Mother urged to take action after Boomer touches her baby at Walmart

A mother who reported a stranger for touching her baby’s hand without her consent has been supported online.

The mother, who goes by the name /u/SassyBottleDrop on Reddit, shared details of the incident, which she said happened at a Walmart on September 16, on the popular forum /r/AITAH, asking the community for its verdict on her behavior.

The mother described how a seemingly innocuous interaction with a baby boomer, a person born between 1946 and 1964, quickly escalated.

“Today at Walmart a woman in her 60s walked by and smiled at my baby while I was carrying her. My baby smiled back and she said it was cute! And I thought that was it,” the mom wrote in her post.

“Instead of stepping on it, she quickly reached out and grabbed mine (my baby’s). I was surprised and backed away saying, ‘No hands! No hands, you don’t touch them!'” the user continued.

The redditor’s reaction to the stranger’s touch led to an unpleasant exchange. “She gave me a look full of hate and anger,” she wrote. “Honestly, her audacity still makes me angry. Fuck her, she was lucky I tried to snatch my baby away from her and didn’t push her away instead.”

The mother thought she was “right,” but asked other Reddit users for their opinions. Her post received 2,500 upvotes and over 730 comments.

Many users agreed that people should not touch someone else’s baby without their consent, except in emergencies.

“We do not touch strangers, regardless of age, and we especially do not touch strangers who are vulnerable and cannot defend themselves or consent to being touched,” one Reddit user commented.

Another user wrote that it was “ridiculous” that people would think they could touch someone else’s baby, especially with flu season approaching. He added: “Don’t listen to people who say they would allow a stranger to touch their child without permission, otherwise you are ridiculous for setting a boundary. Keep your germy geriatric hands off my precious angel.”

Helen Underwood, a mother-entrepreneur and former NHS physiotherapist, spoke to Newsweek on the deeper questions raised by the incident.

She identified four key factors at play: generational differences around borders, increased anxiety about infections, babies’ developing immune systems and post-COVID caution about close contact with strangers.

“Post-COVID, we are all much more aware of the routes of infection transmission, and combined with the fact that many people still prefer their own personal space among strangers, these factors may have affected the strength of the mother’s response.

“Babies are still developing their immune systems and are known to constantly put their hands in their mouths. Any germs on the elderly lady’s hands could potentially cause an infection,” Underwood said.

Fear of infection is particularly high among young babies. Underwood cited a recent news story about a 3-year-old boy in the United Kingdom who nearly died from common childhood viruses.

While the Redditor did not specify her baby’s age or whether he had been vaccinated, Underwood said the mother was rightfully concerned about her baby’s safety.

She added: “Respecting boundaries with the message ‘No touching without consent’ should be the norm, although some canned responses, such as ‘Please don’t touch’ or ‘Please keep your distance’, and a pack of baby wipes for hand washing on the go might mean that responses, when they are needed, are less emotional for everyone involved.”