to be annoyed that only women are expected to cuddle babies at work?

Do people actually do this? Pass their newborn around to be cuddled I mean. I def did not. Babies look pretty much the same imo so not really interesing unless it's close family/bf.

At our workplace, the new mum or dad emails their colleagues a few days before (both male and female) to gauge who is in and then gives a date and time when they’re in.

Then people gather round the new parent and baby. If anyone stays at their desk, they are not approached.

Oh my gosh I thought I was the only one. I hate when people bring in their babies. I'm ok for a quick, oh she's or he is beautiful...but that is it. I do not want to chat about them or cuddle them. I think only family/people in the baby's life should be cuddling them anyway

I've seen people flock to babies, but I've never seen babies marched up to anyone. You just work with numpties.

In all my years in offices I've only held 1 baby and that's only because I wanted to hold that one.

I haven’t noticed this at all - pretty gender balanced in interest among my co-workers.

It’s usually those with children who are most interactive with small kids / babies that come in for whatever reason, as they know how to interact with them.

People do this at my work as well. I hate it because I haven’t been able to have children and I’ve had a few miscarriages in the past couple of years so it actually makes me really upset to have someone try and foist a baby on me. I’m happy to smile and say how cute and then leave. But for some reason that’s never enough.

I just say I'm scared to hold them because they're so small. Which is anyway true.

My father loved babies and always took the opportunity to have a cuddle of his colleagues’ babies when they were taken to work.

Haha. Yes I’m the same. I CANNOT feign interest even to be polite. When my avoidance tactics have failed I revert to saying ‘hello mate’ to the kid and asking how work colleague is then pretend I’m in a rush to a meeting.

Same here!

I was generally never that interested in colleagues’ babies when they came to the office (obviously they were cute and I gave them polite quick cuddles but I’m
just not a baby person) and when I had mine I didn’t bring them in the first few times I went in during maternity leave, mostly because I assumed others weren’t that interested and also because I knew there were several people in the office and in my team who were not childlfree by choice (either going through IVF at the time or hadn’t met the right person but really wanted kids) so I felt it was a bit insensitive and not that appropriate to bring babies to work. However I got so many comments around why didn’t I bring the baby, everyone was desperate to see them etc (including from my manager and other senior stakeholders) that I ended up bringing them in the end and others happily held them and entertained them while I was in meetings. It was obvious who wanted to do that and I would never ask anyone to hold them, there were plenty of volunteers both male and female. It’s a fine line though I agree, and I can very much see why some people wouldn’t like this.

Yep. I had a male colleague be really annoyed that I was not interested in his baby. Why would I be?

Working from home is great!

Lucky men!

How often does this actually happen that it can wind you up this much?!

People bringing their baby into work is fucking weird anyway.

But I've never had anyone expect me to cuddle their baby when they've brought one in, and nor have I actually cuddled one. There are plenty of men in my office who will actively go and see, hold, cuddle the baby though.

Yes, I've had this in the office and it's embarrassing if as a woman you really don't want to cuddle a baby. I've also had it in other scenarios where (again as a woman) you're supposed to go all gooey and helpless about babies. If you don't, you're pretty close to being led to the ducking stool.

Never found this some people love babies and want to cuddle them and fuss over them others dont male or female. Its quite obvious who is who. Its ok to say nah Im alright thanks if you dont want to hold someone's baby.

I’m not a fan of babies (was terrified of my two until they were at least 9 months) and dreaded people bringing theirs into work. I coped by breezing past at top speed with important papers in my hand, smiling and saying “So cute!” And disappearing round the corner.

At my work the new mum just goes over to her usual place with her team and people crowd round to look at the baby. People hold the baby if they ask to, never seen anyone thrust their baby at anyone. It's mostly women who ask to hold the baby. Though men sometimes do. The irritating thing then, is that women make a big fuss of the man, telling him it suits him if he's childfree, or he's a natural if he's already a dad. I think sometimes the men hold the baby to get this attention.

Never happens at my work tbh.

I don’t work in this office environment anymore but the men I used to work with would have been very keen to see a new baby! Maybe they wouldn’t have instinctively picked a visiting baby up the way a woman might but they were all new dad age and buzzing to meet the next new company baby.

😂 Love it!

Men / women whatever… always seems like most colleagues don’t really wanna coo over the baby, maybe the odd genuine one but everyone else gurning and going along with it as the done thing 😂
would love to say - nah, I’m good thanks ! But I just lie / hide !