To wish people wouldn't hold my baby's hands

[anicegreentea]

especially at this bug ridden time of year.
I keep telling myself not to be uptight and just go with the flow. You can't stop people cooing over cute babies.
But yesterday lady in department store came over to talk to him, holding both hands for ages. Then he grabbed her pen which she thought was cute/funny. I didn't say anything - what can you say anyway?!
Today he has vomiting, temperature, runny nose. I know it might not have been from this lady, but also It might have been!
Also had uncomfortable incident when an old lady who looked almost homeless did something similar in marks and spencers a few months ago.
Do these things annoy anyone else?!

I certainly didn't say there are no germs on hands. I was pointing out that a child could catch something from anywhere or anything as all sorts of "germs" are all around us (I presume, not being a medic).

I'm sorry, but the nay sayers all sound, well, hysterical.

Ok two very odd threads going on....

Covering prams - so it's dark.... And poss quieter......Sheesh how complicated is that one?!

Op ur not odd to dislike people jamming their heads into prams. Mostly that's done by 'women of a certain age' the younger ones tickle tummies and grab hands. Mostly I don't care unless they look grubby. Then and here's where u are weird, why aren't you moving on if they are complete strangers? You stand there? Why??

You said the germ argument is rubbish because there are germs all around us anyway? Well yes there are but a lot of colds and bugs are passed through poor cleanliness and not washing hands.

Saying well theres germs everywhere is ridiculous IMHO a smoker will say theres enough pollution in the air so I might as well smoke. No why would you want to add or increase the chances of being ill that is what doesn't make sense.

I'm afraid that IMHO you win the "ridiculous" prize Inneed with your priceless comment:

"random particles of poo".

Well my dc never caught bugs till school so I must of been doing something right.

*speech should I say

This is the kind of thing I'd expect to hear Jon Richardson stressng about.

No InNeedOfBrandy of course it's not rubbish that germs live on hands, but it's rubbish that you should try to avoid all contact with common germs for your children. (As opposed to hospital patients, which is a very different group of people - people in hospital aren't building their immune system from scratch like a baby is, they are vulnerable to infection for other reasons)

Here's an example of why you shouldn't be TOO vigilant in protecting your children from all germs:-

link

Got to get on with some work, so no time to link more, but someone else might be along later with more (or to argue with me ). There's usually a few fearfully clever people about on MN.

Don't forget that your baby is gaining so much in terms of social, emotional, and language development from all these interactions with a variety of other people OP ...

If you are concerned about bugs a quick, quiet, wipe with an anti-bac wipe or plain wipe afterwards could be an idea ?

And just to bang on a bit more, I suppose what I am saying (badly), is that I am more interested in the social/psychological objections to someone touching a baby like this. I tend to dismiss the "germ" argument because how can we know for sure which germs are about at any given time, and what germs do what to whom etc. I'm not a doctor, but I find the germ argument tenuous at best. A lot of people may use this argument to keep the unwashed masses from slavering over their pink chubby darlings (and that is their right), but when it comes down to it it's often about good old fashioned prejudice. With a bit of preciousness thrown in.

Yanbu OP, I hated it when DS was a baby and random people would come up to the buggy and touch his face and hands all the time. But I'm incredibly anti-social so hate strangers at the best of times.

Wtf is it with all the weird goady threads

I use to get people touching DS's cheeks. Well no, no touching, they would grab them and give them a proper good wibble!

He had proper big pudgey apple cheeks, and would giggle like mad.

I loved it. I loved it because the only reason they did it was because clearly he was the absolute cutest baby they'd ever seen.

He's 15mo now and doesn't get groped quite so much but it still happens occasionally. Mostly now people just talk to him or pull faces or play boo or comment on his eyes. (They're huge with massive lashes, told you he was cute!)

He smiles, they smile, what's the harm

I had a person on the bus try to hold my 6yr old charge's hand, saying how cute she is, is that ok

Blimey, it's all got a bit heated, hasn't it?

Lets all sing a song to calm down.

tethersend.

tethers

Yanbu. It's rude to the baby to grab hold like that, unless you're known to them! My child just had norovirus, I need to convincing of the need to keep away from bugs and viruses, most commonly passed by skin to skin contact according to the GP.

Personally I'm oblivious to stranger's babies, but now I'll feel bad for the old ladies who get daggers when they go in for a bit of a head ruffle.

People touching my babies I don't mind, but a lot of people kept sticking their fingers in my ds's mouth when he was a newborn which I find really weird and yuk.

I think this time I'm going to say something or just reach over and stick my fingers in their mouth.

OP, when your baby is crawling about, sucking on snails, dried cat food and anything they can lay their hands on, you will look back on this and feel like a fool.

I must admit I have absolutely no interest in stranger's babies at all, I'm totally oblivious to them.
I still don't understand why people are so freaked out about germs though.

I dont think its necessarily just about germs though, its personal space and the fact strangers are touching the most precious thing in the world to you.

Would you like a stranger coming up to you and touching you or touching your handbag saying oh thats nice where did you get it from, or thats a nice top where did you get it from, and rub your arm? it would make me feel uncomfortable personally so i don't see why they feel the need to touch the baby or why people find it so odd that some people don't like that.

Wouldn't bother me at all Charlie.