Is it normal that i'm uncomfortable around babies?

78% Normal
5 Comments

I've never really been a baby person. Since middle school at the latest, I've never really been comfortable around babies.

Today, I attended a birthday party for my uncle, and of my cousins brought her one-year-old along. It really didn't help that my uncle lives in a rather small house. When we weren't eating, everyone was either using their phone or entertaining the baby. I spent most of the time on my phone, hoping that he wouldn't try to interact with me.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. As I was looking at the activity on my Discord server, the baby walked up to me and touched my knee. I didn't know what to do from there. I've visited relatives with babies before, but I don't think there was ever point where one tried to interact with me. I just sat there with an expression that said, "I'm really not comfortable right now. Someone please help me. I don't know what's going on."

Eventually, he moved on, and we left after everyone had cake. However, my mom scolded me in the car when we went home, saying "You can't make that face at a baby.", "He's your cousin.", etc. I wasn't trying to be mean. Like I said before, I'm just not comfortable around babies, and I really didn't know what to do.

Voting Results
78% Normal
Based on 18 votes (14 yes)
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Comments ( 5 )
  • Cliche1234
    4 years ago

    I know how you feel. We can be in the same club. Some people just suck at giving a shit about babies and we are more common than you thought. Not sure about you OP but I don't think I can ever get along with babies or kids especially the goddamn spoiled brat ones.

    What irks me is that some babies lovers can't accept the fact that some other people are just not fond of babies and proceed to judge them as assholes. We can't help it. That awkward and uncomfortable feeling just activates the moment the baby comes after us.

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  • chuy
    4 years ago

    You're not normal, JK!. You need to look back at your own childhood see if there was a dramatic even that happen to you as an infant.

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  • Skarmatic
    4 years ago

    Totally normal. I work retail and whenever I see a baby I freak out. The parents are always saying "say hi to the nice person!" and stuff like that and I legitimately never know how to react. They stare and don't know how to communicate which scares me. I think a lot of it stems from the fact that I'm always scared whenever I hear a baby crying cause I think they're being abused for some reason? Maybe that's just me, I don't really know.

    I hate being forced to hold them too cause it's just really award. I feel you 100%.

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  • mauzi
    4 years ago

    Same, it sucks cause I used to be really go with babies / kids when I was younger until the social anxiety kicked in, now I am too afraid of their parents' judgment. It's like you have to do the stupid "baby voice" and get all gushy or people think you're psycho. I always smile and wave at babies I see out and about, but only when their parents aren't looking. I do the same at dogs when they walk by I smile at the dog as if saying hi to it rather than the owner

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  • bbrown95
    4 years ago

    Completely normal! I am the same way. First of all, babies seem so fragile and easily irritable, which makes me nervous. It never fails that when someone asks me to hold their baby, he/she instantly bursts into tears and I feel terrible, like I accidentally hurt them or something. Secondly, I find it extremely difficult to interact with them. People tell me to talk to them just like I would my pets, but for some reason that doesn't transfer over to babies naturally. They cannot really interact with you either, so it's really hard. I have absolutely no clue what to do when I'm near a baby. I usually just smile and say hi, but I'm clueless as to what to do after that.

    I've also accidentally made an uncomfortable face at a baby and been scolded for it. This baby/toddler (less than 2 years old) was loudly banging on something, and it startled me. I guess my face looked pissed off or something, because then I got told that I shouldn't have given him a dirty look. I honestly didn't mean to, it just hurt my ears and startled me.

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