Do you mind if strangers in the supermarket and/or street touch your newborn's face or hands? If they were to kiss your child on the cheek? Does it matter how old they are, say younger than 6 mths or older than that? If it does bother you, what do you typically do about this?
Just curious to see how others feel!
2006-10-17 06:33:40 · 49 answers · asked by MaPetiteHippopotame 4 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
Oh thank you, thank you, I was feeling as if I was some overprotective bear by getting upset at people doing this! I mentioned to my mother I didnt like strangers touching my little girl (she was 6mths at the time) and she told me that my comment pissed her off!! I thought perhaps I would be the only one offended by strangers touching my child.
I have people touching her hands all the time, or even rubbing her cheek, and I think - in another two seconds my daughter will be sticking those fingers in her mouth. Gross! And I did have someone kiss my daughter while we were on the bus, leaving SPIT on her cheek, and I didnt say a word. I so wanted to, but I kept it in. I wiped off the spit as quick as could be, however. Now that she's getting older I get less and less of it (or perhaps I'm getting better and better at fending people off) so it's less of an issue. I'm just so happy this isnt only me upset by this.
2006-10-17 08:09:41 · update #1
I had physically moved people's hands when they have reached out and touched my child. I will not hesitate to do it again. There was even one occasion where a family walked past our cart as we were shopping, I was holding onto the push bar of the cart and our daughter was in the baby seat. A girl, who looked to be about 16-17 years old reached out and touched our daughter. I moved her hand away. They family kept walking and the girl turned around and told me that I had no right to touch her. WTF? She reached out and touched my child and had no right to do that, but I had no right to move her hand away? Her mother decided to start yelling at me right there in the store. Fine. Yell. But no one is going to touch my child without my permission first.
My child is not public property. I don't know if that person reaching out to touch her is sick, washes their hands after going to the bathroom, etc. Basically, I don't know where they've been, so they aren't touching my child. It angers me to no end that people think that a baby is up for grabs to be touched by anyone without asking the parent's permission first!
What does it teach a child to let strangers touch them? We tell our children to stay away from strangers, yet some will allow perfect strangers to touch their children without permission? I'm sorry, I believe that shows a child that it's ok for complete strangers to be touching them. What kind of heartache and pain and downright danger could a child believing that lead them into?
As for kissing? If someone that I don't know, some stranger tries to kiss my daughter, they will find themselves making friends first with the floor and then with the back of a police car. No two ways about it.
My child is not public property. When we go out, one of us always stands with the baby. We keep our hands placed at strategic positions on the cart so that we are basically blocking her from any unwelcomed touching. We don't mind people talking to her, saying hi, complimenting her to us or to her... but no one is going to touch our child.
2006-10-17 06:59:04 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
I think that is so disrespectful and inappropriate for a complete stranger to touch your baby, or any baby they don't know. I understand the appeal a newborn baby has on people but this day in age you can not trust anyone. You should point out to these people that it is inappropriate and can give others the wrong impression. If someone else points this out to them, they will be a lot less likely to do it again so another woman. I don't think anyone ever did this to my kids when they were little, but it is along the same lines as strangers wanting to touch my pregnant belly. I absolutely hated it when strangers tried to touch my belly! I seriously thought about telling them that I wasn't pregnant and I had a tumor growing in there. That would make the touching stop! Can't exactly do that with a baby though.
2016-05-22 08:56:54 · answer #2 · answered by Liana 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I mind very much if strangers touched newborns. My reaction in supermarkets for admiring people was to smile real big and take hold of my baby`s hands with one hand while slowly pushing the cart with the other. This eliminates a stranger to have an opportunity to touch my babies hands. It does not give the opportunity for anyone to touch but you are not being rude because you are still receiving a compliment positively like, "Oh, look at that nice lady or gentleman giving you a smile or saying you are as cute as a button!" So be polite and smile but keep moving.
2006-10-17 06:53:58 · answer #3 · answered by Chimes 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I hate when people do that! However, I seem to handle it better now that he's older. He's 12 months now, but when he was like under about 9 months I would immediately take out a wipe and scrub wherever they touched and I carried the hand gel and I'd put a little on his hands. I've never had anyone kiss him; I think I'd probably say something about that or be obviously rude to them for doing it. I've never said anything to anyone for touching him, but I just try to get away as fast as I can and come back to whatever I was looking at later.
2006-10-17 06:48:14 · answer #4 · answered by mommycat 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Two words - EEWEE, NO!
You don't know who they are or where they've been - what they've touched or when they washed their hands last.
If you have the baby in a front carrier, they are less likelly to try to touch the baby because to do so would mean entering your "space."
When the baby is in the cart or stroller, they don't feel that "personal space" rights for the baby.
Bottom line, this is YOUR child, and his/her health and wellbeing is your responsibillity. If some stranger gets offended when you turn your baby away from them or reach out to keep them from touching your baby. Too bad. I hate to upset people, but when it came to my son or now comes to my grandson - hey, mama bear here - don't be messing with my kid.
I'm not "yelling" at you, just trying to stress that it's OK to say "no" to people. You have your child's best interest at heart, they don't.
Hugs and kisses to your munchkin (from you, of course).
2006-10-17 07:42:59 · answer #5 · answered by kids and cats 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm with the majority. I don't want strangers touching or kissing my baby, most especially when she was six months and younger. Even with my own family and friends, I always carried anti-bacterial gel and would bring it out, use it myself and then pass it around. Everyone got the hint and would clean their hands. In my house, everyone knew, as soon as they walked in the door, if they wanted to hold my daughter they had to wash their hands and I always had plenty of soap and clean towels. I have heard of special signs you can put on the carrier or stroller that politely says something about do not touch me. My daughter was born during flu season (January) and I didn't want to take her out in public for quite a few weeks because of stupid strangers. I love babies and never touched a strangers baby. My own relative I did of course after washing my hands. This should be common sense but people still don't get it.
2006-10-17 07:47:43 · answer #6 · answered by Precious 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
At first I thought..How lucky am I to have such a cute baby that everyone wants to see/touch.NOT ANYMORE. I HATE when I have to take him with me to the store(he's 4 months).I had a little old woman in one of those wheelchair shopping carts pulling at my pants to see him( mind you I even had a blanket over the carrier) what was I suppose to do..yell?..HANDS OFF OLD LADY!!!! I could have politely told her no, but I took the blanket off and lifted the carrier from the cart down to her eye level so she could get a peek. I once had a woman move my cart away from me to her when I was turned around getting a frozen pizza from the freezer section.Aside from the germs and such you really have to be careful these days.There are so many nut jobs out there. I know you can't always leave the baby with a friend or family member when shopping ,but I try to make it a habit to do most of my shopping one day a week and the baby gets to spend alone time with his Grandma.
2006-10-17 07:31:18 · answer #7 · answered by rchdwn 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't want anyone I don't know touching my baby, and even when he is older I won't want it. I find it rude when people try to touch him. I don't know where their hands were last and if they are clean, or if they just wiped their nose with the side of their hand.
If people come up to my baby I usually make it to where they can see him but would have to go through me to touch him. I have noticed a lot of people stand back a bit so that they don't intrude on our space or make me feel uncomfortable, I think these are the people who understand that you don't want strangers touching your kid and respect that, now if only they will get together and teach a class on common courtesy.
2006-10-17 07:26:04 · answer #8 · answered by The Invisible Woman 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
That irritates me to no end! I actually had one old lady put her finger in my daughter's mouth because the old lady thought it was so cute she was teething....and we were in the bathroom! I tell the people it is rude and disgusting. I told that lady I was horrified by her actions and I did slap her hand out of my daughter's mouth (not the "adult" action, but it was IN my daughter's mouth). We left the right then. But anywaysm VOICE your opinion. Always tell the people how you feel. If you just rush away like you left the stove on, they don't get that they did anything wrong. Plus, I always think, so yeah maybe the person has a cold or something and my daughter catches it, no bid deal. But what if they have Hep B, C or HIV or some infection and a small cut on their lip or hands and then onto my daughter? No way people!
2006-10-17 07:51:14 · answer #9 · answered by angie_laffin927 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It drives me nuts!!! Strangers think that just because it is a baby then they are free to touch and kiss the newborn. I have had to physically move my daughter closer to me or away from the 'stranger'. I have also asked people to back off!
I suggest that others do the same, people need to understand that it is not okay to touch kids without asking/knowing the parents.
2006-10-17 07:05:54 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋