strangers think I'm starving my child?

Question

Peoples comments can get really annoying after hearing the same thing over and over again. The past few months everyone that sees my daughter says, " how old is she?" followed by, "She is REALLY SMALL for a 14 month old!" Then they give me this mean look like I'm starving my daughter and stunting her growth.
You know, I have been on both ends of this, because when she was younger she was really pudgy and I had to hear comments like, "WOW what are you FEEDING that child?!" Um twinkies and mcdonalds? No, its just BREAST MILK for gods sake lol. Now I'm being criticized for her being too "small." Shes 21 lbs and about 29 inches tall. Last I heard that was considered pretty normal.
Everyone gets criticism it seems, from nosy obnoxious strangers. What are some of the worst comments you've gotten about your children?

Answer 1

JUST IGNORE THESES COMMENT'S PEOPLE CAN BE RATHER NASTY JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT. STOP WORRYING YOUR CHILD IS FINE ,AS LONG AS YOU ARE DOING YOUR BEST FOR HER THEN SOD THE REST ENJOY HER WHEN SHE IS THIS AGE AS THEY GROW UP TO QUICKLY AND THE NEXT THERE AWAY LIVING THERE OWN LIVES. DO WHAT YOU ARE DOING GOOD LUCK KIARAKITTY

Answer 2

I never got remarks from strangers, but I had a couple of neighbors and a relative who used to imply that my gentle, very slender, delicate-featured, little boy (when he was like four or five) was going to grow up feminine and wasn't being taught to be a "man".

For some reason, the fact that this little, tiny, kid was pretty seemed to irk the heck out of a lot of men, whose business it wasn't anyway because they were either neighbors or inlaws!!

You'd think I was the one who somehow made his features delicate by choice and who gave him a narrow build by choice!!

Anyway, he's a grown man now; and he's as masculine as they come; and he has a build that would make someone think he's a fitness trainer. Too bad I moved away from those neighbors a long time ago because - now that you've brought up this issue mothers have - I wish they could see him now.

Answer 3

Hope you don't mind a dad posting on this one...

My daughter is the same way. She's about 30 inches long, but only ways about 25 pounds, and will be 22 months in February. My wife breast-fed her until she was six months old, and only stopped because her health wouldn't allow her to continue; she had to get back on her prescriptions, and you can't breast feed when on the stuff she's taking. Anyway, she'd eat like a champ, but being in daycare with lots of other kids, she's very active...And once she took to table food, she'd eat fine at daycare, bur really wouldn't eat at home, even over the weekends, until about three weeks ago for some reason...But she'd eat her food, and occasionally steal food off her teachers' plates, at daycare just fine.

My nephew is like that; very small for his age...His problem is, he's a very picky eater. His parents feed him; he just doesn't usually choose to eat more than a few bites; he'd rather play.

Answer 4

i have twins. The worst for me would be Double Trouble. They are not trouble and I would get sick of people implying they are. Then I just got used to the fact that some people just don't know what to say and would say this. Or there were the comments about where I got a hairdresser to perm my daughters hair. SHE WAS 2! She had natural ringlets (think Shirley temple), like a 2 year old would be getting a perm. Many I don't think believed me it was natural. I even heard a woman wonder to her husband during a Christmas pageant how they got "that little girl" to wear a wig. I explained it was her natural hair, she was stunned. My daughter soon began to hate her hair as complete strangers would walk over to touch her hair. One day at the age of 2, 5 people in 3 min. did it. By then she could give looks that could kill. It was then I told people to not touch her hair and began twisting it back in rows with little butterfly clips put in. It would take 10 min. and people were stunned she would sit for it. But she learnt people didn't touch her hair if I did it and I think she would have sat for an hour if needed.
Try telling people when they make these comments "and your really big for your age" think of some smart ar*se comment. If they want to be rude then give it as good as them.

Answer 5

As long as you know she's healthy and happy, all is well! Being a pudgy baby has nothing to do with what a child will look like as a toddler. Once those little ones start walking that pudge just melts off.

What you need is a snappy comeback. You know something like, ask the adult who is critisizing a question back to effect of what's your age and weight? is that normal?

Answer 6

my oldest daughter was 27 pounds by her first birthday, very big girl. my middle daughter was 17 pounds by her first birthday...very petite. never once did people stop and stare or make comments. are you so preoccupied by her size you are imagining things? i couldn't imagine commenting on the size of a person's child! this seems insane! the only comments i received from strangers was that my children were beautiful, i'm sure that's what you hear too. i myself tell strangers their babies are beautiful. lets focus on the positive and ignore the negative. if someone ever made an inappropriate comment about the size of my child, i'd put him or her in their place.

Answer 7

Don't worry about it, I have always heard that "you choose what your kids eat, they choose how much"...if your in the United States, people are just so used to seeing everyone a little heavy consult your child's doctor as long as they are ok about your child's weight that's all that counts!

Answer 8

I care enough to have sponsored families in Kenya for over 10 years now. I think that the families in Africa don't have many of the things we have.If there are people starving in America I can give you a few reasons why that is.

Answer 9

As long as your child is healthy and happy, Don't listen to other people. My son is 2 and is on the shorter side of the chart and middle for weight, but people still say things to me, like "oh, he's gonna be short and fat". As a mom it hurts! You don't know what a child is gonna be like as they grow. Don't worry some people just have no sense to keep their opinions to themselves.

Answer 10

Yeah everyone always has something negative to say. My daughter she's one years old also and she had pulled a kitchen chair on herself. I was in the kitchen cooking supper and didn't think she could pull this chair down...there stronger than you think I'll tell you that. Well anyway the chair hit her just right and she had gotten a bruise on her cheek. Everywhere we went people looked at me like I beat her, when in reality all children fall and get bumps and bruises. They give you that look and are like, what happened to your baby? your like NOYB. It is annoying or when you have your little girl dressed in all pink with a pink bow in her hair and people come up and ask if you have a boy or a girl and this always happens when the baby is first born and in the carrier all in pink.

Answer 11

My son was premature and came home on o2 and at our first outting which was to get diapers we had someone make a comment about our parenting skills. They said that if our baby is on o2 then we have issues. I was confused and lost but offended none the less, that and people would whisper and point as he was also on an apnea monitor. He was home for a month before we even took him anywhere other then the peds. office and he was already 3 1/2 months old.