STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

relrel · Marc Jacobs

do babies scare you?

jacL · Coach

Babies scare the hell out of me! I totally understand where you are coming from. I think it is just because we don't have a lot of experience with small babies and they are so fragile, we think we are going to break them. I think the baby can also sense this uncomfortableness and so fuss more than usual when we hold them (at least me). It is okay, you are not alone!

laken1 · Hermes

little bitty babies scare LOTS of people. The only little babies I have ever held have been my 2 nieces, and that was only because I kind of felt pressure to. The main thing to remember is that even though it seems like it, you really won't break them. But if you aren't comfortable holding her, just don't. It's ok. To me I completely love the 8 months - 1 yr kind of age. They can hold their head, they can stand up if you hold their hands, they are more fun. And I don't think I will break them then. Little babies just sleep & cry & poo. Of course, this is coming from chick with no kids, so take that for what it's worth.

And that alien fountain thing? I totally understand. That made me CRACK UP!

Ally S · Kate Spade

Babies scare lots of people, they are so fragile. My own baby scared me for a long time. Now she is 14 yrs old and scares me even more.

jacL · Coach

Ally S wrote:

Babies scare lots of people, they are so fragile. My own baby scared me for a long time. Now she is 14 yrs old and scares me even more.

Ally S, that is so funny!!

lilyann · Dooney & Bourke

I cant hold babies...because it still hurts that I cant have them- this is a challenge for me because people have said "do you want to hold him/her" and I have to say no in a way that is not rude. Its not that they scare me- its just that its still too fresh- the fertility treatments, the hope, the disappointment, the $, the feeling that my husband thinks that he should cut and run before he ends up childless. Sorry, to answer the question- yes, I guess they do.

MissMee · Kate Spade

only when they've got stuff coming out of both ends at the same time!

atlgirl · Gucci

Oh lilyann, I am so sorry. Your post made me cry. I hope your husband wouldn't decide to leave you because the two of you are unable to have children. I hope you two can stay together and that your heart will not always be so sad. I'm thinking good thoughts for you both.

Elle · Hermes

I think it's totally normal to be afraid of tiny babies! My brother was born when I was 5, so I still remember him being a baby and got lots of practice holding/being around a tiny one then, and then a couple years ago I cared (almost full time) for another baby starting from 8 weeks until she was 18 months or so. Once I got past the What if I break them?!? What if her head just falls right off?!? stuff, I loooooooooved holding babies! Might not be that way with everyone, but once you get the hang of it and relax, the baby usually relaxes too and then it's easy

.

-- Edited by Elle at 13:11, 2005-12-17

halleybird · Hermes

I don't like babies at all. It's something about them being all red-faced and dribbly, and newborns especially sort of scare me because it's like they don't look like themselves yet - they just look like each other. I love toddlers though!

wicked · Coach

I love babies! I got to hold my neice when she was just a few hours old (and many times after) and I felt so honored, I thought it was the coolest thing. I could just stare at a baby all day long, I think they are breathtaking. I'm scared of kids around 6 and 7, when they're hyper and fidgety it makes me nervous and edgy.

NCshopper · Hermes

wicked wrote:

I love babies! I got to hold my neice when she was just a few hours old (and many times after) and I felt so honored, I thought it was the coolest thing. I could just stare at a baby all day long, I think they are breathtaking. I'm scared of kids around 6 and 7, when they're hyper and fidgety it makes me nervous and edgy.

That's exactly how I am. I'm fine around babies, but my five year old next door neighbor scares the crap out of me. I'm just afraid he's going to break everything in sight or fall of our deck or something.

I just know that whenever we decide to have kids, I'm going to be the most paranoid mother ever. And I better not have any boys because I do not understand them at all (which means I'll probably end up having triplet boys or something!)

bex · Chanel

i just held a newborn for the first time last weekend and it was sooooooo scary... as soon as she started to move i gave her right back to her mom! i much prefer toddlers.

tina242 · Kate Spade

Yes they do. And I've never been able to tell people b/c when I do they look at me like I'm the .

Lilyann I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope everything works out okay. *hugs*

zeitgeist4 · Gucci

You're not alone. My friend had a baby a couple months ago and I visited her in the hospital. I refused to hold the baby. I didn't want to break the 2-day-old!!

rlutz · Chanel

I love babies...I am scared about taking care of them, but i will have to learn....I will have one soon....but overall I love them

Bastet · Kate Spade

tina242 wrote:

Yes they do. And I've never been able to tell people b/c when I do they look at me like I'm the

^What tina242 said! I'm scared of babies. I have no really rational explanation why. They make me uncomfortable. I think it's because they're so fragile and they can't really communicate with you if something is wrong. I can't deal with someone who can't talk to me, even in simple terms. (i.e. "are you hungry? are you sick? what hurts?"). I suspect it's because I'm an only child and have relatively little experience with babies. I have all the maternal instinct of a rock.

But other women tend to look at me like I have two heads when I don't omg

melt at the sight of a baby. They make me feel like I'm a "bad woman" because I'm not crazy about babies.

-- Edited by Bastet at 15:43, 2005-12-19

erin · Chanel

when my sister first had her twins, i was really scared to hold them. they just seemed so fragile...but with some encouragement, i warmed up to them. i think babies are pretty cute.

jj · Kate Spade

Newborns used to scare the crap out of me! My friends would insist that I hold their child, then hover over me all nervous. They would totally transfer their anxiety on to me.

When my brother and his wife had their first child, I would only hold her while sitting (more stable) and would put a pillow on my lap then put her on it (even more stability). She was sooooo tiny!!

Then your brother is having his third kid, your friends have two each, and you're so used to it, newborns don't even phase you anymore. Even the spit up and explosive poop. Now it's fun and I'm the first one in line to hold the newbie.

blink · Coach

I love babies, all ages, but especially newborns, I love to cuddle them and hold them. I don't understand how anyone could be scared of the little innocents, but I understand if you have never been around them....I was a much older sister with two siblings, so I had plenty of newborn experience before I had my own last year. My youngest sister is 21 and she really hurts my feelings because she pays more attention to my cat than to my son because she's afraid of something. She's never been around babies, so I guess that's her problem.

It's really silly in my opinion, but that's coming from someone who would naturally be prepared for spit-up with a burp cloth (or just have one of those receiving blankets ready to catch the burp, every mom has tons of them, so it's not a big deal to get one dirty), and I am pretty good at soothing crying newborns with swaddling and rocking and singing too, as long as they are not hungry for mom's milk.

-- Edited by lorelei at 19:10, 2005-12-20