Should I report to 101, stranger and my baby

Report this via 101. This is not ok. Sounds like she was sounding you out , to see if you would hand baby over. I don’t like this. Your feelings are accurate on this - it’s not ok.

Jesus Christ, I'm glad my mum moved us out of London

No OP this is absolutely messed up and I would report it too

What is wrong with some of these people commenting?

Far more likely she was trying distract you to dip your purse out of your handbag than kidnap your baby.

When my two boys were 4 and 2, they were both white blonde-haired, blue eyed little mini-me's of each other. We lived in a country where they were uncommon to say the least! I can't remember the number of times they were patted on the head, cheeks squeezed, lollipops given, cooed over and, on occasion, swung around under the arms! I was worried initially but soon realised it was just a cultural thing, no harm was meant, they just loved children and especially ones who were unfamiliar looking to their own!

Ha! You've just reminded me that a random man scooped up my middle son & put him on his shoulders at Le Mans, so he could see the start of the race better. DH & I were dealing with the other two. There was nothing weird about it, he checked with us first & we were all standing together. I thought it was absolutely adorable!

They'll go out on a limb to help, when they twig what's happened.

yup. is this a case of everyday, good old fashioned racism/ xenophobia , or a threatened baby kidnap ? I wonder 🤔🤔

Ahahahaha. 😂😂 this has to be one of the most mumsnetty posts ever.

baby kidnap . Really?

how many cases have you heard where babies were just snatched on the street by weird ladies, straight out of mummy’s arms 🤦🏼‍♀️.

Why on earth do these people think to report to 101
You do know that it actually wastes people time and that people who need the police can't get through

@MadKittenWoman We used to go to a Thai resturant when DD was tiny partly because we got a rest!! An elderly Thai lady - the mother of the owner would waste no time in whisking DD away for a cuddle - she never took her out of our sight though. It was so nice to eat a meal without also juggling a wriggly baby

So you're ok with white old ladies cooing over your baby but not a ' foreigner' 10/10 for the racist froth

Is this real?

We have refugees living with us. The older lady has really struggled with English - I think I'd struggle to learn in my 60s for the first time too - and while I don't think she'd touch she may well try to initiate conversation or simply convey admiration for your DC by saying "baby" or maybe "good baby" then pointing and smiling. Kidnap would be the last thing on her mind she's got enough issues in her life without changing nappies

I think it's just a cultural difference thing where she was from somewhere that puts less emphasis on personal space and there's an assumption women will just interact with babies and it's fine and normal in her mind. I wouldn't think anything deeper of it.

I understand that in London the Met have a dedicated group for dealing with unprovoked baby interest. You could try contacting them, they are called the Special Branch. Even if they can’t help, they are always happy to chat.

Oh that first line made me roar

I had a similar experience OP, only the woman was English. I was sat with my mum eating breakfast and she came over - a complete stranger and started stroking my babies head and tweaked at his harness on the high chair. It was very unnerving. I stared at her and slowly stood up, trying not to cause her alarm, she backed off. I didn't call the police, I think she was unwell. However it certainly made me hyper aware when I'm out and about.

If someone kidnaps a baby, your report is not gonna help build any kind of ‘bigger picture’. The kidnapping bit will be big enough.
Also you have no idea who this person is.

Re-reading the OP, it doesn't sound as if she was trying to take him, in fact she went out of her way to reassure you that she wasn't. What she did was inappropriate for the UK's norms, but maybe her 'normal' is different. I wouldn't have liked it and would feel shaken. But it's not a reportable matter.

Hijacking this thread to ask my own question:

It’s about my neighbour’s greenhouse. I’m concerned he might be about to start growing and selling cannabis on a large scale, because he’s had some serious luck with his tomato plants this year. WDYT?

This. I have Italian heritage; when DS was a baby, waiters would pick him up and carry him round. Young men would show an interest in him and ask me was I breastfeeding. People would offer to hold him on planes so that I could eat properly.

One of my best memories is when he was 5 months old and we were at Glastonbury ('locals' from the surrounding areas could pay to go for the day on the Sunday in those days). We were watching David Bowie from high up on a slope, and a couple of young men standing next to us asked to hold him and danced with him. I admit, I was a little worried at first but nothing untoward happened.

Some people are just genuinely happy to welcome the next generation.

So again, which category would this come under, when she rings the non-emergency police line? This site details the things you can call the police for (including via 101). I'm struggling to see which category this would fall under.

https://www.police.uk/pu/contact-us/what-and-how-to-report/what-report

Do you work for the police? So you don't know how they'll accept it do you.

If that woman has been harassing people locally, or there have been local reports of attempted snatchings (which do happen) it absolutely will form part of a bigger picture which is vital.

So yes, you were undermining her feelings. She felt intimidated and scared, which is absolutely enough to warrant a call to the non-emergency police line to talk it through. The police may then choose to look into it or they may choose not to, that's up to them.

As has already been pointed out the abuse was mostly from family members and youth group leaders/priests etc not elderly women admiring a baby.