AIBU about the number of strangers who touched my baby today?

[Babycameearly]

Baby is 6 weeks but was prem so looks brand new. We've been out and about for a couple of hours this morning and lots of peope have stopped to coo over him - however about 8 different women have actually reached into his pram to touch him! Including 1 woman who picked up his dummy (from inside the pram) and tried to push it into his mouth! Is this usual???

Try an insect net so they can see and not touch or on windy cloudy days the rain cover.

It's fairly normal, but I hated it. If you aren't comfortable with people touching him (and I don't blame you at all) then just tell them. I don't understand why people think thsi acceptable. I also had a problem with people thinking they had teh God given right to touch my pregnant stomach without permission!

Oh dear. This is not going to end well...

Yes it is normal. People like to touch new babies. I admit the dummy thing was perhaps a little familiar though!

I guess that having a prem baby makes you a bit more edgy (I was frighteningly blase about my chubsters) but yes, it is normal and it will only end when they turn into snot encrusted toddlers

Congratulations on your ds!

Lol - tbh I'm not terribly precious and don't mind massively - I'm just really surprised as I'd never dream of touching a strangers baby :) One lady in a cafe last week asked for a hold - drew the line there!

Congratulations on your baby. When I was at work and employees on ML brought a baby in, I couldn't resist holding it. At least I knew them though and they knew me.

But why have you given him a dummy? They look awful. Are you a Jeremy Kyle type?

8 different women touched him in the space of a few hours?

Where did you take him?

A baby petting zoo?

I've let random people in cafes hold my babies over the years if I like the look of them.

I don't see the problem in brightening someone's day.

:( I was just telling my DH the other day that when DD was born, more people cooed over her everytime we went out. Hardly anyone bats an eyelid at DS who is 10 weeks old. He's had a few "aaw sweet" comments but no ones stopped me to play with him. This actually makes me sad.

Haha - I dont mind dpeople I know asking for a cuddle :) We gave him a dummy when he was NG fed in hospital to encourage him to associate feeding with sucking...

My 3 babies were never touched by strangers, that I can remember. What about a sling? Maybe that's why mine were never touched, they were all wrapped up and squished into my cleavage so they were barely seen!

Nothing wrong with a dummy at 6 weeks, my 3 all had dummies by then and I have no idea who Jeremy Kyle is.

I don't think it's anyone's business why the op gave her dc a dummy. if she had given him a vodka and coke on the other hand....

Nobody that's sad. DS will look and look at someone until they look at him and then dazzle them with his smile!

I sometimes think that some people are just boy people or girl people though. The rest of us sane people are just baby people. I'd coo over your 10 week old. I just like babies

The op who mentioned the dummy I would say mind your own business

To the op I would say yes it's perfectly normal, u r lucky to have a beautiful healthy baby, enjoy it and b grateful.

Thanks Buttonmoon! I really do think that a majority of people prefer baby girls though!

Yeah that's the thing though- for the 8 people who touched the baby, at least another 8 silently judged and tutted at the dummy.

Its how the universe stays balanced and doesn't fall over

Greeneyes - couldnt give a buggery about the judgers - i'm happy to smile sweetly at them whilst he sucks away like Maggie Simpson :) we always said we'd not give ds a dummy but i believe it helped the transition from nasal tube feeds to bottle (yes, bottle before i get slated - breast feeding had to stop after 4 weeks for medical reasons...)

at only Jeremy Kyle types using dummies, sometimes in my neighbourhood you see children walking to school with their dummies in, I imagine some people's judgy pants would be on red alert for wedgies if they saw that. Not that I think children of that age need to have a dummy but at the end of the day it's their parents decision to make.

Worraliberty - we're up north - old ladies are super friendly! 3 of the touchers were in a cafe, others were all in lifts!

I have a friend whose 2 week old baby had a 20p piece put in his mouth by an old man who claimed it is traditional to put silver in new babies mouths!

Needless to say she got pretty defensive if any stranger went near to the inside of her pram after that!

No strangers ever touched DS when he was a baby... I wouldn't have minded if they did TBH. What bothers you about it? Infection?

baby - If you're up north like I am, then yes this is normal. Just try and be pleased they are taking such an interest in your baby.

normal - It is traditional to put money in a baby's pram or hand...but never heard of putting money in a baby's mouth before.

I would never dream of touching someone's baby without permission. It seems many people think it's acceptable to do so. Very odd. Anyway, I do love a good peek at a little one.

It's Worra's "Touch a Toddler Today" campaign

It's really taken off..............

Do you know what, up until just a few weeks ago I'd have thought, fgs, they are just being friendly. I've got 3 and have been really relaxed about strangers touching/holding etc. However a friends baby has just returned home from spending weeks in hospital from meningitis. This baby was a bit prem. The thing that has made me think twice is that the baby caught meningitis from the herpes virus! The doctors reckon someone kissed her on the mouth in her first week and transferred the infection to her! Poor little dab even got a tiny little cold sore whilst being treated in the incubator. She is hopefully going to fully recover but her parents have an anxious wait to see if infection has caused her any brain damage. They've been told they may not know about any problems until much later on.

So now I reckon you should be very careful about touching newborns etc, you just don't realise the damage you can do and how vulnerable they can be!

Flag - my sis in law works on a maternity unit and reckons one of the biggest killers of babies is the herpes virus - she LOVES babies but wouldn't come anywhere near ours when he was first born as she had a coldsore! Hope your friends little one is ok :)