California Restaurant Serves Alcohol to Two-Year-Old Toddler Instead of Apple Juice: 'She Was Slurring Her Words'

A restaurant in the city of Salinas in California accidentally served alcohol to a two-year-old toddler when her parents asked for apple juice.

Knewz.com has learned that the disastrous mistake made by the Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant resulted in the toddler being rushed to the emergency room.

The family from Hollister was having dinner at the California restaurant when they ordered apple juice for their two-year-old daughter, which was served in a normal juice cup with a lid.

While nothing seemed out of the ordinary at the moment, the toddler soon started showing signs of intoxication .

“She was swaying, she was falling over, she was leaning on walls, she couldn’t hold her head up, she was slurring her words,” said Noemi Valencia, the two-year-old’s mother.

Noticing the child’s behavior, the parents smelled the “apple juice” and discovered that their two-year-old had been served wine instead.

A local news outlet spoke to the manager of the restaurant who claimed that the drink swap was an honest mistake.

The wine that was served to the toddler was reportedly stored in a large container labeled “apple juice,” which led to the server’s mistake.

The parents rushed the toddler to the Salinas Valley emergency room as soon as they realized she had ingested alcohol.

A blood test revealed that the child’s system contained an alcohol level of 0.12% at the time.

The two-year-old had to spend the night in the emergency room and has since “sobered up” and made a complete recovery.

Valencia, the child’s mother, urged the restaurant authorities to take precautions to ensure that an incident like this never happens again.

“Take proper precautions and how you store things or label things properly so that this doesn’t happen to anybody else,” the mom was quoted as saying.

She also urged parents to first taste the drinks being served to their children before passing them down the line.

“Parents: taste what’s served to your kids,” the parents urged.

The Salinas Police Department has confirmed in a statement to the local news outlet that a police report had been filed in connection to the incident on August 17.

The law enforcement is currently carrying out an investigation into the matter.

The incident has since blown up on the news, with the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control issuing a statement regarding the matter.

“The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is aware of the reports and is working with local authorities to investigate,” the department said .

While the child has made a full recovery and is currently fine, it is worth noting that the situation could have been much worse.

The National Capital Poison Center notes:

“Alcohol can be a dangerous poison for children. Alcohol depresses the central nervous system and causes low blood glucose (sugar).”

“Children who drink alcohol can have seizures and coma; they could even die. This is true of beverage alcohol (beer, wine, liquor) and alcohol found in mouthwash and other personal care products.”

“[Children] might vomit because alcohol can irritate the stomach. Breathing and heart rate might slow down to a dangerous level. Blood pressure drops. These children can pass out and even die,” Poison Control added.

The Center also mentioned the example of a four-year-old – two years older than the Hollister toddler – who was found passed out in bed with an empty bottle of rum beside her.

“She was taken to the emergency room right away. Even so, she died a few hours later,” the National Capital Poison Center mentioned .

As a form of precaution against such mishaps, the Center suggests locking up alcoholic beverages in the house to keep them out of reach of children.

“Empty out beer cans, wine glasses, and drinks glasses before children can get to them. Store your mouthwash and alcohol-containing cosmetics and cleansers out of sight and reach,” the Center urges.