Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Would you leave a teenage stranger with your baby?

4 replies

Fluffballs · 29/04/2020 08:29

I'm just musing really, and thinking back over something that happened a few years ago. This was less than a decade so not back when babies were left outside in prams etc.

When a friend and I were (a very immature) 16, we were sat in our city library doing some work for college, when a lady with a baby came and sat at our table. If memory serves me correct, the baby was around 7/8 weeks. We cooed over it and made small chitchat with her, then she said we could hold it (sorry, can't remember if baby was a he/she). So we both held the baby until it started to fuss and I tried to hand the baby back, she said "Oh no, baby just wants a bottle." Then she made up a feed and left us to give it to the baby, while she wandered into the attached cafè, mostly still insight, and got herself a drink and disappeared for a couple of minutes, toilet maybe?

At the time we didn't think anything other than "A nice lady let us hold her baby." But now sat here with my one year old, it's something I'd have never done! To be honest I was also no where near together enough to got for a casual stroll to the library either.

I'm just curious if you would do this? Or was this poor lady just desperate for 5 minutes to herself? I struggled with pna amongst other things so it's unimaginable to me, but do parents this relaxed exist?

OP posts:
RedMoonRising · 29/04/2020 08:31

I wouldn't. But as you say maybe she was desperate for a wee. And there were 2 of you and you didn't look likely to steal the baby

Fluffballs · 29/04/2020 08:35

Yeah we probably looked most likely to run away at a dirty nappy, so least likely to steal it Grin

OP posts:
CandyMan10 · 29/04/2020 08:35

I wouldn't but maybe she judged you as responsible, good gut feeling, maybe she had PND.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Camomila · 29/04/2020 08:49

You were in a public place though which makes it safer.

I've also been a sensible looking teenager (sitting in cafe with a friend) left with a baby in a pram while the DM went to the loo quickly. Even as a DM myself now I don't think it was an unsafe thing to do.

I've never done it as nowadays there are a lot more baby change facilities but I have handed DS1 to a stranger on a bus and a member of airport staff so I could fold his pram.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread