Parents are mad at Frida Baby over 'sick' ads. The controversy explained.
Parents are mad at Frida Baby over 'sick' ads. The controversy explained.
Julia Gomez, USA TODAYThu, February 26, 2026 at 8:15 PM UTC
0
Frida Baby, a popular brand that sells postpartum and baby care products, is being criticized online for some of its marketing tactics after Instagram campaigns posted five years ago resurfaced. Now, the company says it is "retiring" some assets.
Customers began taking to social media in February to boycott Frida products, pointing to sexual innuendos on some of the company's packaging and advertising.
"There is a time and a place for adult humor, and baby products ain't it," said content creator Chrissy Horton in a video posted to Instagram on Feb. 16. The post has generated thousands of responses and hundreds of comments.
Baby Frida, in a response to the recent backlash, says the brand has always used humor to discuss the messier aspects of parenthood.
Fridababy brand sparks controversy.
"From the very beginning, Frida has used humor to talk about the real, raw, and messy parts of parenting that too often go unspoken," Frida said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY on Monday, Feb. 23. "We do this because parenting can be isolating and overwhelming, and sometimes a moment of levity is what makes a hard experience feel human, shared, and survivable."
In a statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday, Feb. 24, Frida said it would be retiring "legacy assets," and changing its tone in the future to make sure it "always meets the moment." Frida did not specify what assets it would be retiring.
Here's what to know about the products and the controversy surrounding them.
Other Frida marketing campaigns: Maker of breast milk ice cream says booger-inspired candy resembles the real thing
1 / 0Meet the parents raising their kids like it’s 1995Ryan Glubo, an Oceanport parent to an 8 and 4-year-old, says he hopes to wait until 16 to give his kids a smartphone and 18 for social media.Baby Frida ads, packaging with sexual innuendos
Screenshots of 2020 and 2021 posts from Frida's official Instagram page have resurfaced on social media, igniting conversation about the appropriateness of the marketing tactic.
USA TODAY scrolled through Frida's Instagram page to confirm such posts. While newer posts don't appear to contain sexual innuendos, we found older posts that did. Internet sleuths have also been digging up the posts and leaving fresh comments.
Instagram users have criticized the following posts:
A 2020 post with a photo of a baby with sweat on its forehead, with the caption "Gettin' all hot & sweaty thinking about what's dropping tomorrow..."
A 2020 post advertising filters for the brand's nasal aspirator with the caption "And remember, suck, don't swallow. Please don't Google that."
Another post from 2021, where Frida announced a new baby product with the caption "Hey mom, What is nightstand top drawer worthy, battery operated, and comes in clutch when things are hot and steamy?"
A video posted in 2021 demonstrating how the nasal aspirator works on an infant with the caption "pull out game strong."
One product currently on store shelves, the Frida Baby's 3-in-1 Ear, Forehead + Touchless Thermometer, teases on the side of the packaging, "How about a quickie?"
Frida Baby 3-in-1 Ear and Forehead Infrared Thermometer packaging design is raising eye brows online due to the sexual innuendo on the box. USA TODAY spotted the product on Target's shelves on Wednesday, Feb. 25,Internet debates the Baby Frida posts
Several screenshots from these previous posts have been making the rounds on social media and sparking debate.
"Absolutely disgusted by all the innuendo comments on your BABY products," wrote one commenter on a video of a baby with the caption "Pull out game strong."
"This is sick. How have you gotten away with language like this for so long, @fridababy?" said another.
A petition was also created to "hold Frida Baby accountable for their sexualization of babies in their marketing," and is asking the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to investigate Frida Baby's marketing practices.
"As a first-time mom, I was stunned reading these captions," the petition's creator, Reagan Montanez, wrote. "I had to look twice to make sure I wasn’t misunderstanding." The petition was created on Change.org at the beginning of February and has since collected over 27,000 signatures.
Advertisement
Baby products recalled: Over 200K baby sleepwear sets sold at Meijer recalled. Here's why.
Others have come to the company's defense.
"It is a little funny, no?" content creator Danielle Anello posted on Instagram about Frida's marketing. "If I can get a little humor and chuckle out of sucking the snot out of my child’s nose, then I’m okay with it. It’s just packaging."
On Facebook, other commenters also said they would keep using the products.
"I’m not mad, and I’m going to continue sucking boogies from my (baby's) nose with the Frida," content creator Danielle Elizabeth stated in a post.
Frida responds to backlash
Frida Baby issued the following emailed statement to USA TODAY in response to the renewed outcry online, addressing the humor the company says has always been present in its campaigns.
"Our products are designed for babies, but our voice has always been written for the adults caring for them," the statement continued. "Our intention has consistently been to make awkward and difficult experiences feel lighter, more honest, and less isolating for parents."
Frida also noted that humor is "personal" and that it never meant to "offend, push boundaries for shock value, or make anyone uncomfortable."
"We will continue to show up with honesty, empathy, and courage. With each decision we make, we will continue to evaluate how we express our voice so that our commitment to families is unmistakable and our tone always meets the moment," the brand wrote.
The company has also responded on Instagram, saying it was "retiring select legacy assets" and "refining our tone moving forward."
Baby Frida's history of viral marketing
Frida has a history of eyebrow-raising marketing with a focus on unfiltered pregnancy and parenting.
Recently, Frida created a Mardi Gras float to celebrate breastfeeding.
"We live in a world that loves boobs. As long as they’re doing what society wants them to do..." Frida Baby's Instagram post stated. "But the moment boobs start doing their actual job—feeding a baby, leaking through a shirt, existing unevenly, painfully, honestly—everyone suddenly gets shy and uncomfortable."
In October 2025, the brand released booger-inspired candies that look like actual boogers, and in August 2025, the brand unveiled its breast milk-flavored ice cream in partnership with OddFellows, a small-batch ice cream company based in New York.
Contributing: Greta Cross, USA TODAY
Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers popular toys, scientific studies, natural disasters, holidays, and trending news. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Frida Baby responds to controversy over ads with sexual innuendos
Source: “AOL Money”
