Member of staff stroked my child's face

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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?!

Morning all. I’m conflicted with this. On one hand (excuse the pun) I think it’s good for babies to be exposed to other people’s germs as it’s good for their immune system, and the majority of people who touch / stroke babies have healthy intentions. However! I’m also squeamish of the idea that some body quite possibly hasn’t washed their hands after using the loo/touching. Money/blowing nose etc. And somebody in a shop is going to be handling cash/cards etc so aren’t going to be fresh

PFB, by any chance?

@Iconapop

That's a false dichotomy. It's not "Let strangers grab your baby or no one cares about them and they will lead a joyless existence".

I manage to get on quite well with strangers without touching their faces, and my baby is a smiley, cheery little man and all the people we've met out and about haven't felt the need to touch him.

Och YABU

As I understand it, being touched is crucial for a baby's development.

but yanbu re pregnant stomachs

I had about 5 people touch dd in a 20 minute outing the other day, babies tend to make people really happy, especially the older generation, I think it's lovely to see.
A stranger even offered (and I accepted) to hold her in the gp surgery when she was a newborn as I was struggling to fill out a form whilst holding her!
But if it's something you're not comfortable with then yanbu to say please don't touch.

I might be OTT but coronavirus aside, I never liked random people touching my son when he was a baby. Appreciate that babies are cute and cuddly but still didn't like it. I also look at some people's kids and babies and think they are cute, but it would never occur to me to come up and touch them, and I feel that others should also exercise some restraint.

As I understand it, being touched is crucial for a baby's development

Yeah, I mean Brenda who’s been stacking shelf’s in Asda and her hands are filthy doesn’t do zero for my babies development when she was trying to stroke my babies face. Could do with out that. Plus you have no idea where their hands have been, whether it’s stroking a dog or adjusting their knickers

For some people it’s instinctual to want to touch a smooth babies face - but it’s also instinctive for a mother to feel protective.

The easy solution is to just keep your hands to yourself. Not your baby.

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

Ah so just because a baby is cute they must endure random stroking their filthy hands all over their face?

Its a bit like saying, if you are a beautiful woman it's OK for someone to give your bum a wee slap on the way by.

Touching/poking/stroking what's the difference? Only really the force at which it's done.

Yanbu. It's not fucking precious.
I wouldn't want my face touching by a random stranger. Why is it different if it's a baby or a child? They're not public property!
There are plenty of ways to express interest or delight at seeing a cute baby such as smiling or a nice comment or whatever.

Why is it different if it's a baby or a child? They're not public property!

Apparently they are because they are cute.

YANBU

Babies look appealing and it’s a normal reaction to want to stroke or kiss them. But just because it’s what we might feel like doing it doesn’t mean we have a right to do this to a total strangers child.

What about other reactions we have ? To the hot guy we are sat next to on the train or in the cinema? We wouldn’t just stroke his face or give him a peck on the cheek even if we desperately wanted to.

It’s babies, small children and dogs that people tend to make a beeline for. But it’s not ok to touch them imo. I adore babies/toddlers/dogs. I’d happily stroke faces, hold their pudgy little hands/paws, but unless we know one another I don’t have the right to do it to any child/dog I come into contact with.

This must be the millionth stranger touched my baby thread. Usual non-confrontational people who don't say anything at the time and then moan on MN.

Yanbu
People must have no self control when we’ve been asked not to even touch our own faces.

YANBU I hate this too, coronavirus or no!

Not so much a been thing for me, it just feels like overstepping a social norm if the person is a total stranger I either haven't had a conversation with or have just been cursorily polite to.

Oh FFS. Lord preserve me from precious mummies.

Really ?

I wouldn't want my face touching by a random stranger. Why is it different if it's a baby or a child?
But you're not a baby or child. How self centered to assume your baby feels just the way you do because you have birth to him.

If your baby cries every time it happens fair enough, but most babies love the attention of smiling strangers including touch.

As for the dirty hands, what drama. Most people don't walk around with disgusting hands, and a few germs doesn't kill babies, on the opposite, they are less likely to catch virus after virus once they start school.

Regardless of the dangers of the Coronavirus, Babies are not cute pets to be poked and prodded by all and sundry.

Would a grown adult be happy to be stroked, kissed or squeezed by a random stranger or would they rightly feel violated?

I hope the thoughtless posters who say ‘oh don’t be precious’ accept that they are indirectly also supporting the same crap used to minimise assaults on children and adult women?

‘Be good’
‘Don’t make a fuss’
‘I was only...’

STOP MINIMISING UNWANTED ATTENTION

You can like it, you can not like it. Your child, up to you.

Don’t think it particularly warrants a whole thread, mind you. It was hardly a malicious action.

Chop her hands off!

I would never dream of touching a baby/child or a pregnant stomach. Just wouldn’t occur to me. Like a PP I have been grabbed by random toddlers though.

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

Ignoring the risk of kissing babies (google babies and herpes, etc); ignoring the assault angle (do you go round kissing random children to ‘bond’ with them??.) most people are perfectly able to feel compassion and care for others without touching them. (Look, Doris! That toddler is about to run into the road!” “Never mind, Liz. Ignore him. I haven’t touched that one so he’s expendable”) FFS!

Soon your baby won't be a baby anymore and no one will be interested, sit tight.