Why do strangers always feel the need to touch a baby's hands?!

I was at the mall with my twins yesterday and a woman came up to me and was asking me about them. She then proceeded to touch each of their hands, hold their hands, rub their hands,etc. and the whole time I was restraining myself from whipping out the hand sanitizer. With everything going on with the flu and H1N1 and all the different winter viruses, I just don't understand how someone would think it's ok to rub their germy hands all over a baby's hands!!!! Now, don't get me wrong I have 2 older school aged children so I'm sure my babies get exposed to germs from them and that is pretty much inevitable. I just find it more invasive when strangers feel the need to touch them!!!!!

AND TO ADD TO IT, one my babies has a large hemangioma (birthmark) on her hand. So when the lady was rubbing her hand, she said to me, "What happened to her hand?" and I said, "It's ok, she just has a birthmark." And she said, "Well, can't they do something to get rid of it!" And what I WANTED to say was, " Maybe you should be a little more concerned with getting your GERMY hands off my daughter than getting rid of her birthmark!" The nerve!!!!!! But I just said, "Actually we kind of like it...it will go away when she gets older...but it kind of makes her extra special and I wouldn't want to change that." And then I said, "Have a nice day." I walked like three feet away and then rubbed their hands ferociously with baby wipes and didn't turn around to see if she was looking.

Anyways, just had to vent!

Shannon

 

This was always one of my biggest pet peeves when my kids were babies! I hated strangers grabbing their hands! Ugh, the germs, especially during cold & flu season. But I know that most people mean well & they just love babies and want to touch them, so I would just be polite and as soon as we were out of their sight I was pulling out the baby wipes & cleaning hands!

 

I'll take it a step further and say that I hate more when other children want to grab my babies hands and other parts like they are dolls while their parents just stand there and pay little notice. HELLOOOOOOO!!!!! The worst is one of my babes is a baldy and kids ALWAYS want to rub her head. Grrrr...yes, I am uptight but we had the flu and now there is no going back with me. And I have been known to tell a child in front of their parent to please not touch - and yes they reacted as you would expect them to...appalled. Now I move fast and don't look at people...jeez I seem coldhearted! :headbang:

 

there are signs that you can get to put on their car carriers etc... I've seen one that you can buy, but when I looked for it, I found this... you could make it very easy!

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/?p=235

I don't see anything wrong with saying "please don't touch my baby, there are too many germs around"...

the good news is we very rarely have the issue anymore, thankfully! it is amazing what people feel they have the right to do! good luck, keeping your wits about you!

 

LOL I love that site for a good laugh. I feel the same way. And usually it's the weird gross ones who want to touch cuz normal people know its rude haha! :catfight: I have to say now that the big wave of H1N1 has come and gone I am more relaxed but that doesn't mean I want people touching them. I am just not bathing in hand sanitizer anymore.

 

I hate hate hate when people do that i mean i love gushing over peoples' babies but would never ever dream of touching the child, i mean, why?? why do they need to do it? to make sure it's real? form a bond?? Seriously irks me