Sexuality expert Deanne Carson left viewers baffled after saying parents should ask babies for permission before changing their nappies.
Carson made the remark during an interview in 2018.
Her social media biography lists her as a “sexuality educator, speaker and author.”
She acknowledged infants cannot speak to give consent.
She suggested parents can rely on eye contact and body language to compensate.
On consent laws, she told the interviewer: “We work with children from three years old. We work from parents from birth.”
The reporter replied, puzzled: “From birth?”
Carson answered: “Yes, just about how to set up a culture of consent in their homes so ‘I’m going to change your nappy now, is that OK.'”
She added: “But if you leave a space, and wait for body language and wait to make eye contact then you’re letting that child know that their response matters.”
Many viewers reacted with confusion online.
One user wrote: “So, clearly not an expert.”
Another asked: “How might a baby refuse consent?”
Shortly after the interview, Carson replied with a statement on Facebook.
She wrote: “Sadly, some people have chosen to ridicule me (oh no! Pink hair! Must be a lesbian!) and the notion of giving infants bodily autonomy (poo in nappies har har am I right?).
“The work we do with children, teachers and parents is the international best practice in abuse prevention.”
Carson defended her approach as established abuse-prevention practice.