Kempsey baby vaping: New video of boy sucking on vape as family break silence on ‘putrid’ act
The family of an 11-month-old baby boy filmed sucking on a vape have broken their silence over the “rotten” and stupid act as more disturbing videos emerged.
Disturbing images that emerged online this week of the little boy inhaling a vape as his young mother and others look on laughing sent shockwaves across Australia.
The viral video caught the attention of NSW Police, who visited a home in Kempsey on the north coast of NSW on Wednesday to inquire about the baby’s well-being.
While no further police action will be taken at this stage, the fallout continues with the NSW Families Minister directing her department to launch an urgent investigation.
It comes as a new video emerged of the baby struggling and gasping as he rests on his mother’s lap, with those around him laughing and saying ‘it’s okay, bubba’.
The boy’s aunts have spoken openly about the sickening incident to condemn his young mother’s actions, while defending their sister at the same time.
A new video has surfaced of the baby boy gasping for air after inhaling a vape
“It really sucks, I won’t say it isn’t and I would remove my nephew from that situation,” the baby’s aunt shared Seven News.
A second aunt added, “Honestly, it made me sick, but she’s a young mother and she’s trying her best.
“It was just a stupid mistake she made with some friends.”
The comments come as new footage emerges of the same mother getting into a street fight with another woman, which has led to death threats from locals towards the mother and her family.
“Violence is not necessary,” the family said.
NSW Police have no plans to press charges at this stage, despite growing calls for the baby to be removed from his mother’s care.
“Police have now spoken to the child’s family and – on the advice of medical professionals and other government agencies – no further police action will be taken,” a statement said.
However, NSW Minister for Families Natasha Maclaren-Jones has instructed the department to “urgently investigate” the boy’s immediate safety, well-being and well-being, along with other children living in the same household, to determine whether further action should be taken.
Labor opposition leader Chris Minns was also shocked by the footage and will consider tougher laws if he is elected prime minister on March 25.
“Obviously (they are) very disturbing images,” he said.
“We will look at legislative changes if necessary. This is abhorrent and should not happen.’
Multiple videos have surfaced online of the baby sucking on a vape. The mother in the clips can be seen laughing as the boy coughs and sputters from the smoke
Several videos showed the baby coughing after inhaling the toxic fumes.
In one clip you can hear a woman say, “Do you want to try it?” holding up the vapor before pressing it against the child’s lips and letting the boy inhale.
The child is seen writhing as he coughs and splutters as the women watch, giggling at his reaction.
Daily Mail Australia understands the boy has been taken to hospital for a check-up and is currently staying with his mother on the highway.
Shocked social media users were appalled by the images and slammed the young mother.
“That’s so sad,” one person commented.
Another wrote ‘F****** disgusting behaviour, as a mother myself I don’t know how people can do this to their babies.’
A third said, “Every baby deserves a parent, but not every parent deserves a baby.”
The NSW Minister for Families has directed her department to launch an urgent inquiry into the well-being and well-being of the baby boy filmed inhaling a vape
2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham also weighed in on the controversy.
“They have to do something here because this is child abuse,” Fordham told listeners on Thursday.
“Whoever is responsible, and anyone who witnessed what happened and didn’t report it, should go to jail.”
The family broke their silence after the boy’s mother responded to backlash against her in an extremely foul-mouthed Facebook diatribe.
“Every bastard got the skin to sit there and talk about me and my child, look in your own backyard,” the mother wrote.
“You’re not perfect either, so shut up, you’re not scary, you’re nothing but bums.”
The incident comes as the number of poisonings from fumes among children under the age of four has risen alarmingly in the past year.
The NSW Poison Information Center received 213 calls about exposure to e-cigarettes and liquids in this age range in 2022, compared to 127 the previous year.
The baby boy’s mother took to social media to defend her actions in a foul-mouthed tirade
Symptoms recorded during these calls include nausea, vomiting, coughing fits, increased heart rate, loss of consciousness and in some cases seizures.
Genevieve Adamo, a senior poison information specialist for NSW Poisons Information Center, previously told ABC News that many calls were due to toddlers raising the vapes to their mouths out of curiosity, “as children do.”
“They’re like, ‘oh, that boy picked it up and put it in their mouths like a doll,'” she said.
Last year, the National Health and Medical Research Council released a report on e-cigarettes that found that vapors can contain hundreds of dangerous chemicals found in cleaning products, nail polish remover, weed killer and bug spray.
This is in the vapor, which is composed of various chemicals such as heavy metals – even if it is labeled ‘nicotine-free’.