One of our friends had a baby with his girlfriend a couple months after we had L. So anyway, she came over to let the girls play the other night. We went to go somewhere and she got the baby's carseat to put in my car. She tried to put it in front facing. The baby is 10 months old and MAYBE 17 pounds at most.
She saw L's carseat and said "Where did you get one that rear-faces?" I was like "Uh...yours rear-faces too." She kept telling me it didn't. So I showed her how on the side of the seat it says "rear-facing," and how to change the belts to a different belt path. But DUDE...how long has the kid been front-facing like that???
Then when the kid was pulling stuff off of our coffee table she says "Watch this!" Smacked the baby on the hand repeatedly and yelled NO at her, and then laughed when the baby started crying and waving her hands at her. ![]()
Re: Dude...not bumpie approved
I don't understand how some people can't get a little of information. You have a baby! It's a life that you are taking care of!
And the smack.. I'm wordless
Wow, reading that left me speechless. What a shame, that poor child. What is wrong with some people??
If it helps anyone feel better, she's probably the most well-adjusted, beautiful HAPPY child ont he planet. She smiles non-stop., and they practically worship the ground she walks on. Great grandparents, etc...
But I was just kind of like...holy COW when she did that. I didn't know what to say. You can't really critique other people's parenting styles to their face, you know? I was in shock.
This. I mean, the car seat thing absolutely sucks, but my heart broke when I read that about the slapping.
I saw 2 cars with the pumpkin seat type car seats last week that were installed FF. The babies in them couldn't have been more than 2 or 3 months old. I wanted to scream at them to stop the car and tell them that those were installed incorrectly. What is wrong with people? Can they not read installation manuals?
Oh, and if I would have witnessed that last part, I'd have probably grabbed the mother and slapped her a few times to see how she liked it. What an idiot.
Not that this makes it better,but I should probably clarify. She wasn't crying like she was hurt and upset, she was screaming in a tantrum like manner, and waving her hands in frustration back at her mother. Like she was mad she couldn't continue on with what she was doing.
She apparently thought this was funny.
I did not. I was stunned.
Definitely, Bailey has had a spanking, on her padded diapered butt, after she turned 2, when she bit someone (she thought it was funny so we discontinued that form of discipline). Slapping a baby...sick
What did you do?
I probably would have asked her to leave. I can't stand crap like that and I'm not nice about it either.
This post actually just makes me kind of sad b/c there are so many parents out there who dont have good resources or access to information.
It's sad that no one else in her life has noticed the carseat thing or said anything, she hasn't gotten info from her pedi or at the hospital (unless she chose to ignore but it doesnt sound that way) and she doesnt really understand infant development & why the hand slapping wouldnt necessarily be the best idea at that age... I just think it's a shame that there is so much great info out there & ppl don't know how to access it or aren't provided with it when they have babies....as for a 'course' to have a baby, I know that is always a tag line (you need a license to drive a car but anyone can be a parent blah blah blah) but seriously shouldn't something better be done by pedis or hospitals to inform parents to be or new parents about some of this stuff- I don't agree with a 'course' but what about some basic info? I really like my pedi but I feel like they assume I know things and it is always up to me to ask. They provide written info at well visits but it is mostly very basic general statements & often about safety, Tylenol dosage, vaccines etc, Many people just model how they were raised or what they see friends/family doing, not that it is the best way in general or for them so I can't always blame them for doing things the way they do.
Off my soapbox now
FWIW with the hand slapping a friend of mine just yesterday asked if 10 months was too early to do hand slapping/'tapping' to teach LO to keep away from dangerous things (cords, outlets etc)... even though I personally don't use that tactic (and don't really think a light tap on the hand sends any kind of message anyway), these are very educated parents in their late 30s/early 40s and it is their choice to use that type of discipline so who knows.
UMMMMMM
This. Exactly this.
I can understand pushing baby's hand away if they're reaching for something that might hurt them (like a hot surface, etc) but not SLAPPING them!
Slapping is awful!
My LO is 11 1/2 months old and she knows the difference in the tone of our voice when we don't want her to do something....we say her name and I swear she knows...sometimes she gets upset and cries and it is very sad to watch her suddenly cry becuase I think she is worried that she has disappointed us (whatever it is that makes her feel sad/bad/unhappy) and I comfort her and we find something else to do....
That's horrible. Hopefully she starts rear facing the kid now that you showed her the seat can rear face.
And I cannot believe she slapped her kids hand like that. I'll be honest and say that I've been tempted in the heat of the moment but would never do it. She'd have absolutely no clue what the slap was for. Poor baby.