Do babies gross you out?

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I don't feel that I should be grossed out by babies, because I want to have some kids of my own after I marry/co-habitate.

Tim

I love babies, but I know they can be costly. I would not prefer to bring a baby into this world (in my role as a male) and then leave it with less than I'd want for myself in terms of role models, education, an enriching environment, etc.

Terms like that for babies represent subhuman attitudes and the government should prevent him or her from ever having children.

Babies themselves aren't really expensive at all. People think they're expensive because they think all this extraneous crap people buy for their kids is actually necessary. Cribs and baby furniture, swings, bottles, formula, disposable diapers, those are expensive!! ! Decorating an entire room for a baby who only wants to be held close to you is expensive and an absurd waste of money.

With our daughter we had her at home in our bedroom with a midwife, she doesn't have a separate room or even a separate bed yet (we cosleep), I breastfed her full-time for the first year of her life (we never had a bottle or a drop of formula), we used cloth diapers which we washed at home ourselves, and I pretty much carried her with me in a sling everywhere so there was no need for a swing or stroller. She's never been in daycare, just playgroup every now and then. We plan on homeschooling, which cuts out school fees and such like.

So far I would say we've spent perhaps a quarter of what most modern mainstream parents spend on their offspring (and that's a conservative estimate). Our daughter is a happy, secure, sweet little girl who I would venture to say has a far more enriching and stimulating home environment than most kids, because she has loving, involved parents who treat her like a person instead of an annoying burden.

Babies honestly need far less material goods than our society thrusts upon them, and yet far more physical and emotional connection than most are ever given. Don't let the whole "babies are expensive" spiel throw you off.

The worst thing is when parents take them to restaurants (nice ones, too) and pay no attention to the fact that the baby is squealing and interrupting the expensive nice dinners of the rest of the 50+ people in said restaurant. Geez, if they are well off enough to go to the restaurants where this has happenned to me, they can hire a friggin' baby sitter.

Edit: This rant is not meant to be a rant against babies - it's a rant against parents who are just plain irresponsible and inconsiderate.

Probably the mothers are breastfeeding and can't be separated from their precious darlings.

Yes, we breastfeeding mothers should be social pariahs for the first year or two and stay confined to the house. How dare we venture out into the world every now and then to have a nice dinner and enjoy the company of other adults!

Babies are a natural and normal part of human society. Those who find them so distasteful and disturbing should be the ones who stay home.

That would be reasonable enough, but the people with these kids were trying to stuff pieces of rolls in their face (which is not the smartest thing in the world to do because it is a choking hazard). I don't have anything against people bringing babies to restaurants, but this handful of women that I am thinking about just paid ZERO attention to the baby (aside from trying to stuff adult food into it) as it cried through my ENTIRE DINNER. I don't so much mind the women who bring a child and then get up and walk around with the baby or feed it if it starts to cry. I just mind the people who bring a child along and then ignore it if it needs something.

The Larval state of Home Sapiens is disgusting.

Yeah, that sucks. For the baby and everyone else. Mostly the baby's only crying because it wants to be held or fed. Or else it's in distress because people are feeding it crap it's digestive system is nowhere near ready to handle. Ugh, it's horrible.

I don't mind people who breastfeed - not at all. I mind when women take a baby into a public place and ignore the fact that the baby has an unmet need (as evidenced by crying).



What I find distasteful and disturbing in these situations is not the baby. I find it disturbing that a baby is allowed to cry while the parents have a nice dinner and IGNORE the baby. It seems horrible - not just because the baby is making a holy racket, but because the people with the baby come accross as totally selfish and uncaring about the fact that they have a baby who is in apparent distress.

I agree 100%.

And my views on selfish parents extend beyond the child's infancy.

For instance, people with toddlers in grocery stores. The toddler is cranky and whiney because they have to stand in a long line and the toddler is probably in need of a nap (it's obvious if you've been around kids enough). Well, it drives me nuts when the parents start swatting the kid or threatening to punish it. Just get out of there and get home and try not to harm the child in the process.

Or, kids in an airplane (all ages). Can people not bring a portable DVD player or game? Is it really appropriate to let your kids run up and down the aisles or climb over other peoples' seats? Some of us want to sleep.

Adults just need to take charge of these situations. It's not that hard. Hell, if I can do it...

Babies can be expensive. My daughter cost $250,000 before she was six weeks old. You can go ahead and make your plans, but things can happen that are completely out of your control. If I had given birth to my daughter at home in my bed with a midwife, she simply would have died. She was born by Caesarean section. Her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck four times. She had a hole in her heart and other congenital problems. She needed surgery and extensive care.

Someone asked if anyone got a let down reflex at a crying baby. I did after I had my daughter, but I never did before I had her. I pumped breast milk for her for a year. We had bottles and a rented hospital grade breast pump. I also had to buy breast milk fortifier for her so she could get more nutrients with less fluid volume because she had congestive heart failure before her open heart surgery.

I love babies, but they can be expensive.

I've seen something like this in an Israeli airplane (El Al airline). It was a stereotypical Jewish family, with three kids: two older ones and a younger one. All of them were sitting quietly, each occupying himself with something: one of the older kids was reading a book; the other older kid was watching a movie on the video screen (all seats had them), and the younger one was sleeping. I found myself thinking: "why can't this be possible on American flights? It's not hard to keep a child under control. After all, that family could do it."

Last edited by Aspie1 on 05 Feb 2007, 12:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I love babies. I have gotten a strong maternal instinct towards them since i practically was a toddler myself. I was very responsible playing with my baby dolls as a child, making sure to take care of them realistically and correctly. When I see a baby, the littler the better, it almost pains me because I want to hold it. If I'm responsible for a baby, I don't even mind the crying because I love it when the baby stops crying because i'm comforting it. i can't wait to have kids of my own someday.

Crying and screaming kids in public places annoy me though and i wish the parents would always take the kid outside until it quiets down. That's what mine did with me. It's only courteous.

Yeah kids making load noises in public places is inconsiderate of the parents. Should be taking somewhere else to deal with. I'm making a mental note right now to not do so.