Doctor Sparks Outrage After Mum Uses Sliced Onions on Baby’s Feet to Treat Cold
A Nigerian Doctor has triggered widespread reactions online after criticising a mother who placed sliced onions on her baby’s feet as a traditional home remedy for cold symptoms.
A video showing the mother applying the onions to the baby reportedly circulated on social media on Monday, August 25, 2026, prompting debate over traditional remedies, parental choices and the importance of evidence-based healthcare for infants.
Reacting to the video, the doctor expressed strong disapproval of the practice, arguing that parents should not rely on unproven remedies when dealing with illnesses in babies.
“Any mum that does this needs to be jailed and the baby taken from her,” the doctor wrote in a social media reaction to the footage.
The comment immediately generated mixed reactions from social media users, with some agreeing with the doctor’s concerns while others criticised what they described as an excessively harsh response.
The practice of placing sliced onions on the feet or inside socks is an old home remedy that has circulated in some communities as a supposed treatment for colds, fever and other ailments. However, the belief that onions placed on the feet can draw out illness or cure a respiratory infection does not have established clinical evidence behind it.
Medical experts generally advise parents to exercise particular caution when treating infants because babies can deteriorate quickly from infections and may not be able to communicate the severity of their symptoms.
While onions are commonly used as food and have nutritional value, placing them on a baby’s feet has not been established as an effective treatment for the common cold. More importantly, relying on such practices should not delay appropriate medical assessment where a baby is unwell.
The controversy has therefore renewed calls for parents and caregivers to distinguish between harmless cultural practices and treatments that could potentially delay proper medical care.
For babies showing symptoms such as difficulty breathing, persistent or high fever, unusual sleepiness, poor feeding, dehydration, seizures or a worsening condition, medical attention should be sought promptly rather than relying solely on home remedies.
The incident also highlights the delicate balance between correcting potentially unsafe health practices and educating parents without unnecessarily shaming them. Some social media users argued that the mother may simply have been following a remedy passed down through her family and could benefit more from accurate health information than condemnation.
Global Mirror News gathered that the online debate has once again drawn attention to the widespread use of traditional and home remedies in Nigeria, particularly when parents are treating children for common illnesses.
Health professionals continue to encourage parents to seek reliable medical advice before administering unfamiliar remedies to infants and young children.
