Calif. Restaurant Mistakenly Serves Toddler Wine Instead of Juice, Landing Her in Emergency Room with .12 BAC

Mar. 15, 2025

A stock image of a toddler drinking from a cup.Photo:Getty

Getty

According to the local outletKSBW 8, Noemi Valencia and her partner were with their 2-year-old daughter at the Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant in Salinas on Aug. 17, when they noticed that the youngster was experiencing 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,” Valencia explained of her daughter, which prompted immediate concern.

A stock image of an emergency room.Getty

The concerned parents quickly rushed their child to Salinas Valley ER, where they spent the night. A blood test revealed that the child had a blood alcohol content of .12, which is twice the legal limit for a consenting adult.

“We have no comment at this moment,” a restaurant staffer tells PEOPLE. “We just want to wait for the police department results.”

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A stock image of a toddler drinking from a glass.Getty

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said in a statement to PEOPLE that they are aware of the situation and an investigation is currently underway, although no charges have been made as of the time of writing.

Salinas Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The child has since sobered up and recovered, but Valencia is urging other parents to be more diligent about checking what their young ones are served at restaurants.

“Take proper precautions and how you store things or label things properly so that this doesn’t happen to anybody else,” she said as a message to restaurant owners, per KSBW 8, adding, “Parents: taste what’s served to your kids.”

source: people.com