A Bengaluru nutritionist's video sharing parenting tips went viral after it showed her domestic worker’s child eating while sitting on the floor, drawing sharp criticism online. Nutritionist Sonakshi Sharma shared the video to highlight how baby-led weaning (BLW) is not a Western concept, but something Indian mothers have practised for generations.
“Remember our moms being so busy with housework that they used to leave us with the food, and in that process we learnt to eat. BLW is just the same story wrapped in a seemingly exorbitant cover!,” Sharma says in the video.
The clip shows her sitting on a sofa while her baby eats from a high chair. However, in the next shot, her domestic worker’s three-year-old son is shown sitting on the floor, eating kheer and roti.
Take a look at the video here:
The contrast drew backlash from viewers who said it highlighted inequality, especially given the difference in how the two children were presented.
{{/usCountry}}The contrast drew backlash from viewers who said it highlighted inequality, especially given the difference in how the two children were presented.
{{/usCountry}}Sharma defended her video, clarifying that the clips were filmed on different days and that the child simply preferred to sit on the floor.
“I don’t practice idiotic things like untouchability in 2025 for god’s sake! We just valued this child’s preference, that’s it. I understand that those showing concern are good people, but this child doesn’t really need your pity for such a trivial thing,” she said.
She also criticised the online response, claiming viewers were reading into it the wrong way.
“You’re seeing a ‘Househelp’s child’ sitting on the floor, while I’m seeing just a child who chose to sit on the floor—the same way my daughter would sometimes choose to do—the same floor where we regularly sit and eat,” she added.
The video drew mixed reactions online. While some users supported Sharma’s explanation, others felt the comparison was not needed.
“Whatever your justification is for why your help's three-year-old is sitting on the floor, it still does give out wrong message. This comparison reel was unnecessary in the first place,” one user wrote.
Another countered, “God! All the drama queens crying in the comments because kid is sitting on the floor. It's an Indian household, we all sit on the floor.”