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I HATED people kissing DS when he was a baby and I HATED people who were sick touching him then saying 'I've been sick for a week...'. He was a very sickly baby, he went from the 90 percentile when he was born to the 20th percentile at 6mths old because he was always sick. Anyone come a metre of him with anything he would get it. If you are sick stay away from my kids!!
Thanks for letting me get that out :D.
Mum2 - I agree - I hate it when people say they are sick but still hover. A few weeks ago My FIL had a cold so said he wouldn't have a cuddle (wouldn't have gotten one anyway being sick) and then proceeded to blow his nose into a used hanky, put it in his pocket and then stroke my sons face with the same hand - it made my skin crawl but luckily I was holding him at the time so moved away
Gross re the toe sucking - LOL whats with THAT?
id be a bit the same, i guess its just the same as your personal space.... some people cant stand people touching your pregnant belly... personally i dont mind. but ive never had the urge to touch anyone elses belly....
if i were ohhing and ahhing over strangers baby, i wouldnt be inclined to touch the baby at all... maybe if i knew the mum , i may touch like, their belly or little feet if they had socks on... but yeah. im not a big 'toucher'
I don't think you were over-reacting.
DH & I used to have issues with this all the time... DS1 had loads of black hair & people used to come up & stroke his head ... DH in particular HATED it.
I've heard the germ argument already... that they need to build their immune systems.. and I was definitely of the 'rinse the dummy' school after they were a few months old.
But by then they are collecting their own germs, I think it is entirely different when they are so litle still, and you are talking here about a stranger's germs.. IMO it is different to a baby crawling around finding her own germs!
Letting someone else's child suck your toes.. that is just rude!!
i remember when ds was born, he too had sooo much hair which reallly attracted alot of people to touch him, after a few weeks I ended up putting a muslin wrap over his pram or carrying him in the sling so people couldn't touch him. There is plenty of time for your kids to get germs from various places, but not while they are so young. Afterall isn't that part of the reason that breast is best to build up antibodies etc etc instead of letting strangers touch their face or hands to let them build up immunity!
It really did pi*s me off when strangers or even family who didn't wash their hands would touch my ds and god forbid if you had been smoking, you would have to change your clothes and wash hands, face before going anywhere near him!
Yes i am a germaphobe and I have heard it all before that you should let them get exposed etc etc, but sorry, i'm not about to let strangers put their hands all over my son, you never know where they have been, there is plenty of other ways to get some germs into them.
ahh that feels better for getting that out. Thanks!
Yes, I got SO annoyed when people would come and touch Jazz when she was a newborn. Yes she may put everything in her mouth in a few months but RIGHT NOW she is tiny and new and vulnerable! So don't touch her! GRR! I empathise. Maybe buy a sling LOL I loved being able to be protective lioness and wrap my arms around her whenever a hoard of handy-hyenas came near her!
I like the suggestion of warning people that she has just had a highly infectious disease... that should send them packing... old people tend to be very worried about Shingles (related to chickenpox) so maybe Chickenpox is the way to go!
I struggle with people invading my (and my childrens) personal space more so than their germs though. I think it's really wrong that adults think it's ok to impose their presence on our children... it's like saying "of course you won't mind... if I want to touch you i will because you can't tell me not to and you had better give a smile because I want to be validated". And of course, so often, if your child rejects their advances they are being "silly" :( Makes my blood boil!