The next time you think about touching a baby in public. Don't.
“Even beyond health risks, it’s also the emotional toll of having to advocate for your child in the moment."
Keely was standing in line with her son, his pram facing her.
“Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a woman nearby looking at the shelves. The next thing I knew, she had leant right into the pram, touching my baby’s face while talking to him,” she told Kidspot.
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"Please don't touch my baby"
In that instant, Keely faced the choice every mother knows too well: say something or let it slide.
“Without even thinking, I blurted out, ‘please don’t touch my baby’. The woman pulled back, and I repeated politely, ‘please don’t touch my baby’s face. ’ She muttered something under her breath and walked away,” Keely explained.
It was an encounter that shook her up in a way many mothers will relate to.
Keely even shared the experience on TikTok, realising just how common this experience is for new mums.
“In the moment my heart was racing, I felt overwhelmed and caught off guard,” she shared.
“I didn’t want the situation to become confrontational, but I also knew I had to speak up because I wasn’t comfortable with what they were doing.”
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"The emotional toll"
She remained polite, firm and in control. She protected her child. All while being made to feel invisible.
“What upset me most was that they never acknowledged me at all. The woman didn’t say hello or try to engage with me; she went straight for my baby, which felt dismissive and unsettling,” Keely revealed.
A mother getting out of the house while on paternity leave is already a stressful enough experience. The concern of someone touching your baby is an added weight parents shouldn’t need to carry.
A simple act of stroking a baby’s cheek or touching their little hands can carry more risk than people realise.
“Some of us have babies who are immunocompromised or family members who are vulnerable, and we have no way of knowing where strangers have been, what they’ve touched or what they may have been exposed to,” Keely points out.
“Even beyond health risks, it’s also the emotional toll of having to advocate for your child in the moment. Speaking up can feel uncomfortable, especially not knowing how the other person will respond.”
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However, she’s a mum who is just trying to do the right thing by her child. Despite that, she believes attitudes around touching baby’s in public aren’t moving with the times.
“I think a lot of it comes from generational norms. In the past, it was more common for strangers to hold or touch babies, but society is different now,” she said.
“Strangers may assume it’s harmless because they feel healthy, but as a parent, I can’t know that, and it’s my job to protect my child.”
The element of consent also escapes minds when the urge to reach out and touch takes over.
“Babies are little humans with their own autonomy. As adults, most of us wouldn’t want a stranger touching our face, and the same respect should apply to children,” she said.
“Just because a baby can’t say ‘no’ doesn’t mean you have free rein to touch them. It’s the parents’ responsibility to be that voice and protect their boundaries.”
Babies are cute, and Keely understands that. But her story is a reminder that admiration doesn’t need to mean contact. Look, smile, coo if you must. But don’t touch!
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Originally published as The next time you think about touching a baby in public. Don't.
