Don't Touch signs for babies WDYT?

[Smee]

I have never understood people who are drawn to strange babies like a magnet. I can't relate to that at all. I am always the person hoping I'm not asked to interact with or hold someone's baby, and I don't get the too cute to resist thing. They all look alike to me. I am not a baby hating ogre, but the last thing anyone with whom I share space has to worry about is me wanting to handle their young'un. I cannot relate to people who do this. From the complaints, it seems to be common enough; is there anyone here who will admit to giving in to an irresistible urge to touch strangers' babies and share why you even want to?

What's weird is that I have to resist the urge to do it with people's dogs, though. If there's a person with a baby in a sling or stroller walking a happy, silly dog, chances are I won't even notice the baby.

[Smee]

That sounds kind of mean. I don't intend it to be. I'm just puzzled by what is apparently very common human behavior, and I guess I just don't possess the baby lust gene.

[bali1228]

I was never much of a baby person until I had my own, that said, I may creep out some young moms as I gaze longingly at their babies.I do try to keep my baby lust under control. However, I would NEVER touch someone elses child uninvited{even before I had my own} and I would always wash my hands before holding any baby. I don't understand why I'm one of the few people I know that doesn't need to be asked? When DD was a baby, strangers and family alike, all wanted to put their grubby mitts all over her{it must be the curly blond hair and baby blues that do it, as others have said, people seem to think she's a doll}. I don't get it, I must be an uber-germaphobe, but why would you want your skanky grown up germs all over some clean little baby?

[gatosqueak]

My client are usually special needs kids, so usually always ask before I make physical contact with them. Some siblings have just crawled in my lap or on me.. LOL. Or clients for that matter too. As a social worker I don't have any personal space anymore so I don't really notice when a kid gets up in my space. But, yeah, with babies and other small kids I usually do the aww and wave thing. Another thing, you don't know if that kid is sick.. or if you could get them sick!

[wvmommy]

I have never understood people who are drawn to strange babies like a magnet. I can't relate to that at all. I am always the person hoping I'm not asked to interact with or hold someone's baby, and I don't get the too cute to resist thing. They all look alike to me. I am not a baby hating ogre, but the last thing anyone with whom I share space has to worry about is me wanting to handle their young'un. I cannot relate to people who do this. From the complaints, it seems to be common enough; is there anyone here who will admit to giving in to an irresistible urge to touch strangers' babies and share why you even want to?

Ditto..I don't wish to ooh or ahh over random babies. Not that they aren't cute I guess. They just do not have that pull on me.


If I felt that I had to use one of those signs, I would. Of course I once had to post a sign on my door for my in-laws - well, it was more like a list of rules. Apparently in written form, my requests were taken more seriously (for instance calling before coming over). Though, the "no soliciting" and "no trespassing" signs were ineffective against pick-up truck meat peddlers, driveway pavers, etc. You're always going to have someone who will ignore signs.

[TheWoman]

My pediatrician told me that most people acquire their mono antibodies as babies or toddlers, and their parents don't even know because they show no symptoms, or the symptoms are very mild and short-lived. Probably has something to do with how the infant immune system works compared to an adult.

I agree that many diseases are dangerous to babies. I also believe, given what science is discovering about asthma and allergies, that a hyper-sterile environment for otherwise healthy babies is no good either.

There are a few diseases that are more severe the older you are, chickenpox comes to mind. However, those are outweighed by the number of diseases that are far more severe (and can be fatal) in babies.

There is a big difference between creating a hyper-sterile environment and not wanting to pick up every germ on every hand in the grocery store.

[isaacsmom]

My daughter was a preemie, so they actually gave us the sign at the hospital. I might not have had the urge to use it, but I had another young one (14 months) and had just gone through all that with her. Old women coughing in their hands and then touching her...stuff like that. (and I'm a pretty touchy-feely kinda gal, mind you)

I agree with a previous poster though who mentioned those who could not read. One grocery store trip comes to mind...My daughter was at arm's-length from me while I was picking up several cans of soup and I heard a squeal of delight (not from her.) A young girl (perhaps 8?) with Down Syndrome and a FACE full of dried snot had run over and was touching my daughter with hands that I can only *hope* were covered in chocolate...HER PARENTS WERE NOWHERE TO BE SEEN!! Several minutes elapsed while I tried to kindly remove my baby's hand from her grasp when her mother(?) wandered over reeking of cigarette smoke and told me how much her daughter just loved babies. She then looked at the RSV/don't touch sign, patted my baby's foot with her smoke-stinky hand and wandered away oblivious.

It was certainly not her daughter's fault, but I wish I had been able to verbalize to that woman what I thought of her in that instant. Instead I stood immobile in stunned silence.