To think my MIL shouldn't put DDs shoes on the highchair tray?

[HolidayBluesTonight]

Went to pick DD up from MIL today. MIL went to get Dds shoes which were sat on top of the highchair tray! As far as I'm concerned shoes should go no where near a surface that food will be eaten off. Was so shocked I didn't say anything. AIBU to be repulsed by this and think she shouldn't be doing it?

This will probably be on the Daily Mail website in a couple of days.

RuthyToothy are you being deliberately obtuse or have you seriously never encountered the concept of superstition?

*RuthyToothy, are you being deliberately obtuse or have you seriously never encountered the concept of superstition?

Of course I've encountered the concept of superstition. What I'm questioning is the assertion of the 'fact' that putting shoes in a table IS bad luck. If anyone is daft enough to believe that and to state it as an incontrovertible fact, then I think it's quite reasonable to ask them to explain exactly how that esoteric influence has an impact on the outcome of life events.

I'd guess, of course, that there will be no explanation forthcoming, because to claim that 'putting new shoes on a table IS bad luck' is risible.

There's a term - it may be observational bias - that means we look for things that confirm our view - so if I were to believe that putting shoes on the table would cause bad luck, I'd be subconsciously looking for something bad to happen, after seeing shoes on the table - and since life is never 100% perfect, 100% of the time, I'd be bound to see something I could perceive as 'bad luck' and attribute to the shoes on the table.

But if I hadn't seen the shoes on the table, the same incident would occur, but I wouldn't attribute it to something that 'caused' bad luck.

Re. the OP - as small children put everything in their mouths anyway, I never got too stressed about the odd bit of dirt here and there - so shoes on the highchair tray wouldn't have bothered me at all. In fact, I think we do our children a disservice by making their environments too clean - encountering dirt and bacteria as part of normal daily life helps develop their immune systems, and I believe there was a study some years ago that suggested that the rise in childhood asthma might be partly due to children's immune systems not being developed in this way.

Nb - if I am wrong about this, or the study has subsequently been disproved, I apologise.

welcome to MN, OP!

FWIW, you're overreacting.

There's a term - it may be observational bias - that means we look for things that confirm our view - so if I were to believe that putting shoes on the table would cause bad luck, I'd be subconsciously looking for something bad to happen, after seeing shoes on the table - and since life is never 100% perfect, 100% of the time, I'd be bound to see something I could perceive as 'bad luck' and attribute to the shoes on the table.

You're completely right. People interpret catsality according to their pre-existing beliefs.

So while it's completely accurate that some people think that shoes on a table are bad luck, it's absolute gubbins to claim that it is bad luck to put shoes on a table.

The presence of shoes on/not on a table in no way influences the fact of you winning had lottery/breaking your leg. But I would truly love to hear an explanation from a superstitious person that explains in detail exactly how shoes/mirrors/spilled salt, etc, manipulatedor influencec tthe progression of events to make 'bad' things happen.

Well, that's a lot of typos . I'm sure you get the gist.

Ruthy I was being silly. Much like this thread. I am not the least bit superstitious but new shoes on the table is a well know superstition. It was a joke.

Spray with antibac and wipe. End of issue.
There are germs everywhere and unless you constantly antibac your child's hands then the high chair tray is the least of your worries.
I once had a thankfully empty snail shell spat onto my hand when I asked DD what she was crunching outside.

I once had a thankfully empty snail shell spat onto my hand when I asked DD what she was crunching outside

It was empty because she'd already swallowed the snail.

Probably yes! But it does annoy me that she is such a fussy eater now though

RuthyToothy that's the whole point of superstition though- superstitious people believe in these things without caring that there is no logic or science to back them up. If they held the belief as a result of careful empirical research it would not be a superstition it would be a personal fact- based opinion. It seems like you think you are the first person ever to expose these crazy ill-founded beliefs!

I'd be a bit worried that, while I might clean the high hair tray before the baby eats off it, mil may not. And it does strike me as very odd to put shoes on a surface that's to be eaten off. If that makes me strange then so be it, but afaik, it's a general convention that no shoes should go on a table, much less a plate.

The problem is I'm not entirely sure she would wipe it before use. She usually cleans it after use and then at the next meal time serves the food straight up (on plates but DD likes to put the food on to the tray and eat it from there). I just didn't think putting shoes on a high chair/table/any food surface was the done thing but apparently I'm in the minority!