Page 5 | Saw this on a pram today! 😀

Netcurtainnelly · 2025-10-08T18:00:02+00:00

A man pushing obviously a young baby along in its pram in the town today. You couldn't see the baby but there was a sign on the pushchair saying please don't touch or kiss the baby, then words I couldn't read. Then it said Thanks . Reminded me of MN. I know its been discussed. Never seen a sign on the pram though, telling people, has anyone else? Did even know they made them.

ResusciAnnie · 08/10/2025 20:47

There is literally zero harm in such a sign.

CherrieTomaties · 08/10/2025 20:48

Good on the dad.

People shouldn’t touch or kiss stranger’s babies unsolicited. It’s fucking weird. Leave babies alone. They’re tiny humans, not toys or dolls for people’s admiration.

I was out with my friend and her newborn a couple of years ago in our local town, shopping. A woman (who was an obvious drug addict) she was filthy, asking random people for change, was picking cigarette butts off the floor -saw us and approached. She immediately put her hand in my friend’s pram and started stroking her sons face. Then got aggressive when my friend said “please don’t touch him”.

Obviously this isn’t a normal or common interaction but just don’t do it.

BlackeyedSusan · 08/10/2025 20:50

Dissappearedupmyownarse · 08/10/2025 19:45

You've clearly never sat beside your (24hrs ago was perfectly healthy) newborn baby in a hospital thats on a ventilator which has caught RSV from many of the 'oh dont be silly, its just a kiss' brigade. Being told my baby could go "either way" in the next 24hrs was the worst moment of my life.....

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So sorry. How awful. Doubt you can ever get over that properly.

Taylorsmithh · 08/10/2025 20:51

My friend has one of these signs. Her little boy was born premature (12 weeks early). She got one as her neighbours kept touching her babys face before she told them to stop .. one even kissed her baby and even the aldi checkout person toughed baby face too. A Babys immune system is still developing and its worst for a premature baby. Its sad such a sigh has to be displayed.

KaleidoscopeSmile · 08/10/2025 20:51

Pickledlotus · 08/10/2025 20:44

I think I find it sad that people wouldn’t want interaction. I just feel that as a society we have become more and more insular. I really don’t think this is a great for anyone.

I get premature / ill babies can’t have that type of interaction.

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You forget that a good half of MN users have boundarified themselves out of many of what were until recently, perfectly normal human interactions. This site is a gold mine for psychologists.

BatchCookBabe · 08/10/2025 20:52

Sagaciously · 08/10/2025 19:04

Imagine being that parent. 🙄

Nothing wrong with not wanting random strangers to paw your baby. Why do people have to poke at them?

Don't be THAT person who thinks they have a right to prod at someone else's vulnerable and fragile baby!

SammyScrounge · 08/10/2025 20:53

1990s · 08/10/2025 19:07

Imagine being THAT person who thinks it’s fine to touch or kiss a STRANGERS baby unsolicited…. Crazy.

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My daughter as a young child had spectacular red gold curls. People were forever touching them or running their fingers through her hair. She HATED it. 'Mummy don't let them' she used to yell.
A child is entitled to walk about without being manhandled.

BatchCookBabe · 08/10/2025 20:55

CherrieTomaties · 08/10/2025 20:48

Good on the dad.

People shouldn’t touch or kiss stranger’s babies unsolicited. It’s fucking weird. Leave babies alone. They’re tiny humans, not toys or dolls for people’s admiration.

I was out with my friend and her newborn a couple of years ago in our local town, shopping. A woman (who was an obvious drug addict) she was filthy, asking random people for change, was picking cigarette butts off the floor -saw us and approached. She immediately put her hand in my friend’s pram and started stroking her sons face. Then got aggressive when my friend said “please don’t touch him”.

Obviously this isn’t a normal or common interaction but just don’t do it.

Exactly this. The entitlement of some people is just breathtaking. Get your fecking mitts off my child - you weird entitled pushy stranger!

And don't tell me I have no right to want to protect my OWN baby! And not have weirdos coming along pushing their hands into the pram!

Hummingbird10 · 08/10/2025 20:55

You have no idea as to why this notice was on the park. The baby could be very poorly. It is unusual, but so is your response. Why are you making assumptions?

AstonScrapingsNameChange · 08/10/2025 20:56

Pickledlotus · 08/10/2025 20:44

I think I find it sad that people wouldn’t want interaction. I just feel that as a society we have become more and more insular. I really don’t think this is a great for anyone.

I get premature / ill babies can’t have that type of interaction.

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But you don't know why people don't want the interaction with their baby . Probably for the reasons listed.

The parent could still interact with people around them, if they wanted to.

Not wanting random strangers touching your baby doesn't = wanting no interaction yourself.

I feel like you're putting 2 and 2 together and getting 22. And judging people who are probably in a situation you've never experienced.

LBFseBrom · 08/10/2025 20:58

I can't imagine complete strangers kissing someone's baby anyway.

BeanQuisine · 08/10/2025 21:01

Screamingabdabz · 08/10/2025 20:38

God all those vile horrible plague ridden old people with their gnarled fingers wanting to be nice. Curse them, the evil fuckers.

Many older people have fingers that look like raw sausages and in some cases, they actually are raw sausages, installed as economical replacement fingers due to NHS cutbacks.

It's not at all hygienic for a baby to be squeezed and poked by raw sausages that have been all over the place, and which are doubtless past their "best before" date.

BlackeyedSusan · 08/10/2025 21:02

Bingbangboo · 08/10/2025 20:46

A mum at the school gate had one of these. I didn't know her and had no desire to touch or kiss her baby or, indeed, any baby. I did roll my eyes every day at the twee 'your germs are too big for me' nonsense though. She also used to stand around telling anyone who would listen all about her baby's premature arrival which seemed to be at odds with the sign, as there was no one's ear she wouldn't bend at length about it.

Probably quite traumatized by it. Talking helps.

BlackeyedSusan · 08/10/2025 21:05

SammyScrounge · 08/10/2025 20:53

My daughter as a young child had spectacular red gold curls. People were forever touching them or running their fingers through her hair. She HATED it. 'Mummy don't let them' she used to yell.
A child is entitled to walk about without being manhandled.

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Oo good for her. Poor thing.

AstonScrapingsNameChange · 08/10/2025 21:08

Bingbangboo · 08/10/2025 20:46

A mum at the school gate had one of these. I didn't know her and had no desire to touch or kiss her baby or, indeed, any baby. I did roll my eyes every day at the twee 'your germs are too big for me' nonsense though. She also used to stand around telling anyone who would listen all about her baby's premature arrival which seemed to be at odds with the sign, as there was no one's ear she wouldn't bend at length about it.

I find your callousness breathtaking.

Fine for you to roll your eyes, but it might have kept her vulnerable baby safe. And probably gave her frazzled nerves a break.

Having your child nearly die can be a little stressful, no wonder she needed to talk about it 🙄

Taylorsmithh · 08/10/2025 21:08

If I wasn't sure and had never seen a sign like this before. I'd google it. Tell a friend or partner, someone i was basically seeing that day. Discuss it for maybe a few minutes. I wouldn't start a post about it. What are you hoping to achieve?

CherrieTomaties · 08/10/2025 21:09

Screamingabdabz · 08/10/2025 20:38

God all those vile horrible plague ridden old people with their gnarled fingers wanting to be nice. Curse them, the evil fuckers.

What a childish comment.

Old people (or adults of any age) can be nice without wanting to touch or kiss a random stranger’s baby.

You can admire a baby by telling/asking the parent:
“He/she is beautiful”
“What’s their name?”
“How many weeks/old are they”
“I love their little outfit/blanket/teddy”

You know, normal questions. You can have a respectful interaction with a new parent to admire a baby without touching or kissing it.

ARichtGoodDram · 08/10/2025 21:12

(Especially after covid and with measles outbreaks, plus big standard flu etc)

People are worse at keeping their germs to themselves post Covid.

We used to find people incredibly polite and helpful about DDs health pre-covid. We'd get a heads up about any illness in people we were meeting so we could make the choice to stay away or not. Post lockdown people are much more "oh I've just got a cough/cold/sniffle, but it's fine..."

We've even had two incidences of people actively hiding chicken pox - once because they didn't want me to cancel my kids going to their child's party as their child would be very upset (the mum's sister found out and made her tell me) and the second one was because they didn't want me to cancel the play date as they were working and needed the childcare.

The balance between my other children living normal lives and keeping DD4 safe for as long as possible is much harder post-lockdown.

AmyW9 · 08/10/2025 21:13

My six month old was kissed by a stranger last week (in a lift, no escape!). Happened before I could stop her. I would have loved a sign like this...

soundsys · 08/10/2025 21:18

LadyGreyjoy · 08/10/2025 19:19

I put on of these signs on my daughter's pram after THREE old ladies put their hands in the pram to touch her in her first week of life. Two tried to lean in and breathe all over her and stroke her face and one time I was holding her and an old lady just marched up and shoved her hand straight in her her face, then had the cheek to look offended when I slapped it away before she made contact. My daughter was 6 days old!

I don't want strangers touching my baby and I find it outrageous that people actually need to be told it's not ok.

Edited

Did they at least put money in? (That's an old lady thing where I am!)

I wouldn't touch or kiss a strangers baby but in ye olden times I would have put a 50p in the pram. (When 50p was worth more than it is now, obviously 🤣)

AstonScrapingsNameChange · 08/10/2025 21:20

ARichtGoodDram · 08/10/2025 21:12

(Especially after covid and with measles outbreaks, plus big standard flu etc)

People are worse at keeping their germs to themselves post Covid.

We used to find people incredibly polite and helpful about DDs health pre-covid. We'd get a heads up about any illness in people we were meeting so we could make the choice to stay away or not. Post lockdown people are much more "oh I've just got a cough/cold/sniffle, but it's fine..."

We've even had two incidences of people actively hiding chicken pox - once because they didn't want me to cancel my kids going to their child's party as their child would be very upset (the mum's sister found out and made her tell me) and the second one was because they didn't want me to cancel the play date as they were working and needed the childcare.

The balance between my other children living normal lives and keeping DD4 safe for as long as possible is much harder post-lockdown.

That's awful 💐

Pistachiocake · 08/10/2025 21:21

Bombshelter · 08/10/2025 19:05

The baby might’ve been premature I suppose or be immunocompromised

True, but I don't know anyone who would touch a random baby anyway. Maybe family/friends (even then, I'd wait for my mate to pass me her newborn when I visited, not lift her out the pram if I bumped into her in Tesco), but I wouldn't ever touch a stranger's baby. Don't think this is a modern thing either? My grandparents wouldn't touch strangers' kids.

SixtySomething · 08/10/2025 21:22

Newnamethisway · 08/10/2025 19:17

sad they need to do this if it is to ward off strangers. Maybe just also a steer to parents of young children who are often just curious.

I’ve never had children but am amazed by threads here with pregnant women who have strangers try to pat their bump.

This happened to me quite a lot when I was pregnant 30-40 years ago. It certainly startled me, but I never felt the people meant badly. I did find it hard to cope with though!

Bingbangboo · 08/10/2025 21:30

soundsys · 08/10/2025 21:18

Did they at least put money in? (That's an old lady thing where I am!)

I wouldn't touch or kiss a strangers baby but in ye olden times I would have put a 50p in the pram. (When 50p was worth more than it is now, obviously 🤣)

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An older gentleman did that to me in asda. He tucked a pound coin in my son's pram. I was bemused, but he told me you should always cross a new baby's palm with gold. Perhaps there is a gap in the market for signs about small change too!

HMW19061 · 08/10/2025 21:33

A friend of mine had one of these for their twins pram BUT their twins had cystic fibrosis…catching a cold could literally kill them and you’d be surprised at the number of strangers who think it’s acceptable to stick their hands/heads in a pram. My eldest was born during Covid and we still had people in the supermarket thinking it was acceptable to try to stick their heads under the hood of the pram to have a look 🙄