# Does Everyone Poke Their Sleeping Infant? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937 "2012-06-12T18:24:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/1 "2012-06-12T18:24:04Z")
I have a 7 week old and she’s adorable and amazing and the best thing that’s ever happened to me. She naps a lot during the day, which is the second best thing to ever happen. I get to do laundry and read and make fruit crisp like a normal person! She naps in her snugabunny swing in the living room and I have to go tickle her cheek or toes every ten minutes to make sure she’s alive. It doesn’t wake her up, it just makes her purse her lips and look oh-so-cute and reassures me so I can go do the dishes. I don’t really even want to do it. I’ll peek in at her and think, oh, she’s so cute! So peaceful looking and cherubic and… pale… almost waxy?? Uh oh, better check that she’s alive! And I tiptoe over and poke her. And she’s alive, yay! Man, is she cute! I don’t really want to talk about SIDS, because obviously it scares the living shit out of me. I just get to feeling crazy some times and I want to know that other people poke their sleeping babies, too. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/2 "2012-06-12T18:26:09Z")
> [@Zjestika](#): > > I don’t really want to talk about SIDS, because obviously it scares the living shit out of me. I just get to feeling crazy some times and I want to know that other people poke their sleeping babies, too. Right? Mine are 9yo and 1yo now, and I don’t poke them anymore. But did when they were your baby’s age. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/3 "2012-06-12T18:27:11Z")
Yes, I did that all the time. So cute, so peaceful so. . . still. Scared the beejezus out of me. I don’t remember how long it took me to break out of the habit. Surely by the time they were 6 months old. I think. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/4 "2012-06-12T18:32:04Z")
I don’t think my parents would have done that with me since I was a super light sleeper. I think when I was down they were too grateful to do anything to mess with that. But my mom does tell a story about being freaked out that I wasn’t breathing and putting a mirror up against my mouth to see if I was breathing. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/5 "2012-06-12T18:33:59Z")
Maybe on a first child…maybe even on a second. After that, you learn to leave them be. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/6 "2012-06-12T18:35:34Z")
I used to watch him really closely to make sure his chest was going up and down. Wait… wait… there it is, now I can go. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/7 "2012-06-12T18:38:29Z")
Dunno if I will do that. I feel bad now for bothering the baby if I jostle my belly. I will almost certainly look to see if she is breathing. I do that to the cats. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/8 "2012-06-12T18:44:57Z")
> [@Zjestika](#): > > I don’t really want to talk about SIDS, because obviously it scares the living shit out of me. I just get to feeling crazy some times and I want to know that other people poke their sleeping babies, too. Right? Yeah, I do it sometimes, and mine’s 3 months old. I do it a LOT less now than I did at first, though. It drives my husband crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/9 "2012-06-12T18:45:46Z")
Perhaps mine were exceptionally still sleepers because I would stare and stare and stare and they were always so still. I did think of the mirror thing but I didn’t have one small enough to carry to their cribs and put under their noses. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/10 "2012-06-12T18:57:22Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Maybe on a first child…maybe even on a second. > > After that, you learn to leave them be. Nope! 😃 My youngest is four months old. Her siblings are 2, 11, 14, 19, and 21. I still stroke the baby’s back or something to make sure… ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/11 "2012-06-12T19:13:27Z")
I think it is completely normal. Infants apparently trigger a lot of seemingly illogical behavior in otherwise rational adults especially when the adult is the primary caregiver. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/12 "2012-06-12T19:19:24Z")
> [@Vihaga](#): > > Yeah, I do it sometimes, and mine’s 3 months old. I do it a LOT less now than I did at first, though. It drives my husband crazy. My husband is appallingly unconcerned with making sure the baby is still alive. It might be because I am vigilant enough for the both of us. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/13 "2012-06-12T19:20:10Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Dunno if I will do that. I feel bad now for bothering the baby if I jostle my belly. > > I will almost certainly look to see if she is breathing. I do that to the cats. I can see **Anne Neville** now, stalking around her house, poking her poor hapless cats in their slumber, and darting away, giggling madly. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/14 "2012-06-12T19:26:12Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > I can see **Anne Neville** now, stalking around her house, poking her poor hapless cats in their slumber, and darting away, giggling madly. No, I don’t poke the cats. They have claws and big pointy teeth, and can run faster than I can. I just look at them to see if they are breathing. ---
**Author:** ![raspberry\_hunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@raspberry\_hunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raspberry_hunter)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/15 "2012-06-12T19:28:24Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I used to watch him really closely to make sure his chest was going up and down. Wait… wait… there it is, now I can go. This. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/16 "2012-06-12T19:31:40Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Mine are 9yo and 1yo now, and I don’t poke them anymore. But did when they were your baby’s age. Mine are 9 and 7. I don’t poke them, per se, but I do still go and make sure they’re alive. Just not every 10 minutes like when they were the OP’s baby’s age. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/17 "2012-06-12T19:42:19Z")
Mine is 7. I still poke him every night. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/18 "2012-06-12T19:46:02Z")
When Junior was small I did it all the time. And hold a mirror over his face. And watch his chest rising. And call people over and say ‘Does he look pale? I think he’s pale? Does he seem too pale?’ He’s almost 2 and I don’t do it anymore. Hang in there mommy - this too will pass. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/19 "2012-06-12T19:47:21Z")
As much work as it took to get our two to actually go to sleep… not a chance. In fact there were days I might have _killed_ anyone who tried to poke them. Sleep deprivation. It ain’t pretty. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937/20 "2012-06-12T19:48:28Z")
No poking, but I often laid my hand on her chest so I could feel her chest moving. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-poke-their-sleeping-infant/624937.md?page=2)