Reborn dolls in the pram bay

[gezelligheid]

A couple of times now I've been unable to get on the bus with my baby in a pram because there are two local women who take their reborn dolls out in prams and take up the pram bays. I know they are reborn dolls as I've seen the dolls in their pram.

I understand people have reborn dolls for many different reasons but to take up a space meaning a real baby can't get on the bus surely isn't fair?

I've complained to the bus service and they've said they cannot monitor whether babies are real or not so if they get on the bus first I should ask them to put their pram down upon boarding.

I'm worried this will cause an altercation on the bus so I'm wondering AIBU to say something on the bus even though it may be embarrassing for the women?

I have read it all now (long boring tube journey thankfully now ending).

But you can't possibly mean the bit where you suggested that she politely ask the same women who have previously pushed in front of her and deliberately stopped her getting on the bus to fold up their prams for her? 😂

Surely not....

I would love to have a realistic doll but I would also acknowledge it was a bloody doll. I wouldn’t be taking it out of the house in a pram and I definitely wouldn’t be taking up a space on a bus because of it.

But you can't possibly mean the bit where you suggested that she politely ask the same women who have previously pushed in front of her and deliberately stopped her getting on the bus to fold up their prams for her? 😂

Surely not....m

Well done 👍🏻 always handy

Yep. I always start with polite. Soz.
Works for me. And a smile.

And I like Wombats strategy.

But you do you. Kick off. Awkward with a baby, buggy etc but whatever.

Got to be honest, if your buses are anything like the ones I get, there’s no way the bus driver is going to check that babies are real (particularly if they look realistic). They’ll be waving people on and fretting about keeping to timetable.

I will say the the women taking up buggy space with reborn dolls are dickheads though.

These same women have previously forced their way in front of her, preventing her from boarding the bus.

They know exactly what they're doing. They've done it repeatedly and aggressively.

she's clearly threatened by them. There are two of them and one of her.

And you think smiling at them will solve the problem?

That isn't a solution. It's complete nonsense.

I suppose it's not you who has to actually live her life, so you can say whatever you like on here and it has zero impact on you.

And no - I have never suggested she 'kick off'. I think confronting multiple intimidating selfish bullies would be a very bad idea for a clearly nervous young mum with a baby.

I don't think telling her she should feel sorry for a group of people openly bullying her and her baby is remotely ok either.

*By 'group of people', you presumably mean selfish, cruel, intimidating bullies with money to burn who enjoy making parents and babies suffer?

Yeah, I do have a low opinion of all of them, as it happens.*

No I meant people who keep reborn type dolls obviously.

Because the "compassion only works one way " seem to refer to the compassion mentioned on here .

Keep twisting.

I'm sorry if you can't see the fairly obvious parallels between a woman gloating about wasting specialist formula that's in short supply, and women forcing a new mum and her baby off the bus. In both cases using a doll as the excuse.

Seems to me there's a very clear shared ideology here, and it's nothing to do with mental health issues or 'vulnerabilities', and everything to do with a particular kind of sadism.

And you think smiling at them will solve the problem?

🤦‍♀️😆

Keep going.

No I don't think "smiling" will solve the problem.

But I would approach the situation politely and generally I smile.

Read again I would.

And just to point out the "pushing in" bit came out much later down the thread. After I'd posted. But don't think I'd change my approach.

I'm really sympathetic to OPs situation and I've said so.

What would you do?

*I'm sorry if you can't see the fairly obvious parallels between a woman gloating about wasting specialist formula that's in short supply, and women forcing a new mum and her baby off the bus. In both cases using a doll as the excuse.

Seems to me there's a very clear shared ideology here, and it's nothing to do with mental health issues or 'vulnerabilities', and everything to do with a particular kind of sadism.*

Says more about you really.

Immediately posting a link ( which I haven't watched ) to some weird sadistic tiktoker with a reborn immediately after discussing two lady s with reborns taking up bus seats.

Cos you know, they're obviously linked and referencing that " compassion only works one way".

When we clearly weren't talking about the TikTokker with the Reborn🤷‍♀️

@gezelligheid
If you're too afraid to ask politely if one of them would mind folding the pram then you'll have no other option but to appeal to the bus driver or wait for the next bus, though that will involve having to state, in an explanation to the bus driver, that they're dolls from the off.

Asking one of the women first avoids that embarrassment and mention of them being dolls, though presumably that will become evident to all when they take the 'baby' out to fold the pram?

🤔. Sorry I'm not much help

I've already suggested that op should get a buggy she can fold easily, because the spaces might be taken up legitimately by people with actual babies in prams.

I suggested some brands and types of buggies that can fold easily.

I would have suggested she contact the bus company, but I can see she did that and they won't help.

I don't think she should confront them. I think they have already proved they don't give a shit about the impact on her, and in fact the pushing in suggests it was done deliberately. They might even be wanting a confrontation.

What I don't think is appropriate is telling her she should feel sorry for people going out of their way to bully, inconvenience and distress her.

And telling her to smile and ask politely is just inviting them to kick off with her. It has no value at all as a suggestion.

I hadn’t heard that. This is disgusting. The sheer selfishness is astounding. I have no words.

What I don't think is appropriate is telling her she should feel sorry for people going out of their way to bully, inconvenience and distress her.

Nor did I.

But I don't agree with posters who refuse to acknowledge that there could be trauma behind this scenario. Or "pandering to mental health issues" .

I
And telling her to smile and ask politely is just inviting them to kick off with her. It has no value at all as a suggestion.

In your opinion. I don't agree l. And I would ask as wombat suggested. I doubt all Reborn owners are the same as TicTock Reborn.

And frankly OP changing her buggy is no better solution ( though granted might help a bit )

🤣🤣🤣🤣

I have been thinking about the same documentary. The grandmother was awful imo. Her daughter was a single mother and had cancer. She looked after the baby boy while her daughter had treatment, unsure prognosis. Happy ending. Daughter recovered, got on with her life, met a new partner and emigrated
I honestly thought the grandmother wished she had died and had the reborn made in the grandsons likeness. She didn't show any pleasure that her daughter had recovered
I found it all very disturbing

If you look on Tic Tok, there's a whole bunch of video of people who own these dolls are treat them like babies and look after them as if they where human. I try not to judge and each to their own but a real baby should come before a reborn one.

Bus drivers are required to use the utmost care and diligence when working to ensure the safety of their passengers.

I would argue that by allowing a DOLL to take precedence over an actual living breathing fragile baby that they are neglecting that duty of care.

I would argue that by allowing a DOLL to take precedence over an actual living breathing fragile baby that they are neglecting that duty of care.

Back to verifying babies.

oh for the days of a conductor.

My exH was a bus driver. They are not allowed to leave their cab to intervene in anything. In his career he had a very angry person with a firearm, multiple heart attacks, drunks, junkies & endless pram/ bike altercations. Bus Co won't do anything, even Police reluctant to attend (he always called 999 & left his Cab to attend them for medical emergencies mind you). In a dispute where it was obvious one party was correct he would occasionally turn off his engine & refuse to move busvuntil party in wrong backed down but you can't do that in heavy traffic & he got a LOT of grief from bus Co & sometimes other passengers. Its not an easy job.

I did not know that this was a thing

I was on a bus yesterday where the driver left his cab and came to help when a person fell over. It’s not a hard and fast rule

What about pugs in prams- these are also taking up the spaces on the buses around here. Folk have just gone weird.

How have I not heard about this absolute insanity before! I'm guessing I'd probs just mistake them for babies if I saw them in passing.

I saw this when I went down a rabbit hole in tik tok. They also bought nappies, tylenol and whatever else.

Fucked upppp