Why are people so obsessed with touching babies?

Blimey… actual blows ?

Because babies are lovely.

It's a social thing I think, people are very drawn to babies. They're cute and new and it often brings up a lot of feelings in people who remember their own baby, wish they had a baby, and so forth. It's quite a human thing.

You get to decide as a parent whether you're comfortable with it or not, and to what extent. I was pretty horrified and shocked with baby DS finding out how entitled complete strangers felt to touch him. One older woman literally put her finger IN HIS MOUTH to suck in a queue in the shop, during a bloody pandemic. Before I could stop her.

I didn't personally mind much the odd little foot squeeze or something, if we were already chatting, but people who would randomly just approach and beeline to touch him I wasn't impressed with and refused to go along with. He's a person. Just because he's a baby and too small to be able to assert his own boundaries doesn't mean he doesn't get to have any!

Evolution? It's biologically advantageous for adults to get all gooey around babies. It makes them more likely to save them from a predator or notice that they are about to eat something that will make them ill and intervene.

I suggest you avoid taking a baby anywhere in Southern Europe then.

That's ok. I don't need you to understand.

It's shocking how many think it's acceptable to completely ignore the fact a baby is a person with its own needs because they're scummy and nice and they want a squish. Peak entitlement. I honestly don't understand, nobody thinks they have the right to just go up to an adult and touch them and squish them, why are children viewed as not needing to consent?

Because they are gorgeous and scrummy and nice. I can control myself now. But when I am older, I fully anticipate being one of the people that you hate

I agree. When I come on Mn I start despairing about the way humanity is going. Fortunately I don't find this in real life.

This. It's a natural instinct (for most people anyway).

It was normative behaviour for centuries.

It's only very recently become something that anyone would see as unusual.

I absolutely hate people being granny with my baby. I have come to blows with family members over it and have smacked away strangers hands while out in public. Why the fuck people think they have the right to touch other peoples children is beyond me, especially strangers!! If you touched any other mammals baby it would rip your face off, but people think human babies are fair game because they have this weird uncontrollable urge to squish and smell them. Stay away!

Babies are people magnets.

Why is it adults get boundaries to say “I’m having a moment to myself, I’m overwhelmed” but if a parent know her child needs to take a moment, it’s suddenly a different story.

Babies aren’t toys. They are human too

I don't want to touch them. I remember being younger and pretending that I wanted to as I thought that's what you were supposed to do, to show interest. Now I would just say, "oh it's so lovely" or something.

It’s not about them caring about your baby. If the cared they would see he was crying and leave him in peace. They see it as no real harm done while they get what they want when they want it. They’re behaving like toddlers with no impulse control. They are probably the same people who think children should be made to kiss and hug adults when they don’t want to.

Maybe try putting a finger to your lips and then saying “not right now “. As you might to a toddler.

It's just a primal? urge for me, like I just want to scoop them up for snuggles. I don't because I'm not very good with other people's babies and it's weird so I just touch their tiny hands and feet if I know the parent. I think sometimes people forget themselves and go all gooey.

As a parent I had no issues with people wanting to hold my babies but it's incredibly frustrating when you are trying to settle them and everyone won't leave you all alone so you aren't wrong but other people don't mean any harm, they are just excited.

My youngest is only nearly 8 but it feels like a lifetime ago that he was so tiny and I would love to experience it again without having to have another child!

Ha ha, yes and grunts at you when you ask how they are!

Oh wait until you have 6 foot plus bony teens who give you a half arsed hug (if they can be bothered) once a week and then someone turns up with a gorgeous squishy baby. 😁

I was wondering the same the other day. Babies are cute and lovely but like you I was never interested in holding someone’s babies.
It doesn’t mean that I’m not interested, I’m but I can go without holding and be restrained while looking at them .

I think for a lot of people the physical act of touching or holding a baby feels good psychologically.

You can still behave appropriately despite this though by doing things like asking first and giving a parent some space to calm their baby.

This. Try turning up at your in laws and no-one is interested in your baby. It's a lot worse. Try to relax.

Like I said, it's nice when people care about your child. Not everyone has that. In a few more years OP will be moaning that no one ever visits or gives a shit about her child (which they won't if you're going to be rude and make them feel unwelcome). It's family, not a bunch of homeless lepers.