to think her feedback was somewhat smug?

[Psammead]

I just finished a course today with DD (6 months) and 6 other babies, all of whom were born January/February this year. I enjoyed the course and it was nice to meet other mums with similarly aged babies. When the course started, the leader said that although it officially starts at 9am, the first 15 mins are really just to arrive, settle down etc, so not to feel stressed out to get there on the dot.

At the end, the course leader asked us for any feedback, positive or negative. Most people had positives and the most common negative was that the course time was too early. For example, I always had to wake DD to get there on time and only made it for exactly 9am about half the time. Once I got there really late due to a specific incident which I explained and apologised about.

When one particular mum's turn came, her negative comment was that she always made it on time every single week and it was really frustrating that the rest of us found it hard to be punctual. She said that she also had to wake her DD to get there but that she just organised her time a bit better. Bear in mind that this course started when the babies were 3 months old or thereabouts.

AIBU to think that she was being unbearably smug about it? Ho-bloody-rah for her that she is so organised. Some people just find it a little harder with a small baby to be on time for things. It's put a dampner on my day and I don't know why - I wish she'd said something earlier so we could have discussed it. Now she's said it right at the end and I feel like it's been left hanging. No idea why I am letting it bug me.

I am not the world's most punctual person, and I've no doubt I would have been the one straggling in late every week. BUT, looking back at what life was like when I had a 3 month old dd, I'd be inclined to be generous to her. She might still be a little bit crazy; I honestly didn't regain full sanity for at least six months after giving birth. I was also desperately lonely and craving social contact, and probably that 15 minutes of idle chat before the class started would have felt very important to me.

If she's still pulling rank like that at pre-school, though, you have my full permission to hate her

I always sling, I'm on crutches so can't push a pushchair. I sit in the disabled/ parent seats so I'm usually side facing but I think if anything was to happen I'd put my hands out in front to cushion the blow. If it was that bad a crash though being in the pushchair wouldn't make much difference. Someone or something could fall on the pushchair. You can't cater for every eventuality.

I'm in no way Gina Ford-influenced, BF on demand, and have no car. I hate being late though! It's just babies are so easy to cart about, so simple in their needs, etc, I'm genuinely curious as to why they should have such a reputation for making parents late. The Op is NBU - the woman in question approached her feedback badly IMO - but I don't understand the bad rep the babies are getting. I might just be jealous of the ability to just pop baby in and GO with experience of the 2 year old who refuses to move, 3 year old who changes clothes 20 times a morning, the 4 year old meltdown etc

Oh and yes, Psammead - I've used slings on buses and trains at least four times a week for the last four years

Normality - I just think everyone is different. I hate being late for things myself and was generally able to be on time when DS was that age.

But I do think that the 9AM start time might throw a few people - it's the start of the morning, you've got yourself to get ready as well, feeds, your own breakfast, maybe a DH/DP hogging the bathroom, last-minute nappy changes, throwing-up-incidents-combined-with-the-need-for-a-whole-new-outfit...

I just don't think it's that hard a thing to get your head around - that some people might struggle or be a tiny bit late, especially when it's all so new. It's easy to look back with a wealth of experience - multiple older children, etc, and forget what it was like when it was all so new and sometimes a bit overwhelming.

Oh and I have used a sling on the bus, but sat on the sideways seats. It did feel a bit precarious, still, if I'm honest!

I think people are very lucky not to have ever been late because of your baby!

It's true, babies do have very few needs and I can say that it is probably down to my own lack of organisation that makes me late (I have a car, drive, so I'm not at the mercy of public transport). But even when I just had the one baby (I have three children now and expecting number 4) I would often be late - because having a new baby was a new experience for me.

Obviously now I realise that it doesn't matter if the baby goes out in its sleepsuit, if you don't take a change of clothes, if you don't cater for every imaginable event. But I think in the early days, I wanted to do everything right and it would make me run late. I really wouldn't take kindly to the kind of comment you received - and I would definitely make a note to give her a wide berth in future. You won't be alone in thinking she was smug - and she certainly won't have made many friends because of it.

I thought most people do these courses not so much for their babies but to make mummy-friends (for want of a better description)

She's not going to make any.

And not so much as smug but santimonious.

What's the bet she handed it a McDonalds Hash Brown as breakfast (BLW of course) in order to be on time.

YANBU

I struggled with DS - now I have 2 I actually find it a bit easier to be out on time.
But I used to go to a breastfeeding group (Surestart) which was 9.45 to 11.30 with the HCP there to begin with. ONe of my feedback comments would have been I didn't feel it was prticularly first-time-new-mum friendly -and presumably they'd be the target group?