Baby hospitalized after vodka mixed with formula

A baby is recovering after her mother accidentally mixed vodka in her baby formula, police said Wednesday.

The one-month-old girl had a blood alcohol level of 0.29% when she was admitted to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee on Monday, Lieutenant Brad Hetlet, a spokesman for the Kenosha Police Department told USA TODAY Network.

The 20-year-old mother said the child’s father emptied a water bottle in the kitchen and filled it with vodka to take to a friend’s house, according to Hetlet. The mother said she used 2 ounces from the water bottle to mix formula for the baby.

Shortly after feeding the baby, the mother said she noticed the child’s toes were red, her eyes were partially closed, and she was not responding to her name.

Hetlet said the couple quickly realized that the mother had mistakenly used vodka instead of water.

The father became irate and strangled the woman, according to Hetlet.

“The argument started, and the focus did not become let’s make sure our baby is ok, it became let’s blame each other for this,” Hetlet said.

The father is facing multiple charges related to the incident, though none are related to the infant consuming alcohol.

Hetlet said the hospital was preparing discharge papers for the child on Wednesday morning, and she appeared to be in good health.

“The baby is going to be fine,” he said. “This could have been tragic because when you hit .3 [blood alcohol level] normally it will cause you to pass out and at a point .4 you are dead.”