feel.”

But she adds: “A baby can only sit strapped in whilst experiencing physical and emotional shock, surprise and fear.

"Added to a confusion they can only feel, but not understand, about why the person they love wholeheartedly is humiliating them this way. Let's be clear - this is abusive.”