Saw this on a pram today! 😀

[Netcurtainnelly]

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.

My baby was about one month old and started crying in the pram when we were in a shop. An old woman suddenly appeared and shoved her pinky into my baby’s mouth. I was too shocked to speak but managed to react enough to push the pram forward out her reach. She just mumbled something and walked off, didn’t even look at me.
Afterwards I thought of many things I wish I’d said - or even just shoved my finger in her mother’s to see how she liked it! I’m assuming she though my baby would think finger was a dummy or that she was teething but fuck knows 🤷🏼‍♀️ It still grosses me out to remember.

But they clearly do as otherwise they wouldn’t need the sign?

Babies in my care have been stroked on the face in their pram by strangers before I’ve had a chance to ask them not to. I wasn’t particularly happy as god knows where those hands have been, but I’d be really annoyed if my baby was vulnerable. Not old ladies either, reasonably young women. Maybe this was a particularly cute baby that had met one too many over-friendly strangers

You wouldn't know if it was cute or not, you couldn't see it.

I respect whatever parents are any but o find it so odd personally . Those and the people who refuse to leave the house for weeks after birth , it’s such a odd concept to me , I used to love showing my babies to friends and the oldest kids loved whee I picked up from school with the baby

I found strangers trying to kiss or touch my babies, especially without asking, really annoying. Not so much a health worry (though the time someone came up to them in the doctor’s office while I was filling in a form did hit that button for me) as they would wake them from sleep, annoy them and make them cry (then look at me like it was my fault!), make me feel like I needed to be smiley and personable when I was feeling exhausted and curmudgeonly, etc.

So I have some sympathy for the sign even if there were no health concerns. I wouldn’t have used one, though.

Why would you want to see a stranger’s baby?

Good for them.
It's shocking how fast someone can touch your baby (absolute strangers) and how even the most outspoken person can freeze in that moment.
I walked through a supermarket with my newborn in pram and while I tuned my head to glance one way someone just touched my baby's face.
I don't know what their intentions are because I don't know them.
It could be an innocent little stroke for an irresistible little baby or they could have just scratched their arse and wanted to wipe shit on her - because people can be bloody weird and frankly it's bloody weird to touch a strangers baby.
If the sign gives someone pause, even if the child isn't vulnerable, it's not a bad thing.

A woman at my school has this on her pram, I saw it and thought fair enough!!

I was answering a previous post.

Good on them. They could be immunocompromised or perhaps their parents just don’t want people thinking they can help themselves to a squeeze of their baby. I got an absolute pasting on here some years back when I told an elderly man off for reaching inside my DDs pram and pretty much wiping his hand all over her face - before my own mother had even met her due to covid and lockdowns etc. Got a load of grief for ‘ruining his day’, poor elderly gentleman etc etc. F that. I will die on that hill.

This is very cultural too . Where I’m from nobody bats an eyelid if people touch your baby , if you go to a local cafe they will probably ask you to pick up the baby or offer to have them while you eat .

A stranger did exactly this when my youngest DD was a baby. I was horrified. What were they thinking? (Obviously not much)

My now 17 year old was hospitalised as a baby because someone held him who had a cold.

On the opposite side my 4th dc caught a hospital bug and had to be barrier nursed. I was worried about people catching it from him but the amount of people who would try and touch him, including hospital staff. I would beg them to please wash their hands because i was so worried about another baby catching it and being really poorly.

Sorry you think it's twee to be concerned about health risks to a preemie baby?

To be fair, my SIL had to do this because people kept touching her very premature baby! (Born at 28 weeks I think)

You can get these for dogs I’ve seen them wearing like a little harness type thing saying “Anxious dog- don’t touch”!

🤣

Here’s an example but different wording, wondering if they do human versions… 🤣🧐🧐

My mother made a similar sign for my sister's pram, nearly 50 years ago. It said "Please don't touch my hands, I still suck them." iirc.

Why people feel the need to touch very young babies' hands I don't know, but there must have been enough of them to make my Mum feel that such asign was needed.

I'm very far from being a germophobe and am generally quite relaxed about things but touching my babies without my permission was a definite no-no.

2 friends have these on their newborns prams.

One of those friends has to tell 2 mums on the school playground repeatedly to not try to touch her baby, despite the sign.

Grossed out by people putting money in prams. Surely that’s as bad as touching the baby, except with the germs of many, many people!

Good for them.
No-one should touch someone else's child without permission.

If no-one would intend to, the sign is moot, but harmless.
If someone would be thinking about it, they might think again.
If someone tries it anyway, the parent doesn't have to worry about sounding rude/embarrassing them, because they were warned.

I wasnt aware that random strangers kissing babies was a thing.....is it?

Yes, I had one of these but it was slap bang in the middle of the unknowns of Covid and everyone, yes including random strangers, seemed to want a kiss. They were available back then from Etsy.