I don’t know if I’d have the spine to lean over and say, " Hey- why not take that into a rest room so the rest of us don’t have to inhale and watch?", or words to that effect. Once they strip off the baby’s onesie and are actively changing him/her, it’s too late. But unlike sudden projectile vomiting, which occurs well, suddenly, and with breathtaking velocity, even a particularly large and messy dirty diaper will be fine to sit there for a moment or two while a parent hustles the kid and diaper bag away from where people are eating.
Incredibly offensive move by the parents. Just a big dollop of self-absorbed bullshit. What- your baby’s shit smells like roses?
I don’t want to cuddle the puppy or kitten either! And I’m not averse to babies, there needs to be babies, (although there could be less) but i just have no interest in holding them.
I don’t even know why that’s a problem. People are racing past me to hold the baby. More time for them!
I’ll hold babies, but I’m not getting excited about it; puppies/kittens are cute, but I’m happier watching them play than holding them, but a friendly lizard?! Gimmie!
This reminds me of an old photo I have that was taken at my brother’s house a few months after one of my nephews was born- I don’t remember which one. It’s me holding his big ole fluffy cat like a baby and my brother is in the background with my nephew in his carrier thing giving me the withering stink eye. I won’t go so far as to say I didn’t hold my nephew, though I frankly don’t recall that either, but I have no doubt I showed more interest in the cat and you can clearly see my brother fuming over it. Guess I can’t blame him, though it’s not like he’s not aware of my sort of indifference toward babies. Dude, just because it’s *your *kid does not make me want to hold it. I have fun with my nephews now on the rare occasions I see them (other side of the country) but I simply didn’t / don’t know what to do with babies.
Lots of people have asked me if I want to hold their baby, and depending on my mood and the person who asks, my answers range from “No” to “Get that little disease vector away from me.”
I’m firmly in the “No, I don’t want to hold your baby” camp. I’m an only child so no nieces or nephews. I never had children of my own either so no exerience. I never even did much babysitting, and only once with an infant. My husband, though, is quite the opposite. He has grown children and grandchildren, but they live half the country away. But he’s quite happy to hold other people’s babies and will even babysit (as long as the baby is brought to him along with all necessary equipment). But he’ll only care for babies until they’ve become independently mobile. At 73 with emphysema, he can’t be chasing a toddler around.
Quite often when a friend’s granddaughter brings her baby for him to watch, he’ll ask if I want to hold him – knowing full well that it just makes me nervous. I know they need head and neck support, and I don’t want to be responsible for letting the head drop. And my husband will never let me forget the time I actually held his 9-month-old grandson. As I was trying to put him down, I thought I was putting him down in a sitting position but he must have moved his legs just as I let go – and he ended up face first on the floor. It wasn’t really a drop from a height, I had him almost to the floor, but ever since then, my husband has teased, “It’s OK. If you don’t want to hold him any more, just throw him on the floor.”
If you don’t want to hold the baby, I’ll take him.
A friend of mine just had twins. (His wife wound up having them, but my understanding is that he was involved in the process some time back.) But I got the younger one while another friend held the older. We spent about a half hour discussing all kinds of things - the snow outside the window, the pictures on the wall, current events.
Babies are fun, and like it when you talk to them as if they weren’t stupid.
I have no desire to hold babies, or coo over them, and most of the time, if there’s a baby around, I just try to say something pleasant and fade into the background. Then my BFF went and had herself a set of twins, so I get to hold babies, like it or not.
I don’t know how to hold babies. When my friend first asked me to pick up her squalling infant, because she had her hands full holding the other squalling twin, I needed explicit instructions. My friend looked at me like wtf, but I’ve never been fond of babies, never had to baby sit and just don’t have baby holding skills.
I also discovered, in the months since my friend had her babies, that having one strapped to my chest while we shop will not cause me to spontaneously combust, nor will baby puke cause my skin to melt. Who knew?
The first time I held a baby I was in college and the baby was a few months old. We were hanging out at a very small gathering at a friend’s house, and the mother needed to use the bathroom. She asked me to hold the baby. I protested that I did not know how to hold the baby and was not sure that this was a good idea at all. My friend laughed at me and showed me how to hold the baby.
The baby remained sleeping, and drooled on my shirt a little bit. It was pretty much like holding a large, very warm sack of flour: not unpleasant but not particularly noteworthy.
Since then I have been offered further babies, but never pressured into one. That’s good. Peer pressure is bad.
I think a lot of people would be reluctant to hold a newborn puppy or kitten, too. The average pet puppy or kitten is more like a toddler - more interactive and sturdy.
Gimme that puppy! Yeah. I’ll hold a puppy or kitten all day. Baby mammals are so freaking cute. Except human babies.
Obviously I’m broken in some way. Why would infants of my own species be so much less attractive to me than other infants?
Lizards are cuter. Birds are cuter. Snakes aren’t cute, but they’re more interesting.
Pretty much the only living things I’d rather hold a human baby than are bugs, and certain adult humans. But I’m glad you guys are having them. Way to perpetuate the species, thanks a bunch!
The youngest puppy I’ve ever held was 18 days old…it was a bit nerve-wracking, but very sweet at the same time (he kept latching onto my fingers!). His claws were very sharp, though; I have no idea how a mama dog tolerates those things kneading on her.
Actually, I believe the risk of disease transmission from a young baby is quite low compared to a toddler. From that standpoint holding a baby is far preferable (also they don’t kick and squirm).
Once in residency I was rounding with the infectious diseases team. We were privileged :dubious: to be on an elevator in the hospital when a mom got on with her toddler who was coughing, sneezing and otherwise flagrantly emitting bodily sprays of unknown etiology. The mom and toddler got off at the next floor, whereupon the attending turned to us and wisely observed, “A vector.”
