AIBU? DH doesn't want to hold friends baby

[Whyissheontheship]

Ok this is kinda lighthearted and I am willing to concede I'm wrong if that's the consensus.

Close friends of ours have just had a baby, we don't really know anyone else with kids. They keep offering DH to hold the baby but he doesn't want to and it's getting awkward. They are getting offended I think.

He wants kids and said he is looking forward to holding his own, but not interested in holding other people's kids.

We had a fight about it last night

I said he should just hold the baby for a few mins he said he doesn't want to and why should he have to.

AIBU?

My DH was similar before we had DC - he was just worried that he would hold them wrong/drop them etc. My (currently childless) BIL is exactly the same - he's fine with our 3 yr old, but won't go near our 4 month old! Your OH will soon get on with it when you have your own kids. It's just a confidence thing I think.

If your friends are actually getting offended by someone declining to hold their baby, they are frankly a bit odd! Could it be you projecting your discomfort?

Op, respect for accepting the verdict so graciously

One thing that occurred to me (apologies if already mentioned, I read the thread while drying my hair) - did you get so invested because you thought his reluctance said something about future fathering qualities? Or just because you were embarrassed that your friends were put out?

If the former, i know plenty of reluctant baby holders who couldn't be more devoted to their own dc. If the latter, then new parents can go a bit odd about perceived rejection of The Most Perfect Child Yet Born, but will (probably) return to normal and be meh in future about other people's babies

DH is a great dad. He was also nervous of breaking other people's babies before we had one of our own.

YABU my DH is the same, he has obviously held our children when minutes old but has never held another child under the age of around 6m - he's not a baby person but give him a toddler and he's in his element, he'll happily be a horse or throw them to the moon in the air etc. It would make him very uncomfortable to be forced. I had to explain this to my dsis who has just had a baby so that she wasn't offended when he declined to hold newborn niece.