The Daily Mail has reported that mother, Sarah-Jane Hulme, 41, had toted her four-month-old baby along with her to a Drum and Bass concert at Aberystwyth Arts Centre in Ceredigion, Wales last weekend.
The mother has denied doing anything wrong despite the outrage from fellow mums and concerned party-goers alike.
Protection
Hulme was seen cradling her baby, who she had fitted with ear defenders – to protect her baby’s sensitive eardrums from the loud music.
Gone unnoticed
Hulme claimed that police and security personnel were at the event entrance and had allegedly searched her for drugs but made no reference to her sleeping son. The authorities were only alerted two hours into the concert. The music was halted and Hulme was asked to come forward but she apparently left before talking to police.
No wrong
Hulme has come out saying that she had to bring her son because she was still breastfeeding and “My daughter Kerry was performing with her band in her home town for the first time and I wanted to be there, [so] what’s wrong with that? I don’t think I’ve been irresponsible at all.’
Not the first time
She said that this was not her first time bringing her little one to concerts and gigs and adds that this was not seen as something wrong or uncommon and bringing your kids to music festivals was even encouraged in France and Spain.
Putting her baby in danger?
Was Hulme so wrong or irresponsible to bring her baby to the concert? Did she put him in harm’s way at all, so much so that it could even be considered irresponsible and harmful? To put it into perspective, let’s consider how loud concerts can get with the average level of a night club’s music sitting around 110dB which is well above what is known as the ‘danger level’ of 80dB. Also there are other dangers involved such as a rowdy crowd, second-hand cigarette smoke as well as drunk revelers.
Alternatives
Instead of taking her baby to the concert, she could have considered other alternatives such as hiring a babysitter and leaving a bottle of expressed breast milk with the sitter. This would ensure that her little one got the nourishment he needed in the comfort of home while she could enjoy seeing and supporting her daughter at the performance.