CLEVELAND (Reuters) - An Ohio man was fined $1,500 on Monday and ordered by a judge to attend parenting class for "a mistake" in which a baby wipe he used to clean his newborn's son's mouth became stuck in the infant's throat and had to be surgically removed.

Joshua Rains, 25, was spared jail time, however, having pleading guilty last month to endangering his two-week-old son, Odin. The crime is a third-degree felony that carries a maximum prison sentence of three years.

Cuyahoga Common Pleas Judge Margaret Russo said Rains made a mistake. "Nobody knows what happened that day," she said before delivering her sentence. "There isn't anybody in this room who hasn't made a mistake caring for their children."

Rains claimed he was advised by a nurse to use a wipe to clean the newborn's mouth and it became lodged in the baby's throat. His attempts to retrieve the wipe only worsened the situation.

Dr. Kevin Andryc testified for the defense that an Emergency Services report showed there was no bruising in the infant's mouth or throat, demonstrating the wipe was not violently pushed down his throat, he said.

Pediatrician Kevin Feingold testified for the prosecution that he had never seen a case where an infant inhaled a baby wipe and characterized as "crazy" the practice of using a baby wipe to clean the inside of an infant's mouth.

Rains has not had contact with his son, who now lives in Arizona, since November. On Friday he married the child's mother Isabelle Contrares, who gave emotional testimony on his behalf.

"It was an accident," Contrares told the judge. "I'm just hoping he has a chance to redeem himself and be with us."

(Reporting By Kim Palmer; Editing by Andrew Stern, and Cynthia Johnston and Philip Barbara)