Bleak over a baby (semi-OT)

Beth wrote:

Now I know for a fact that this baby was planned, wanted, and his
folks love him deeply. He's a happy little fellow who smiles
promiscuously!

That doesn't sound bleak to me. IMO you are taking a snap shot of equipment
and not looking at the actual baby.

--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

Shannon wrote:
This brought back a memory...

I babysat for a friends baby one day, when he was about oh - six
months old. I expected him to be just like mine, who could never be
put down, so I just carried him around for a while. He fussed and
whimpered and complained. It took me a while to figure out that what
he really wanted was to be put down! Once I put him down, he was
perfectly content. I was astonished - I didn't think babies like
that existed!

I had the opposite situation. Hunter's original sitter had kids that sat
alone and entertained themselves, fell asleep on their own, woke up babbling
and happy. She thought Hunter was a nightmare. Needless to say, we had to
find a new sitter ;-)
--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

"Belphoebe" wrote in message
...

One problem, though, is you won't know from a cursory glance whether the
parents using a stroller or a carseat have what you'd consider a
legitimate
reason or not. It isn't as if they'll be wearing big signs that say, "I'm
an AP parent, but I have a bad back" or "My baby will wake up if I move
him
from this carseat." It's unfair to assume all sorts of negative things
based on the use of these devices, especially if the baby in question
seems
content.


Thought police -- do you think I'm actually going up to the moms and saying,
"You bitch, you are stifling your kid's development?" That would be unfair.
Noticing that there is way too much plastic around today's babies is not
unfair.

"Nikki" wrote in message
...
Dagny wrote:

Bad backs are a reason to use strollers, and cold weather and not
disturbing a nap are reasons to leave the child in the carseat and/or
snap the child in a travel system.

I'm not being defensive as I was one of those mothers that held mine. I
didn't even own an infant seat for Hunter and didn't have one for Luke
until
he was 3 months old. My stroller never left my property. I just carried
them around in my arms, didn't even have a sling.

Still I really don't understand what the problem is with sitting a content
and happy baby down in a seat of some kind while mom does her shopping.
Why
is *just because it is easier* not an acceptable reason if everyone is
happy and content.

I never said anything about wanting people to work for no reason. There's a
fine line between "happy and content" and "brain dead, unstimulated, has
learned that he can't look to mom for input about the world because mom is
forever out of view behind a stroller, big flat spot on the back of her
head."

"nina" wrote in message
...


I can put the stuff in the cart, I cant get it back out. Im 5'7

Getting it out isn't the easiest part of the trip, but I do OK at 5'9". But
yes, I forgot that it's not just pushing it that would be difficult for a
smaller woman.

I'm so much happier in stores with the baby on me. I don't have to worry
about kidnapping

Dagny wrote:

I never said anything about wanting people to work for no reason.
There's a fine line between "happy and content" and "brain dead,
unstimulated, has learned that he can't look to mom for input about
the world because mom is forever out of view behind a stroller, big
flat spot on the back of her head."

Oh my goodness. :-( I don't see that as a fine line at all. Do you see a
lot of babies like that? Honest to god, I've only seen one baby like that
and he was put in foster care for a year after the doctor called CPS due to
failure to thrive. He continues to have disabilities to this day, as does 5
other members of his family.

--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

Dagny wrote:
"Belphoebe" wrote in message
...

One problem, though, is you won't know from a cursory glance whether
the parents using a stroller or a carseat have what you'd consider a
legitimate reason or not. It isn't as if they'll be wearing big
signs that say, "I'm an AP parent, but I have a bad back" or "My
baby will wake up if I move him from this carseat." It's unfair to
assume all sorts of negative things based on the use of these
devices, especially if the baby in question seems content.


Thought police -- do you think I'm actually going up to the moms and
saying, "You bitch, you are stifling your kid's development?" That
would be unfair. Noticing that there is way too much plastic around
today's babies is not unfair.

Oh, no--of course I don't think you're confronting and berating them. But
if you saw DH and me taking our daily one-hour walk with DS in his jogging
stroller, you might assume things about us that aren't true. And I'm not
trying to be the Thought Police, but I'd have no chance to argue against
your silent disapproval.

--
Belphoebe

On Tue, 2 Mar 2004 10:55:10 +0100, "Tine Andersen"
wrote:


"Linz" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 14:46:06 GMT, "Dagny" wrote:

I hope
they all have bad backs.

Wishing them ill seems rather intolerant to me.
--

No no - she hoped the reason for not carrying the baby was bad backs - not
that they would *get* bad backs.

That's at least the way I read it.

I hope you're right, because that would be rather more charitable
(says woman with bad back!).
--
Linz
YB: 4 months, 15lbs 14oz

"Dagny" wrote in message
hlink.net...


"nina" wrote in message
...


I can put the stuff in the cart, I cant get it back out. Im 5'7

Getting it out isn't the easiest part of the trip, but I do OK at 5'9".
But
yes, I forgot that it's not just pushing it that would be difficult for a
smaller woman.

I'm so much happier in stores with the baby on me. I don't have to worry
about kidnapping
I dont worry about kidnapping, as the other 2 kids milling about would make
it hard for a kidnapper to get close to the cart,lol. Plus, sitting in the
cart doesnt= leaving child unattended.

"Beth" wrote in message
...

Hi,

Just thought I'd unload about the gathering I went to the other day. A
friend's 2-month-old was there and I came away feeling so odd after seeing
how he was handled. He was asleep in a bouncy seat when we got there,
then
was laid on a blanket after a few minutes' dandling when he awoke. From
there Grandma held him for ten minutes and then he was placed in a swing
for
an hour or so. After some cooing and hinting, I got to feed him a bottle,
and he was so into it, rolling his eyes back and sucking down the formula
so
lustily that my own milk let down. Made me laugh. But at the same time I
felt so sad for him, sucking on plastic, cradled by plastic. I changed
his
diaper after that and it was sodden with yellow urine.

Now I know for a fact that this baby was planned, wanted, and his folks
love
him deeply. He's a happy little fellow who smiles promiscuously! I just
can't help but feel a little bleak about all the faux stuff.

What stuff? Who cares about the stuff? He's happy, in a loving family.
What's the problem?

I fed
thousands of bottles to my niece and nephews and figured out all kinds of
ingenious ways to keep them out of my teenaged hair, but after having my
own
son and raising him without many props, things seem different. Do any of
you feel this way about other parenting styles, or am I just particularly
insufferable? :-)


The latter.


Jeanne