New Sign For Strollers That Cautions Against Touching the Baby

[RavenStarr]

OOH I can see why this sign would be needed. Perhaps the baby is a preemie and has to be protected as much as possible.

OTOH the sign just screams *I'm a paranoid germaphobe get away from my baby*.

[guywithashovel]

)

However, these cutsie little signs attached to strollers and carriers simply reek of "You're gross, we're better than you" to me. The world isn't crawling with as many germs as people would like to think it is. At least not to the point we need to use an entire bottle of hand sanitizer on a simple trip to the store. My sister was a germophobe when her kids were smaller, she and her husband still are to some extent, and guess what? Yep, they're sick pretty often in that household. Seems like someone is always sick.

Someone in the comments section of the article mentioned that this sign is "yet another action by smug members of the 'New Mommy' crowd" (or something like that). I can see where people would interpret it that way, and why people would interpret it your way, too. Parents of babies and small children sometimes do have really haughty attitudes towards people who don't have kids at home, be they childless people or empty nesters.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Nah, you'd get even more people coming up and saying "Oh, the baby's punching already? let me feel!"

Not for a baby; for me, personally. I have personal space issues and at least with a sign, no-one could say they weren't warned.

[Eisa]

Yeah, it reminds me of the STFU Parents blog. It's like, yeah, it's not a horrible idea, but it can definitely be misused, and people who are just random strangers who don't care are NOT going to pay attention to a sign like that. So you do have to realize that you're probably offending a LOT of the people you know.

[Aethian]

I once saw a sign on a stroller that said "I've been sick recently, please stay back." on one side and on the other was, "Warning: Potentional Projectile Vomit"

[blas87]

Not necessarily the case that you're a germaphobe, it's that you want people to respect you and your baby's personal space. If I ever had a baby and some random person at the mall tried to touch my baby or pick it up, I'd probably scream bloody murder.

[Cat]

I once saw a sign on a stroller that said "I've been sick recently, please stay back." on one side and on the other was, "Warning: Potentional Projectile Vomit"

LOL, the projectile vomit this is pretty funny.

I don't get why strangers would go up to a baby anyway (Then again, if it lack fur and fangs, I won't coo over it)

[blas87]

This is more of people getting up in arms thinking the world revolves around them and being insulted that someone would dare insinuate that they have germs or they are a criminal or something.

No... too many people these days have no respect or concept of personal space. How many threads are there on CS alone regarding cashiers being touched without their permission? Arms grabbed, hair pulled, etc? Or even members in their free time, in Sightings, posting of people in their bubble. On top of it, some people think babies and kids are just free to touch and get close to. It's not right.

[Aethian]

Very much the truth Blas.

[KitterCat]

I agree with Mongo on this. A child needs to have their immune system worked. That means letting people touch the child. People like friends and family. If the parents are trying to warn strangers they’re not thinking it through. Strangers who are going to touch their children are not going to bother looking at the sign. They’ll ignore it and still touch the child.

Instead of putting up little warnings maybe the parents should actually parent. Any stranger coming up to my kids I’ve always noticed. It comes from not ignoring the kids and watching what they’re doing when we go out.

[blas87]

Friends and family, key words here.

It's common sense that you just don't go around touching people's kids and babies. If so many people are going to think that freely, that they can just touch anything they want, then perhaps it's best I don't have a kid or I place it in a bubble.

What next, everyone is just going to go around touching me, my car, my hair, my dog, my shoes? Boundaries and bubbles, people.

Did we not learn in kindergarten hands to yourself? For Christ Sake.

Besides, it's not a lack of parenting. You can be paying full attention to your kid and some random idiot will come up and try to touch it or pick it up. That's not a lack of parenting, that's a person with no concept of personal space.