Strangers Stop Fucking Touching My Baby

[FreddyFireflyCanFeckOff]

Why do people think this is okay?!

Am I the ass hole here, or is this just not on? It drives me mad.

[DivorceBadger]

Then you don't know much at all about child development do you?

Why is it important for strangers to touch them?

Teaching children that they should have no boundaries about people touching them without consent is a great thing, sure.

Op yanbu I hated it, but equally I sometimes forget myself and touch a baby if there is a cute chubby hand out. I genuinely don't mean to, it's just instinct and annoyingly was not something I'd have done before I had children myself and hated it when other people did it

[JellyBelli]

Why is it not ok to handle stuff in a shop but ok to fondle someone elses baby? Talk dont touch.

[sianihedgehog]

God, I was basically just like "EVERYONE PLEASE LOOK AT THIS HUMAN I MADE. TOUCH HIM. HOLD HIM. IS HE NOT MARVELOUS?"

[gillybeanz]

Never bothered me either, sounds a bit anal and weird to object.
saying that, you may have some sort of anxiety or PND in which case you may feel like this.
Have you seen your gp or hv about it.

[pictish]

Badger i think it's instinctive to many people to touch a baby. The softness, the innocence and the newness...it's just magic.

[Havingkittens04]

Hmm, there was a hint of joviality to my post which seems to have gotten lost. I am not at all unhinged, thank you.

However, I do feel that it is 'imperative' to teach a child that it's not okay for strangers to just do this.

And I'm not ageist, but it's a fact that on the occasions this has happened it's been elderly people who have done it. I do think it's a generational thing.

[Lottapianos]

Ok yeah, clearly it was an epic sense of humour fail on all our parts 'jovial' was not what came across when you brought wet wipes into it

[LiviaDrusillaAugusta]

I have no interest in babies and don't interact with them - the mothers can be very precious about that too!

[Aeroflotgirl]

Havingkittens wow you have problems! You cannot hide your child in a bubble, these people were being kind! If you continue the way you are, you are going to put your issues onto your dd, they are your issues.

One day my dear, you will be old, have wrinkled skin and knarled hands, how would you like if somebody spoke about you in such a mean way. I think germs is the least of your problems.

[AGenie]

I'm on your side OP. It's always weirdos that do this and it's hard to stop them as they are so fast. A bloke covered in warts and stinking of cigarettes once came up to my baby, said how lovely he was, and then leaned in an tried to kiss him on the mouth. I had to be very fast to separate them in time and we were in a crowd so I couldn't get away.

[Havingkittens04]

Lotta give me a break, I didn't do it in front of the person

[Birdandsparrow]

sianihedgehog

[Wordsalad]

As fast becoming one of the aforementioned older ladies (late 50s and my hands do have a gnarled look sometimes), personally I try to avoid babies as I seem to have the knack of making them scream at ten paces. But it’s sometimes the done thing to do a bit of ah-ing and cooing, and especially in company to be the only one not doing it can feel a bit haughty and stand offish.

[CheshireChat]

I think it's OK if you ask- parent can then say yes or no depending.

I also believe it depends on the age of the baby, really not OK to just paw at a newborn, completely different with a toddler and to be fair this seems to be the norm in my area. When DS was really little people cooed and chatted to him and it's only recently people have started touching him a bit after talking to him.

Also, I couldn't have the whopping cough vaccine in pregnancy so I had that added stress until he was 8 weeks old.

[Aeroflotgirl]

Good idea Page some of those on here will need that

[gillybeanz]

Having kittens and anyone else who is anxious, you will make your child so scared of strangers and there is no need.
Why are you projecting your fears onto your children? You sound like you need counselling for both you and your child's benefit.

[ohisawthat]

I can't remember this ever bothering me, but DD is 21 now - there's lots of things I don't remember! Try putting a cat net over the pram.

[Lorelei76]

Ah, OP, fair enough, I wouldn't do that to a stranger's baby. I guess neighbour is maybe a grey area, I'll ask next time.

I also think it's wrong for anyone to be pawing at toddlers the way one poster described.

[motherinferior]

I am a total luvvie and am happy to kiss virtual strangers...

Oh and people want to touch your baby because they are gorgeous and little and snuggly. Most parents don't seem to mind.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

I'm another who fails to see the hint of joviality in describing people in their 70s and 80s as zombies. My parents are well into their 80s and not as sprightly as they were thanks to arthritis. This has made their hands a touch gnarled too. As it happens, they are fortunate enough to be still as sharp as tacks, but even if they weren't, I would be furious if anybody described them as zombies on the basis of their age, arthritic hands and slower, more hesitant gait. Not amusing, just rude.

[eatsleephockeyrepeat]

My baby staggers "zombie style" towards people, drool pouring from his mouth and eyes wide as if possessed. He then curls his sticky hands around themselves and with terrifying pointing fingers aimed in their direction he shrieks "DEAD!" at those poor folk, whose demise has been foretold.

No-one wants to touch my baby.

(Note: "dead" is among his top two "words" to babble. Along with "blood".)

[CheshireChat]

I don't think toddlers are free for all just less fragile TBF .

For example, fine to stroke a little hand that's been offered, not so fine to just grab him without any previous interaction/ warning. Does this make more sense?

[welshgirlwannabe]

I like it when people fuss over my baby and stroke his cheeks. He is ridiculously gorgeous, of course, and I understand the need to pinch his little cheeks :-)

My sister once asked a lady not to touch her baby. Her right of course and she was polite but I felt embarrassed and bad for the lady who just reached out without really giving it any thought.

Babies are beautiful and it doesn't last long. I say share the love!