it really irritates me when people say their baby is flirting

[koolaid]

at adult members of the opposite sex.

As in "oh DS was flirting with all the health visitors at the doctors today"

When all the baby did was smile/gurgle at someone who was showing them a lot of attention, in the way that babies do.

And always said about their DS, no-one who say the same thing about their baby girl.

It just really irks me. AIBU?

Never heard this. I've got a baby dd though.

chill

Never heard of this.

Nope.

They are the same sort of people who say their baby is "sexy" and are then ^outraged" when you point out that sexy means sexually attractive and isn't really an appropriate way to describe a child! "I don't mean it like that" they cry.

That's what the word means. You just decide to take a word like sexy, apply it to your child and tell everyone that yes, you have a sexy baby, but you've decided sexy actually means cute not sexually attractive? SAY CUTE THEN, YOU PLONKER!!!!

Or are we all just banana-ing that words muffin whatever we winkle them to?

YAB a bit U
I have said this of my dd, and the thing is she does go all out to get attention in a really coy flirty type of way. It isn't sexual obv. and she will will 'flirt' with men and women. She kinda smiles then looks away giggling in a look at me aren't i adorable kind of way.
I do hate it when people describe their children as sexy, thats not right.

When I had my ds 7 years ago, someone said that young babies are more attracted to young faces with lots of makeup as their features are more defined and easy to look at.

Don't know whether there's anything in that or not, but my 7 month old dd definitely prefers females to men, family members excluded!

I know that's not what you're even on about, but calling kids sexy really pisses me off and I sort of head off sideways from a conversation that reminds me of it!

I have often said that my DD has been 'charming' people - usually when she's been smiling and waving at old folk on the bus.

I suppose the word 'flirt' could have a more knowing, sexual connotation.

I mean that she's scared of unfamiliar men-last post read bit unclearly!

Yanbu i agree i would find it a crude way to speak like that about a baby

i flirt all the time, so do plenty of babies. it doesn't mean i want to shag anyone, it's just a bit of coy eye-batting between human beings. i think you're being a bit ridiculous tbh.

i've never heard anyone say a kid was sexy though, that is yuck.

YANBU
I find it a bit creepy too, and I have heard it said about baby girls quite often. I know it is meant harmlessly, and I'm sure I take it too seriously, but it seems a bit 'inappropriate' to me.

I have said this about my ds but only in a jokey fashion obviously. What I can't stand though, and I've heard it a few times recently is parents describing their baby girls as 'sexy'. As in oh dd haven't you got a sexy smile/ or you look really sexy in that outfit. To a 4 month old fgs

Sorry x-posted with loads of people there about the sexy thing

Agree with Aitch, 'flirt', whilst being a rather odd word to describe what babies do, does not necessarily have any sexual connotation, it can just mean taking a like to someone, smiling at them etc.

'Sexy' though, eeeurgh. I always found that rather horrible.

The sexy thing is truly terrible. There was a thread on here a while ago about it and I couldn't believe that some people thought it was OK. It's vomit inducing and creepy.

YANBU1
I also dislike when people say of their babies/children
"he/she is going to be a real heartbreaker"

It makes my skin crawl!

I think saying a child is charming is fine. I think flirting is a sexual thing so I don't like the idea of it being used to describe a child. I've never heard it being used to describe a child though.

I'm not keen on people describing children with opposite sex friends as girlfriend and boyfriend. It just seems like we want children to grow up too quickly and it is a bit Noah's ark IYSWIM.

Worst of all is someone I know who tells her daughter 'to go and bimbo at a man' if she wants something done. Her daughter is 9!

flirt is a purposeful act,babies dont purposefully flirt.they have interactions that are universally beguiling