Why does holding a baby, any baby, feel so wonderful?

[Anonymous]

I don't. We've had a baby boom in our neighborhood this year, and sure I'll hold a baby if I see a need but I have ZERO desire to ask an scoop up a baby. I like my kids and loved holding them, I like my cats and snuggling with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not feel this way even though I loved holding my own baby. I remember people used to offer to let me hold their babies before I was a mom and I didn't really like it. I worried I'd drop it and didn't want to be spit up on.

She nice becoming a mom I like it a little more but still not as much as people seem to think I should. A friend recently had a baby and every time I go over there her husband hands me the baby and expects me to hold her the whole time. She's cute but I don't want to hold a baby for 90 minutes. It keeps me from relaxing.

I remember when I had my own baby I wanted to hold her all the time. But I just don't feel that way about babies universally.

I’m similar. I could hold mine all day long but I’ve never been one to gravitate toward other babies. It’s not for fear of dropping them, I’m just not really a baby person in general.

I’m the same. I was extremely bonded to my own babies but before and after that phase have been pretty disinterested in other babies. One nice thing about having my own was I had a brief period where I felt confident to hold and interact with babies in general but it’s amazing how quickly that passed and now I feel like a clumsy oaf again, who actively tries to avoid that exact situation.

First PP in this chain and yes! That is me too. When my kid was a baby and I hung out with lots of people who had babies I enjoyed holding their babies and felt totally comfortable. Now my kid is 7 and I again feel inept about it.

And I babysat a lot when I was young and am good with little kids (toddlers and preschoolers and elementary kids -- tweens and teens still intimidate me). I just don't feel comfortable around babies and in general do best with kids once they can talk (though again not true with my own kid who I really enjoyed as a baby).

+1. I feel strange around other babies. But was fine with my own.

[Anonymous]

I feel that way about puppies so I get it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's how their heads smell, and their little hands and feet, and fat little thighs, and their bellies, and how they sleep so deeply, and and and and... I'm basically counting the days to become a grandma.

Wow, what fantasy is this? Both my babies were terrible sleepers. It's why I don't like babies.

Same. I cry panic and sweat and eventually cry when I hear a baby crying for too long because it triggers PTSD from the baby years when mine never slept and cried 24/7 for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel that way about puppies so I get it

Puppies and kittens are soft and cuddly and don't cry.

[Anonymous]

Babysitters, nannies and daycare workers don't feel that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have always loved it, since I was young and my daughters are the same. It is the best drug in the world. Our neighbor’s just had a baby and I am reminded of this yet again.

Agreed! I met a neighbor’s 5 month old granddaughter the other day and it was amazing!

I had forgotten how delicious it is to hold babies and to have them hold your finger with their tiny hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always loved it, since I was young and my daughters are the same. It is the best drug in the world. Our neighbor’s just had a baby and I am reminded of this yet again.

Agreed! I met a neighbor’s 5 month old granddaughter the other day and it was amazing!

I had forgotten how delicious it is to hold babies and to have them hold your finger with their tiny hand.

Plus the best part is that you have no responsibility and can hand it back to mother or whoever was holding it before you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Babies scare me. I have twins and that baby stage is a blur of no sleep, multitasking and constant exhaustion for me. I don't feel like I ever got truly comfortable with babies or experienced that stage as peaceful.

+1
Dealing with twins left me with zero desire for handling babies. That said, I get a strong emotional reaction when I see them. I instantly feel a strong love for every single one of them. It makes me almost cry I get so overwhelmed with love but no, I don't want to hang out with and hold them.

[Anonymous]

Babies don’t like me. They just want to go back to their parents. I guess I was likely that my own babies liked me.

[Anonymous]

The only baby/babies I wanted to hold were mine. I hate it when someone asks me if I want to hold their baby because they always look insulted when I tell them no.

[Anonymous]

DH and I, both love holding babies and i also am quite happy to be around toddlers. (They however need to be clean, smelling good, not sick and not snotty).

We had very easy babies of our own and we loved raising them. We are basically social introverts and enjoyed just spending time with the kids.

While it is lovely to meet cute babies, I feel a sense of closeness with only babies I am related to. I can hold them for hours on a rocking chair. I also expect parents to change them pronto when they need a fresh diaper. I am very judgy when someone does not attend to their children immidiately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have always loved it, since I was young and my daughters are the same. It is the best drug in the world. Our neighbor’s just had a baby and I am reminded of this yet again.

As an adult with several children of my own, I'm very over the holding baby phase and get really annoyed when some random person says "do you want to hold them?" and forces their baby on me. My usual reply is to push away or hand them back and say "no thank you I'm not hungry."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oxytocin

+1

[Anonymous]

Because you can hand it back to the parents when he/she starts crying.