Overview

• Green MP Hanna Steinmüller became the first to address the Bundestag with an infant in a carrier.
• Her son slept through the remarks, and she said she brought him only because he was asleep and she did not want to wake him.
• Reactions spanned cross-party praise and accusations of self-promotion, with sexist attacks circulating online and AfD among the critics.
• Bundestag President Julia Klöckner praised the appearance and invited MPs with babies and toddlers to propose steps to improve work–family compatibility.
• The episode refocused attention on absent parental-leave rules for MPs and ministers—who often return after eight weeks—and on calls for practical childcare, as some commentators noted the image overshadowed her housing-policy message.