No snake is harmless... Poisonous or not if this thing turned and bit the baby it would be painful and could cause a serious infection! For those of you concerned about the snake... That's a baby! Get your flipping priorities straight! I will cut the head off of a hundred snakes before I will put my babies in harms way. You want your kids to experience getting to hold one? Take them to the nature center where they have one that is used to being handled and a professional there with it