Don’t Touch My Baby…..Please – Mommy Blogger

11/23/2017

Jillian Guenter I’m a 24-year-old wife and new mom to our daughter “Baby G”, as I refer to her in my blogs.  She is the new adventure in our marriage and the smile bringer to our everyday.  She is the main character in my stories lately, as she teaches me something new every day.  I love writing about her and the everyday happenings of mommy life, so I’m extremely excited to join this blogging group!

In the nicest possible way…Keep your grimy germy fingers away from my baby’s fingers, mouth and nose…please.

Babies are tempting, I know.  Like that one last brownie sitting on the staff room table at 3:00 pm in the midst of a long Wednesday afternoon, it’s hard to keep your hands off the cute little creatures we call babies.  And go ahead, look at her, talk to her, ask me for the one-thousandth time if she is a boy or a girl, even stop for that quick game of peek-aboo.  We love these interactions. But please please please please please don’t pinch her nose, touch her face, or grab her adorable pudgy fingers.  I have sacrificed coffee dates with friends, outdoor walks, and what would otherwise be opportune times to visit Costco in order to keep her at home on cold days to avoid those sick baby nights full of coughing and zero sleep.  I have entertained her for hours in doctor’s waiting rooms to hold her down for flu shots and vaccines in hopes of keeping her as healthy as possible.  In moments where you would give your hands a quick wash and be on with your day, I have paused to fight with my daughter over rolling up her sleeves, heaving her up to the counter, pumping soap into her hands to scrub in between each little finger.  In these moments, she usually has a change of heart and decides that the water is fun, resulting in an impromptu water playtime.  This is all because I try to keep her from getting sick.  But in ten seconds of uncontrollable, stranger hand grabbing at the mall, this work could all be down the drain.  We could spend that night up dealing with coughs, stuffy noses, and her inability to lay down and sleep, which inevitably means hours of walking around the house, baby on shoulder, bouncing her to sleep upright, because there is no other way.  As moms we try so hard, but sometimes sickness seems unavoidable.

If we were to function like any modern business, we moms would collect a fee for anyone who decides to touch our babies.  $1.00 per transaction towards baby Tylenol.  $0.50 towards Kleenex.  $10.00 towards the non-refundable charge for a paint-night that I am no longer able to attend due to a sick child.  $3.00 towards the extra coffee that will be needed after nights spent up with a sick baby.  And a mysterious service charge of $2.00 that society has just come to accept without question.  Is it any less tempting to grab her cheeks in the Co-op now?

Obviously I have no interest in printing up a sign to hang on Baby G’s stroller with this price breakdown anytime soon.  And people will continue to pinch her nose and grab her fingers before I have a chance to politely make up an excuse for why they shouldn’t do such.  And honestly, I understand that most people don’t think twice about doing this.  Babies are fun.  But please, on behalf of moms everywhere as we head into flu season, consider the hard work we put into trying to keep our babies healthy before you reach out to pinch her cheeks.