To think hourly baby photos on social media is excessive

[Rollercoaster21]

Some friends had a baby a few weeks ago and since then it’s been hourly photos on Facebook- every feed, ever single moment of every thing that the baby does (or doesn’t do as it’s only a few weeks old)

I know babies are cute and all and it’s their first but Jesus, 20 photos a day! I have had to unfollow them on Facebook.

Aibu to think it’s really OTT!! Is it a thing now to document every waking hour of your babies life on social media? It definitely wasn’t when my kids were young! Or do I sound old fashioned and out of touch?!

It is a bit OTT but it's easy enough to unfollow at least.

We made a family FB group so I could post as many photos of DD as I wanted as my mum and SIL wanted photos all the time, but I didn't want to clog my FB feed with it. DD is 2.5 now and I still upload photos there.

Also a lot of people are still quite isolated due to Covid so that might play a part. It can be quite lonely with a new baby at the best of times so perhaps social media gives her the interaction she needs for now.

I think this goes quite beyond 'PFB syndrome'..I was a slightly obsessive FTM but I didn't post on social media about it. I often feel like mothers who do that a lot just need to get out more and are perhaps lonely or DH not paying them and baby enough attention so they seek it on Facebook. It's been a very isolating time for new mums. When I has my kids (9 and 5) I would go to the local children's centre and do baby massage classes etc and obsess over my PFB with other FTMs.but these days it just seems that there aren't many social opportunities for new mums unless they're in NCT but I bet even that has been affected by COVID

Hourly photos of anything is excessive.

I have a private group for family and close friends who wanted to join (I live abroad so my main profile maybe gets a set of pictures twice every month about my 1 year old).

But I'll still never understand why people get so worked up about what others do with their social media. It's their social media, they can post however many pictures they like.
Just unfollow and move on 🤷🏼‍♀️

I mean, of course it's unnecessary and excessive, but it's also quite sweet given the baby is so new. Hopefully they'll ease off soon. Let them enjoy the new baby glow (which I never had as I found those initial weeks to be hell ).

I always feel sorry for the kids, no privacy at all.

A nice pic of the school play is not the same as a full record of every day of their lives shared widely.

I was right at the other end of the spectrum and never posted anything of my kids, they are big now but said they were glad, they have some friends whose parents really overshared and the genie does not go back in the bottle easily.

I get it from a ‘look isn’t my baby cute’ point of view- obviously we all thought our babies were the most cute ever but I do find it slightly obsessive and honestly a tiny bit baby bore territory!

Just unfollow. Or better still leave Facebook.

Yeah I have a friend a bit like this, not quite hourly but I unfollowed for a bit because it was every single time I went on FB.

Easy enough to do the unfollowing for a bit, I mean the photos aren’t really hurting anyone it was just pretty excessive.

Big SM fan.
That's excessive. Is she ok?

Yeah, unfollowing is the best

But I'll still never understand why people get so worked up about what others do with their social media. It's their social media, they can post however many pictures they like.

That's true, of course, but you still have to scroll past all the photos in your news feed and it starts to annoy you, but you don't necessarily want to unfriend them . We have similar with a pregnant friend. Posts most days with some reference or other to her baby bump. Again, her FB so her choice BUT even amongst our mutual friends there are several recovering from miscarriage and one a still birth, another with several failed IVF attempts behind them. Of course, she can celebrate her pregnancy however she likes, but daily, sometimes multiple time, is driving me nuts so can't imagine what it's doing to those who may find it distressing.

God, I cribe at how many photos of my DS I uploaded to FB when he was born (tbf it was 10 years ago when everyone used FB a lot more!) It wasn't hourly but certainly several times a week. I just thought he was so beautiful and I wanted everyone to know it!

Hourly is excessive, but maybe just unfollow for a bit, she will calm down soon enough

I don want to leave Facebook- I stay in touch with loads of friends on there. Have unfollowed thiugh

A family member does this, everytime I open facebook there are new pictures or videos entitled 'my heart 'etc, etc. We all love our children, I just don't get why some people have the constant need to share it with everyone. The mum in question also seems obsessed with herself posting pictures posed in different outfits. I mean what new mum has time for all of that??

Aw, they'll calm down.

Just unfollow for thirty days. By that point, they'll be too knackered to be posting so much.

@Rollercoaster21

I don want to leave Facebook- I stay in touch with loads of friends on there. Have unfollowed thiugh

Cross-posted, sorry.

It’s over the top but either she’s very proud and excited and wanting to share or she’s lonely, struggling and grasping out for validation and connection. So I wouldn’t be judging either way. She will calm down, just ignore or unfriend.

Again, her FB so her choice BUT even amongst our mutual friends there are several recovering from miscarriage and one a still birth, another with several failed IVF attempts behind them. Of course, she can celebrate her pregnancy however she likes, but daily, sometimes multiple time, is driving me nuts so can't imagine what it's doing to those who may find it distressing.

For similar reasons, ivf/miscarriage, I unfollowed a friend who posts excessive photos of her DC and then missed her posting DC was quite poorly - I felt awful as didn’t know, but the previous volume of general updates was too much for me.

@ComDummings

It’s over the top but either she’s very proud and excited and wanting to share or she’s lonely, struggling and grasping out for validation and connection. So I wouldn’t be judging either way. She will calm down, just ignore or unfriend.

I agree with this.

I post on SM about once a year, but I wouldn’t begrudge her this. Just mute or unfollow or whatever for a while or, if she’s a close friend, phone/text and check she’s ok.

I have some friends who are sharents it’s hard!

I do t like my kids faces on sm and they think I’m
Boring 😂

Wait until they start weaning and then you’ll get ‘treated’ to pics of them with various foodstuffs smeared all over their faces 🤮

One of my friends is like this, the baby can’t fart without a photo and accompanying post up on social media.

@Thehop ‘sharents’ 🤣 Never heard that saying before!!

You don't have to see them so what's your problem?

I did have to unfollow a colleague that I liked in real life, but on social media was totally overbearing. More like daily than hourly kid pictures, but also constant demands to follow their blog. "If you haven't followed the blog yet then why not ha ha" is not less threatening by the addition of a maniacal laugh at the end.

I had a rule of not more than one picture a month when ds1 was a baby and have dropped considerably from that now. Also nothing likely to be embarrassing when they are older, so not on the potty, in the bath, covered in food etc.

@nokidshere well, until I unfollowed I did see every single post clogging up my feed. I started dreading going on as I knew there would be 15 more posts! I feel bad for unfollowing but they have turned slightly into smug #blessed parents very fast!