My very first AIBU and MIL thread. Is she mad, or AIBU?

[grinningbee]

So...

A couple of days ago dh, dd, 3 week old ds and myself went shopping with MIL.

We only had the single pram in the car (double is too bulky in the boot if you want shopping too!) and we had forgotten to pick up the sling. No problem, we just carried ds.

I am standing in the Early Learning Centre talking to an assistant, when MIL comes out with a real gem:

"Why don't you let me put ds in my shopping bag. It'll be ok, it has handles"

It's a canvas carrier bag the size and depth of a supermarket carrier bag.

I was totally and it really was a situation where I had to pick my jaw back up. And she kept saying it! When I told her I wasn't putting my son in a bag she suggested I put him in the shopping basket under the pram!!!

So, am I BU or is she a little bit conkers?

Oh, and her parting shot to the equally surprised assistant was "well, she (meaning me) is from a different generation to me"

I await your judgement

Mad as a bag of frogs (or should that be a bag of babies)

That's funny, but yes, bonkers too!

PMSL.

I think people forget really quickly what they did though. My brother's fiancee is expecting their first and my dad honestly thinks when we were children there were no car seats and no such thing as a pushchair! He's just forgotten and was going on about how you have to hold a baby really tight in the car!

....as a box of frogs ! [WINK] YANBU.

I feel like I'd like to invite your MIL round for Christmas.

I'd love to be with her when she's squaffed 3 bottles of bucks fizz.

She's a gem.

Some slings are very much like canvas carriers, I don't think it was ridiculous at all, don't take it so seriously.

And my DC used to fight over who got to ride in the shopping basket of my double buggy.

I dunno, a lid sounds quite useful for those nights when they just will not sleep. Are you sure you're not interested?

Your mil sounds fantastic, you're lucky to have someone so loving and amusing in your life. Really, reconsider this issue.

AWESOME

Sooo... on Day 3 after DD arrival, delirious with sleep deprivation and desperately trying to breastfeed through bleeding nipples.. I called in a breastfeeding consultant (bear with me, this does have a point to the thread!). The dear lady arrived and I greeted her at the door. I'm pretty sure I thought I was a hummingbird by that stage. Anyway, she had one of those "Green for Life" canvas tesco bags and I looked down and said "Oh wow, it's so great what you can carry babies in these days. Your little one looks so snug in there. It's good to know I can carry DD around in a bag if I'm at the shops, you've inspired me". She looked at me and my DH hissed at me "Chunky, it's not a real baby, it's a DOLL".

So maybe you should just introduce me to your MIL and we could form a bonkers for conkers club?!

at ChunkyBrewster

chunky she didn't happen to call "them" booby woobies did she? If so I know her!!

definitely a box of frogs. It's mad as a bag of spanners otherwise

In the days before buggy boards, the basket under the pram was where my Mum used to stick us when we didn't want to walk anymore. I think managing 4 kids called for desperate measures sometimes.

You're being thoroughly unreasonable. She's your MIL fgs. Thank the good lord she cares enough to come shopping with you and that we have such wonderful places as the ELC these days. You don't know you're frigging born.

Nah, can't do it. She's clearly mad.

Children underneath old fashioned prams are fine though. Makes good sense. Babies however? Maybe not.

PS dd slept in the top of a pram without wheels with handles as a baby. We didn't put a lid on it though.

When we went to visit dh's grandma (who's in her 80's) with ds when he was a couple of months old she wanted to tie him to a chair with a belt

This is so as he could join in with dinner I however was a throughly cruel mother to keep him sleeping in his Moses basket instead of allowing him to join in with the dinner conversation.

The worrying thing was that dh thought this to be a perfectly reasonable solution he was put straight and has luckily never suggested tyeing our children anywhere ever again

OP - she sounds just like my MIL. She phoned up when I was 40 weeks pregnant with DS2 to ask if we wanted SIL to keep a furry dog box/house, that she was about to throw out. When I asked why, as we don't have any pets, she completely SERIOUSLY said 'To put the baby in for it's day time nap'.

Of course, throw that fit for the tip, used, dirty, old dog basket my way for my newborn child to sleep in.

I want your MIL, she sounds hilarious.

On a slightly related note, I took my pet rat to the shop in my handbag the other week.

Priceless! She is proper conkers. Please accept the neighbour's offer just so we can find out if it's a barbecue or a fish tank

Is being in the bag much different to being in one of those Phil & Ted things??
I would probably put the baby in the bag, as long as he was asleep.

Your MIL is a genius and has just saved me a fortune. I already have one of those jute tesco bags and a BBQ so no need to bother spending on a sling/carseat or a cot.

:o:o:o

rocketleaf
This may turn into great ways to economise thread. Has there been one of those recently?

How about an improvised baby bouncer:

1 x door frame
1 x pair of dungarees, 2 sizes too big
2 x sturdy hooks (inserted into lintel)
2 x bungee cords (as usually used for roof rack)

YABU. She is eccentric, not mad!!

She sounds like a really fun person to be around though. Lucky you.