Saw this on a pram today! 😀

It amazes me that people think it's ok. (Especially after covid and with measles outbreaks, plus big standard flu etc)

This was us, youngest in and out of hospital after being a preemie, prior to op last year dc and I stayed with my parents for the week before to avoid picking anything up from older dc. So yep I'd have prob have used one of these.

God all those vile horrible plague ridden old people with their gnarled fingers wanting to be nice. Curse them, the evil fuckers.

Babies don't need to be touched by strangers and random people in the shop or doctors queue are not their community. Their community is their family and people they see regularly. Anyone other than their mother and father handling a tiny baby doesn't benefit them at all, it only benefits the people doing it.

There needs to be a sign saying:

"Peek in the pram - 50p"
"Squeeze of the foot - £1"
"Pat on the hand - £5"

That would teach all those old ladies with their raspy knuckles.

No thanks!

I was having Sunday lunch at a pub and an older man, after a short chat about her, leaned in and kissed my baby daughter on her forehead. This was very recently, so not a distant past type event.

I was too shocked to say anything. I can’t blame parents if they want to protect their child, especially if premature.

But that's great if you want the interaction, then you can encourage it.

For people that don't, whatever their reason, there's the sign option.

People with premature/ sick babies are capable of ensuring the baby has plenty of interactions with close family members who have washed their hands - i don't think their babies are going to miss out.

Being a new mum of a vulnerable preemie is incredibly isolating.

I’m not really bothered by the sign but a little sadden that we need them. I never went around and touched or kissed other babies. Even my closest kids such as niece and nephews.

I saw a few of these hanging on prams during COVID times. A friend had one. Healthy baby no issues but I think they might have become a thing around that time 🤔

I dont know whos touching or kissing strangers babies

This thread just makes me sad, illness aside and or premature babies (where I think the sign would be a good idea) I would always let generally older ladies and gentlemen have a look at the baby and they would invariably try and touch them. I wouldn’t personally touch another baby, but I didn’t even expect to be asked. Babies need interaction and to be communicated to.

Being part of a community has an important impact to longevity.

Also, as a new Mum you can often feel quite isolated and someone admiring your baby and chatting to you can help you manage your day.

When I was about 3 and my cousin was a tiny baby, my aunt had him over her shoulder.
From behind, I reached up to him but there was a gap of about a foot (30cm?) from my cousin’s little hands. Far away, anyhow.
Out of nowhere, I received a stinging slap on the back of my little hand - it was from my arsehole uncle, who overstepped.
My dad wanted to slap my uncle for about a month afterwards. lol

Maybe it was a reborn baby.

What’s the point you’re trying to make with this thread OP? There are loads of posters telling you about their experiences of strangers touching their babies, sharing stories about premature or immunocompromised babies. You’ve not engaged with a single post from anyone giving you genuine reasons as to why someone may want to use one of these signs.

There is an interesting character perambulating several very fat bulldogs around my area - hopefully he's got one of those inside.

At least it should keep people who CAN and DID read the sign away.

Why should anyone have to tell anyone else about this?
Do I also need to tell random strangers not to touch me or kiss me? Or my teenager daughter?

How is it not the need for a sign that's shocking you?

Agree

So sad that they actually HAD to use a sign because of the way people behave. It's depressing.

If anyone does attempt it, you can always tell.them.

You don't always get the chance. Happened twice while I was checking in with the Dr's receptionist, and another time I was loading shopping onto the belt at the supermarket. Literally glanced away from the pram for a few seconds and someone's hand was in.

People can also be incredibly rude when you ask them not to. I had a woman try and take DDs hand while she was in her car seat at the hospital door, DH had gone for the car, and when I said "oh please don't, she's been very unwell" I got a volley of abuse and a rant about how ridiculous I was.
Some people might be strong enough to deal with that regularly, but leaving hospital after two months, having been told on three occasions that if she made it through the night she had a chance, with a child who was going to have health problems for her whole life I got the sign because, to be frank, I wasn't strong enough. At least with a sign they just roll their eyes and stay away.

Christ in our family there is a baby with a severe medical condition and they have this sign as people are ignorant and still touch the baby without asking. If the baby catches a simple cold it could put her in hospital as she is severely immunosuppressed. The sign makes it less awkward as stops a lot of the unwanted interactions. If I saw another sign like that I’d assume a similar situation.

My SIL had a sign. Tiny prem twins, you would be amazed at the amount of people who stopped and touched them, stroking their faces.

The sign worked though !

hold your judgment.

Maybe if you've been through the trauma of NICU you don't feel like explaining yourself to every entitled twat who exclaims 'ooh what a tiny baby!' while sticking their hands into the pram?

If they bothered to make a sign there was clearly a need for it.

Wish I'd have thought of it.

Imagine being this much of a dick.

I nanny a 13 month old who was born alongside his twin at 23 + 6, his twin died after contracting RSV 3 months ago, he himself is 2 WEEKS off of oxygen, entering cold and flu season is fucking terrifying for his family, he has 2 older siblings who attend school and there are times when there is no choice but to leave the house to go somewhere so yes he has one of those signs on his pram because well meaning people look at his gorgeous eyes and shock of red hair and can't help but hold his hand or touch his face so this stops them so he doesn't catch something and be seriously ill or y'know, die.

Some people don’t find it easy to tell people this sort of thing, and let’s be honest, the sort of person that goes around touching strangers isn’t the type of person that is going to take being told not too very well, so the signs can avoid the issue.

Either way, the issue isn’t the parents, it’s the weirdos that think they can go around touching others.

I had one for my 6th. Didn't think it was necessary at first, but where we live it's very common for people to put money in the pram and after the second time her tubes were disturbed while I was checking in at the doctors reception I did put one on.

What I found incredibly frustrating was that the two most common places for people to put their hands in or get super close was the doctors surgery or the hospital!