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Maltesers at 6 months

(98 Posts)
LullyDully Wed 21-Sept-16 09:08:00

I sat down for a rest in Tescos yesterday. I was seated by a very young mum and her baby, who was about 6 months old. It was lunch time and Mum was eating a pasty of some kind, she had just bought.

The baby was given 2 Maltesers,one in each hand.He enjoyed them and smiled at me while chocolate dripped down his face He was totally aignored by mum who was talking to friends. When he finished those he made a sound and got 2 more. Eventually he had 12!!

I felt sad that mum thought this was appropriate for a young baby and hoped it wasn't lunch. She had a poverty of expectation for her child that worried me. I keep thinking about the two of them. Am I just being daft?

thatbags Fri 23-Sept-16 12:28:00

At waht stage does you being 'anal' (!!!) about what people do- not in general, but to young children - just becomes uncaring?
I don't know. Does anyone? If the distinction between parental misjudgments about what is suitable for a baby to eat and major, uncaring neglect were easy to see, no social worker would ever have made a mistake about which children needed protection and when.

A massive difference between being 'nosy' and a 'curtain twitcher' and being truly concerned about the behaviour of parents and others towards your children?
Maybe; maybe not. It depends on what one is concerned about. I am not the sort to get over-concerned by seeing a mother whom I don't know and may never see again giving her baby some Maltesers. If she was hitting the child or pushing the Maltesers down his throat I would be concerned, as would everybody else.

How many young children have died in the UK in the last few years alone- because people are too afraid of becoming involved?
Gosh, jura, do you really think that a few Maltesers, even too many Maltesers, kills kids? That is all this thread is talking about! I won't say calm down but I will say Yikes!

The inference about the OP being 'nosy/anal' just like your mum, is truly distasteful
It's you making the inference, gj. I was only speaking about my mum's nosiness, and fairly light-heartedly at that!

Daddima Fri 23-Sept-16 12:15:02

The weaning rule when my first child was born was 12 weeks or 12 pounds, whichever came first. I began giving Farex with the evening feed. One day we were visiting my Italian aunt, and told her we couldn't stay for dinner, as we had to get home for the Farex feed. She brought through a bowl with a finger of Kit Kat, poured in a wee drop of her black coffee, and told me to " feeda da baby"!
I didn't.

Ana Fri 23-Sept-16 12:11:22

Far better for his emergig teeth than maltesers, though! They used to make teething rings from bone, I think.

TriciaF Fri 23-Sept-16 12:06:44

This brought back memories of seeing a baby in a pram outside a butcher's shop . The Mum came out with a marrow bone and gave it to him to chew. Evidently he was teething, and seemed to be enjoying the bone.
That was back in the 60s.

Pollengran Fri 23-Sept-16 11:26:59

granjura "truly distasteful" is only your POV and a rather judgemental comment in itself. For what it's worth I agree that is is nosy to make snap judgements on parenting styles of strangers.

granjura Fri 23-Sept-16 10:37:07

'their' children ...

granjura Fri 23-Sept-16 10:12:08

At waht stage does you being 'anal' (!!!) about what people do- not in general, but to young children - just becomes uncaring?

A massive difference between being 'nosy' and a 'curtain twitcher' and being truly concerned about the behaviour of parents and others towards your children?

How many young children have died in the UK in the last few years alone- because people are too afraid of becoming involved?

The inference about the OP being 'nosy/anal' just like your mum, is truly distasteful (and oh so judgemental too).

Daddima Fri 23-Sept-16 09:45:29

I worked in early years for many years, and saw many parenting styles. I always thought it was a shame that most parents didn't realise just how much babies could learn from playing, singing, reading, and interacting with adults. It seemed to me that the perception was often that nursery would be the place where the child would learn.
As for being judgemental, a very young man ( no more than a boy, really) came to one of my " Sharing Play" sessions with his baby. The dad's shell suit & baseball cap combo, I'm ashamed to say, led me to a snap decision as to how good this fellow's interaction would be. Boy, did I have to eat my words! Talking, eye contact, touching, cuddling, facial expression, he was perfect.
Mind you, I did see a young mum on a bus feed a ( maybe 9 month old) baby black pudding and chips which she had in the hood of the buggy!

Tina21 Fri 23-Sept-16 09:07:24

What gets to me is the mum's pushing a buggy with one hand and texting on their mobiles with the other. I want to shout "This is the BEST time of your lives. Revel in it, enjoy it"
Most mum's work now and have so little time with their kids, it makes me truly sad.

thatbags Thu 22-Sept-16 08:00:59

We used to go on camping holidays and my mum was always busy watching newcomers to the camp site and wanting to know what they were doing. The rest of us teased her about it and laughed at her.

Didn't stop her though.

thatbags Thu 22-Sept-16 07:59:35

My mum has always been very nosy. She's the sort of person who'd sit and count how many disapproved of items a child was being given. I don't know anyone else that... um... I believe the word is 'anal'.... about what other people do.

At least I didn't until I read some stuff on gransnet. Seems nosy disapproving minding other people's business is quite common.

I think I would have started a peekaboo game, as you do, with the kid if I was right by him and his mum and she was otherwise occupied (and I wasn't!), though still listening for his communications, as I commented earlier.

Pattyann57 Thu 22-Sept-16 07:43:58

Perhaps she thought maltesers lighter snack..do u remember the ad?
12 is an awful lot though. My GD is 3 and she has to eat all her food before she gets errr one small chocolate football from her mean Nana.

BlueBelle Thu 22-Sept-16 06:51:31

When my children were babies we used to be able to buy dummies that had a little triangle shaped bottle on the outside which held liquid People used to put Ribena in it for them to suck themselves to sleep on I bet that did the teeth good We didn't have any calpol in those days so we used to crush half an aspirin up in jam haha didn't gripe water have alcohol in it

I still think we can be far too tut tutty about young mums today

MargaretX Wed 21-Sept-16 22:02:36

I gave my daughter 'Nurse Harvey's medicine to help her sleep. Now I know it must have been alcoholic.

The young mothers on Phones ignoring their babies upsets me more than if they are eating chocolate.
As for chips they are a healthy food I've had egg and chips today for my lunch.

rosesarered Wed 21-Sept-16 20:58:10

nellymoser ....grin at least the baby didn't eat the rabbit droppings.
There have always been lazy sloppy Mothers ( even in days of yore) that didn't bother about feeding their children properly, it's a shame, but we can't police the entire country telling them off.

Tessa101 Wed 21-Sept-16 20:46:19

I see young mums giving small babies wotsits for breakfast as they can suck them,whilst sitting in the cafes doing scratch cards and putting credit on there phones then sitting there chatting on phone to friends for ages. The baby then gets broken off bits of Jam donut to suck on. Hardly any interaction with the baby or care shown. It happens every week where I work.

thatbags Wed 21-Sept-16 20:32:12

I once scooped several slices of chorizo out of Minibags's mouth when we were eating a meal at Spanish friend's house. She was on my lap facing the table and I was talking to the hostess. Host just pointed at Minibags and blew out his cheeks. In went my finger and out came the chorizo. M'bags was ten months old. She had teeth but no way could she have chewed through several slices of chorizo!

It's amazing kids survive at all really, given the death wish they seem to have for their first few years!

Jalima Wed 21-Sept-16 20:31:36

Bluebelle DM's remedy for a bad tummy was a teaspoon or two of brandy in warm water with sugar.
Apparently I used to ask for some when I was about 2!

I suppose Social Services would be called in nowadays.

Nelliemoser Wed 21-Sept-16 20:10:16

I was out in walking and we stopped for lunch on what passed for a village green . There had been sheep grazing and rabbit droppings around. A family picnicking a few yards away had a crawling baby who came over to see what we were doing, I saw him grab a peanut I had dropped and stuck it in his mouth. I grabbed said child, stuck my not particularly clean finger in his mouth scooped the peanut out and returned him to his parents telling them what I had done . They did not particularly thank me.

BlueBelle Wed 21-Sept-16 20:09:04

Oh and by the way I hate whiskey and don't think I ve ever drunk it since smile

BlueBelle Wed 21-Sept-16 20:08:13

I remember being given an eggcup of whiskey to rub on a tooth achey tooth when I was about 4 Reckon people today would fall of their chairs at hearing that

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 21-Sept-16 19:41:06

I was told they mix ed butter and sugar together, wrapped a wodge of it in muslin, and shoved it in my mouth to shut me up stop me crying when I was newborn. Apparently I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jalima Wed 21-Sept-16 19:14:08

I do like a good pastie!

My teeth are probably full of fillings from eating crunchie bars when I was young (but not 6 months old)
The sugary filling tends to stick more than chocolate
As do those nice healthy little boxes of raisins

Jalima Wed 21-Sept-16 19:09:17

I hope I'm not judgmental - just rather shocked!

Juney64 Wed 21-Sept-16 19:02:37

This thread is hilarious lol.