My husband drew on my baby!

[FEJ2016]

I need some perspective from someone who isn’t me- I’ve just gone to change my 5 week old daughter and my husband has drawn in black sharpie marker pen on her stomach (he has drawn a big sun around her belly button). I am incredibly upset with him. I can’t believe he would draw on our child honestly I’m dumbfounded. It looks hideous. And how am I now supposed to take her to clinic to get weighed? It looks terrible. When I have challenged him (woke him up- it’s 3am and I was changing her before her feed) he just said ‘why is there a pen there’ and ‘I was just a bit drunk don’t overreact’.
I didn’t know he was drunk or I wouldn’t have let him anywhere near our child for a start, but seriously, am I overreacting? I think it’s the most irresponsible thing I’ve ever seen I actually feel sick.

I honestly admire you, OP. Thinking back to 1-2 months after giving birth, if the father of my child did that, he would have woken up to

I drank & Drew with sharpies on my 5 week old baby.

Let the fucker get that off his face.

Quite astounded at the posters who think it's no big deal to do this to a 5 week old child of yours.

I’d find it annoying but secretly I think it’s beautiful... he was drunk and the first thing he saw when he saw your baby was the sunshine. Cute.

Also rubbing alcohol to get it off .., but don’t scrub obviously.

I don’t think what he did was abuse but I do think it was a fucking strange thing to do. Just why and how would it occur to you to draw on a baby? Or anyone for that matter. It’s weird and I wouldn’t be happy with it. If he wants to draw use paper like everyone else.

Could be worse my dad wrote our names on our forehead in permanent marker when me and dsis were little. Took over a week to wash off .

Glad to read he is mortified.

Whilst I don't think it was dangerous or anything, it seems so strange to think this was an appropriate thing to do with your precious new baby.

It's quite a weird thing for him to have done. And the being drunk around her is a whole nother issue.
But as PPs have said, Sharpies are non-toxic. Doctors do use them to mark areas of skin in the hospital (on babies as well as on adults). There's plenty worse chemicals in Johnson's baby oil and all the other gimmicky shite that peddled to new parents. Think about what parents were slathering onto newborn babies' skin in the 80s - a nice soapy bath the minute they left the womb for example - and we all lived to tell the tale!
OP, you're entitled to be annoyed if that's how you feel, but I wouldn't be worried about the marker causing your baby physical harm.

Beatrice are you a complete moron? With regard to both of your posts.

I'm outraged and rather slovenly.

Outrage about chemicals - not much.

Outrage that this man has no respect for his daughter's body - lots.

thatcoldfeeling you're slovenly?

A really twatty thing to do.

I would use baby oil to try and dissolve it.

It’s not a LTB crime but when OP does eventually LT twatty B it’ll be on the long list of reasons why.

Jesus, this thread. Abusive, vindictive, bullying?

It's a bit of pen that will wash off. He was a bit pissed, thought it was funny/cute/whatever. Not something I'd do but there you go.

That's it really.

Phone the HV and make him explain himself? FFS. State of some of these comments

If he's drawn on her skin all the chemicals in a sharpie are now in her blood.
Sharpies are not tested or safe for drawing on skin.

I'd be absolutely fuming.

Oh and baby oil then soap and water will get rid of most of it.

What other stupid things is he planning to do to his daughter??

Ha, pretty much, not that it is really funny, but I am a fucking mess in more ways than one.

Is your DH a bit hard of thinking?

It's the only explanation as to why you'd put all those chemicals onto a tiny baby's skin.

I would be fuming but also sad because I know that my H was an ignorant wanker.

Baby wipes also remove most things.

Make your H do it!

There is an awful lot of bullshit on this thread. The way you are going on as if pens are fucking lethal weapons!

NO, they are not carcinogenic. NO they are not toxic, YES it will come off.

It's a weird thing to do btu get some fucking perspective people.

existentialmoment where are you getting your information from? They have not been tested for use on skin! Sharpie themselves say don't use them on your skin.
Granted it's probably fairly unlikely to cause a problem but it's a stupid thing to do and the OP is entitled to be upset.

Bit of a weird and childish thing to do, it won’t harm your baby.
I’d be annoyed, try not overreact.

DOCTORS use them on skin. Is that a stupid thing to do? They have of course been tested on skin.

"For a product to be used on the skin, it must be FDA approved. None of the writing instruments in the Sanford line are FDA approved,"

• quote from sharpie

The testing that has been done is 'under normal writing conditions' not people drawing on their slin.

There are special pens that doctors are supposed to use that are approved.
Obviously the potential risks of surgery far our way that of a sharpie but doctors aren't superior beings who do everything correctly.

Exist so Drs use sharpie pens on newborn babies? I doubt that very much.

"DOCTORS use them on skin. Is that a stupid thing to do? "

If you took your 5 week old child to a doctor and he drew on your baby with a sharpie for shits and giggles, you'd be ok with that? Because that's your analogy.

Otherwise, doctors draw on 5 week old babies to perform life saving surgery. And I very much doubt it's something they get an enjoyment from.

Is it just really difficult for you to grasp that most parents have an instinct to protect their newborn? And that's why a drunk parent drawing on his tiny baby for giggles is the polar opposite of having this protective instinct?