Member of staff stroked my child's face

[FeeFee382]

Aibu to be annoyed that a member of staff in John Lewis touched my babies face today?!

With coronovirus at large, this does annoy me but it's not ok to just touch random babies. Why do people do this?!

oh ffs.

I am one of three children from the same parents who were married 59 years. My mother wanted Dad to feel us moving inside her as we kicked and shifted. My father refused to do so, as he was afraid to cause a miscarriage from gently touching her tummy. This was in 1960, 1961, and 1970

not sure how this is relevant to the conversation (especially the length of marriage and the years of birth!). Your dad sounds bonkers 😂

When your children are teenagers instead of babies, babies do look so sweet and innocent and squisahable. I'd never touch a stranger's baby though. That's just weird

The staff in John Lewis (or any shop)and their hands are probably a lot cleaner than a customer and her baby.
The people shopping are going to come into far more contact with others than the shop assistants.

I’m sorry. This’ll be zapped but sometimes you Brits are just so weird about displays of human kindness. So cold.

We’re in the middle of a pandemic. Thousands of people have died. It’s perfectly normal to have concerns about unnecessary face touching right now.

YANBU.

With Corona virus we shouldn't be touching our own faces, let alone other people's.

Plus as a pp upthread said, i do not understand why people feel the need to touch babies they don't know, pregnant women, etc. It's really weird and inappropriate

I'd have been tempted to lean over and kiss her husband and see how she liked that.

🤣 Can you imagine her face if she’d have done that? 🤣🤣🤣

We’re in the middle of a pandemic. Thousands of people have died. It’s perfectly normal to have concerns about unnecessary face touching right now.

Yes, I agree. The advice is don’t touch your face, eyes, nose and mouth before washing.
Even without the pandemic, I always think it a bit weird when people just touch babies and children they don’t know. Without the pandemic. I probably wouldn’t say anything but I’d just never do it myself, although I’ll often smile and just say ‘your baby is beautiful’ or something like that.

Look there is a corona virus topic.

I used to live in the Caribbean where the Indian population pinch the cheeks, arms and legs of babies they think cute.

It's what Indians do! A cultural thing.

I was in India over Christmas with daughter, SIL and almost 2 year old granddaughter. Just about every Indian who saw the baby gave her a big smile, pinched her cheek, tried to attract attention, some even stretched out their arms asking to pick her up -- total strangers!

Men and women were equally enthusiastic about the baby. Yes, at first it was weird but we all grew to see is as a love for small children that is actually quite endearing. I loved the fact that men were just as enthusiastic as women. You don't see men in the West smiling at babies. Everyone there had time to stop and admire her and even to play with her for a second or two.

BadCat, it's human nature. We appreciate new life. Not saying it's ok, but I certainly enjoyed attention from strangers when I was pregnant and my dc was a baby/toddler.

Oh not this again!!!! You are being ridiculous - all this "don't touch my child" is modern day nonsense.

So you’re cool with random people coming up to you and touching you or stroking your face? Weird.

It is okay to be annoyed with people touching your child or you without your consent but the coronavirus argument is senseless.

Omgoodness, she meant no harm, I know in today's paranoia she shouldn't have done so, but babies attract attention.
Years ago in the east end, people would press a coin into a newborn's hand, it was meant to make sure they were never skint. Just like, always put a coin in a new purse, so its never empty.
Mind you there was a sense of community years ago, most dont even know their neighbours nowadays.

No need for some of the comments on here. It's not a generation thing at all. Some mothers don't mind others do. I was once in the supermarket and a random woman came over started touching my DD hair and saying to someone on the phone she can't believe how much hair this baby has. It annoyed me I think because she wasn't even talking to me or DD. If she had come over and said something directly to me like look at all that hair I probably wouldn't have minded.

Stormyjupiter - I'm human (despite the username!) and it's not in my nature. It's possible to appreciate things without touching them.

I get that it's some sort of social conditioning thing.. it must be since so many people do it, but I wasn't conditioned that way. Maybe my family are just antisocial.

Well I wouldn't like some random to come over and poke me in the face.

Christ, I've heard it all now hmm

This.
There are some precious people on here.
God damn people for going gooey over a baby, how very dare they.....

I agree, I think it can be quite a dominating thing to do psychologically. I remember as a child having people grab my face and absolutely hating it from strangers. Loving close family is fine - I think that is why touch is important it signifies trust and a known person.

My horrible SIL grabbed my DS face recently, and I’m still livid about it! It’s an OTT reaction from me, but I do think with her body language she was showing some ‘ownership’ of my child, who she tries to manipulate and she’s awful to me. Kids aren’t property people!

Well I wouldn't like some random to come over and poke me in the face.

Give over, bet your not as cute as a baby and pokeing/ stroking yeah that's the same

You are being completely ridiculous.

How the hell has civilisation made it this far ? Paranoid about people stroking you baby's face but no doubt happy enough to stick your child in daycare and allow a stranger to change their nappy ! Nuts

@gingersausage
I can understand why you would say my post is contradictory. It was not intended to be so. I didn’t let my dd touch random people as a child, no. I know people do let their toddlers coo over babies, it happened when dd was a baby and I didn’t have an issue with it (was never faced with a child with a streaming cold). It was the description of the child, which I found abhorrent and hence my comment that this poster and indeed everyone was once a germ infested toddler at one point or another.

YANBU

I love babies, but I don't understand why people think its okay to touch a stranger's baby.
Feel free to make faces at my baby, wave at him and talk to him, but keep your hands to yourself. Especially now.

I would never dream of touching a babies face with out permission.

Do you think for a moment of the world you are creating for your child? I would rather a stranger kissed or touched my baby and took joy in them than raise my child to live a soulless, sterile existence where no one gave a fuck about them .

Communities are wonderful things but they are a two way street. if we want strangers (the community/village) to be part of raising our children and to look out for them then we have to take the stuff that helps bond them too.