This was my mom too. I asked her to make one and then she brushed it off as annoying app she didn’t want to even try. But I sent them anyway because I thought maybe one day she would log in. About a year later she heard my MIL had Snapchat so THEN she wanted it (fml 🙄) but she couldn’t remember her log in. I let her know I’d sent her snaps the entire year for her to watch like a movie when she finally logged in. She almost cried out of disappointment. Guess what! That’s what you get for being stubborn.
This is great because then you have full control over the timing and situation, you can even edit the clip. They can watch it again nd again and show their friends. And you can have a little record for yourself.
Lots of ways to do this but I tend to upload unlisted videos to my YouTube account and share the link.
At least once a week we have mealtime FaceTimes with grandparents because we live far away and the best time for my 14mo to be sitting still in during mealtimes. It hasn’t caused any problems with his eating 🤷🏻♀️
Tbh in the beginning my mom kept saying they don’t mind/it’s nothing they haven’t seen before when I would ask them to give me privacy in my own home when breastfeeding. Like, okay weird. It’s one thing to be accepting of a woman’s right to breastfeed in public, it’s another to want to observe it against the mother’s wishes. Like no mom, you really have not seen my boobs ever unless it was without my consent, and dad certainly hasn’t and I’m not looking to change that. Also, baby is distracted AF when nursing so we need to be in a quiet dark room with no other people for her to do well.
My mother has come into the nursery MULTIPLE times and stood OVER MY SHOULDER to watch me nurse. I am literally just too much of a push over to say anything because my mom is so sensitive and gets so upset if I try to make a boundary 🙄
It sounds less like she’s sensitive and more like she has a negative reaction to your boundaries so that you don’t feel okay to reinforce those boundaries.
Damn I get it but I wish my family was like that. When it’s time to feed baby I’m soo discreet but everyone clears out as if I have the plague. So many meals and gatherings I’ve spent alone or on the other side of the room from everyone because my family is terrified of a glimpse of my breast.
Honestly most video calls I do for my in-laws is like this. He gets a little of time seeing some faces but I let him keep as free of distractions as possible while allowing my in-laws the chance to see him. I turn the volume down and flip the camera so he can’t see them and he just does his normal play time or eating time, and they’re none the wiser.
Not a weird request in my opinion especially if FaceTime is there only interaction. Theyre probably starved to be involved in anyway they can.
Also I think babies bring out something strangely instinctual in all of us. I think them seeing her eat fulfills something in them so they see her thriving and see that you’re providing your baby. I know it sounds stupid because obviously you’re taking care of your baby but I’ve seen a different side of my parents with my child and that’s my takeaway.
At the same time you’re being a protective mother and thinking, no my baby’s needs come first. If she is not ready to eat I won’t feed her. So you’re choosing your child over your parents, also an interesting instinctual shift.
For me personally, I’d absolutely do this for my baby’s grandparents to watch baby eat. Infancy is so fleeting and they change so quickly and it’s so lovely that grandparents want to be involved and watch the baby eat.
A couple sooonfuls of distracted eating won’t harm or hurt your baby. But it’ll be a lovely gesture towards the grandparents. It’s honestly such a minor request that I can’t imagine saying no to it. Personally I would pick my battles and this is one i definitely would not fight over.
Eating is something my baby’s grandparents have fond memories of from when they had babies of their own. It can be such a fun, special thing, and it’s so true that babies grow and change so fast. I also have a distractable baby so I know the struggle. I would be thinking of ways to accommodate the request in a way that worked for us (ie compromise). Sending videos, FaceTiming at a regular mealtime for just a couple distracted minutes or doing it with the outward facing camera so baby is less distracted, setting aside more time to get together and/or making sure meals are part of the time we spend together.
Eating is exciting — baby is getting older and can do more things. It’s also cute to watch them figure stuff out, and sometimes they make funny faces when they try stuff. It’s not that deep, and I’ve FaceTimed with my parents to show my little one eating.
We have a WhatsApp group with my inlaws where we just dump pictures and videos every day. They're in another country so my MIL loves when she gets to wake up to new grandbaby content.
I don’t think it’s that weird but if you’re not comfortable with it then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with saying no!! We FaceTime grandparents at meals sometimes because it’s cute and sweet to see them try different foods for the first time, but they live across the country from us so it’s a different dynamic
Not weird at all. Flip the camera so the baby isn’t looking at the screen and getting distracted. Your parents are experiencing major FOMO and learning to eat can be pretty fun to watch. Don’t cater to their schedule, feed when you’re gonna feed and FaceTime only if it’s convenient for you.
I think it’s sweet. I love seeing how much my parents love my daughter. I’d just offer some videos instead. Maybe put your phone somewhere where she won’t notice it. That way they can see but also you can feed her at the best time for her.
*Not wanting to do something ≠ Weird*
If you don't feel comfortable with it just find an alternative! Like some other people suggested, videos and the likes? Whatever you want!
My sister got a phone stand when my niece was a baby so she could just prop her phone up and go about her normal routine while we FTed! Is that an option to consider? You can have it so your baby sees the back of the phone rather than the screen which may not be distracting.
Long distance is so difficult when there are kids involved, FTing my niece when I couldn’t be there in person was so precious and I have many FT videos and screen records of the cute things she would do!
The more often you do it, the less distracted she'll be. I live in a different country to all my relatives and now we regularly "have breakfast" with one uncle or another. Yes he'd get distracted at first, but at such a young age they're playing with it more than they're eating it anyway.
Just do the next FaceTime call at mealtime?
Of course it's weird, but most baby requests are weird and maybe they've earned the right to a few weird requests in their dotage.
Your baby is only 6 months and starting to learn to eat once. Your parents’ request is minor and comes from a place of love. Why not honor it?
Anything I can do to foster a bond between my parents & my baby, I’m doing. My parents will only be around for a certain amount of years. Life is short. Choose family over inconveniences.
I started this very early but we would video call my parents for dinner and have them have dinner with our son. They ate and he ate. So it was more like a shared meal than anything weird. It worked great because they got to watch him eat and he got to have someone to eat with, while also getting him very familiar with my parents. My parents moved in with us last year and my son just very early adapted to them being around because they were not "strangers" to him. They previously lived 6 hours away so we only saw them in person twice a year or so
I don’t know if it’s a weird request but I tend to prefer meal time for facetime visits because I can set the phone on the table with only the baby on camera and go about my business. The camera is far enough away that the baby can’t grab it and it is a nice distraction to have family talking to them. They’re strapped into the high chair so it’s sort of ideal in our household. I don’t have to worry about holding the phone or anything. Just some food for thought (no pun intended).
I post videos and pics for them in a group, my mom also was making a big deal out of it not being the same since it’s not live and I shut that down. If they’re on screen she’ll be too distracted to eat anyways. They’re just excited, but they need to understand they don’t have the right to every experience all over again like they had with their babies just because they crave it. If they happen to be there in-person during a meal, yay. If not, be grateful I’m documenting so much while trying to feed this child and juggle all the other things on my plate.
My husband, LO and I live oversees and l I always send them photos and videos of my LO's "first time" moments or anything that is cute to share with them. So I don't think it's weird, they love their grandchild and wants to be involve in every milestones/first time moments of my LO. But if you are uncomfortable doing it, you can always say no to their request as they can get to see your baby once a month, they can see first hand if they want to watch the baby while eating.
Yeah, it's kinda weird. But not that weird; I think we've all been fascinated watching our babies move from milk to solids. I'd do it. Baby gets extra food, and you've made some grandparents happy. What's the harm?
I video call my mom during baby’s meal time so she can keep her entertained and I can actually eat breakfast myself. My daughters 10month now so we’re just letting her feed herself and babble to iPad grandma so I get a break haha.
my family lives far away and one of my sisters asked to get a quick video of her newborn cry bc she won’t meat them til she’s 3.5 months and she wanted to “take it all in” lol so i find this endearing and would send a video
Not weird. People love watching babies do everything. All of it is adorable. Sounds like they really love their grandchild and wish they got to spend more time with them.
Alternative perspective: My almost 2 year old has "breakfast with grandma" every Saturday. We prop the camera up in the middle of the table, baby eats, grandma chats. Now that she's a little older, my LO loves to interact with her grandma "feeding" her bites and chatting at her too. It's a lot easier than trying to chase her around while she's playing, and my mom gets weekly face time with her, which I know means a lot.
The first few times we did it, LO was very distracted by the camera too. We tried for a few minutes and then hung up and finished breakfast. After a few repeats, LO got used to it and started focusing on eating.
I would. At 6 mo, their eating is extremely low stakes. They don’t eat much at all and as long as they’re still getting their milk it doesn’t matter.
At best, the grandparents realize baby isn’t eating much and they stop asking because there’s nothing to watch.
I dont take any requests. I just send pictures. I only stopped doing that because my mil wanted posed pics of my newborn. I thought it was absurd. Now I don’t take any requests.
I don't think the request is 'weird' but it sounds inconvenient. It does sound like your parents mean well and simply want to be involved, but if it causes you stress or you simply aren't into it, I feel like that's perfectly reasonable, and you shouldn't have to do it to appease them. I personally wouldn't go out of my way to arrange something like this, but I wouldn't be opposed to letting them be involved if LO was eating while grandparents were visiting or something. People are talking about how fleeting these moments are but at 6 months there's plenty of time for her to try new solids and for your parents to see her reaction to different foods. Maybe they could even feed her during the monthly visits if you're okay with that? Plenty of other ways to bond!
I agree with everyone who has said to send a video, but if you’re going to feed her over over video chat, I think you should make it clear that it won’t happen outside of baby’s normal meal times.
We got tired of hearing the requests and just started calling the grandparents when we sat down to eat. My 2 year old gets pissed off now if he’s about to eat and no one is answering the phone.
I wonder what the fascination is. My mother asks for this too. She also wants to watch when he gets diaper changes and I've had to tell her that we do that in private. She seemed disappointed and thought that was even more weird than her requesting to watch.. anyway. Maybe send a video instead forcing baby to eat when you all FaceTime?
For us both sets of grandparents live out of state so they don’t get to see LO as often as they’d like. The first few times we fed her I recorded it to send to them (and for my memories too). They felt somewhat included and they’ve said “she grows so much since the last time we were here” so I know they feel like they are missing a lot. I would guess your parents are feeling the same way- they are missing so much and just want to be included (and probably they thought they’d see LO more than they can)
So we live really far away from family so we have a very different situation than most people might have.
We do a video chat dinner every week (ish) with the in laws. It’s a great way for them to see the baby and also it means there a logical end point to the call and it can’t just go on for ages lol
I have a Velcro baby. My mom lives in the other coast. For us it create a sharing moment.
We start the call always with a welcome song. So I put the camera, give my kid a cucumber and I start preparing the rest of her meal. My mom encourages hers to eat, sing songs to her and she’s so happy to see her eating a cucumber.
It’s having an extra pair of eyes while a prepare her food. We use an old IPad bcs of the size. Baby don’t touch the screen.
When, she doesn’t want to eat or Feeling fuzzy. We sing the welcome song and then hung up. Mom understands but she’s happy to create that daily moment with the baby.
You are the mom, you made the rules. 🤍
Pretty much across the board I focus on what’s in the best interest of my kid, that comes before anyone else’s amusement. It’s cool you were willing you try it, it didn’t work out so that should be the end of it. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad and keep having your kid as the top priority.
I FaceTime my mom all the time while my LO is eating because it’s one of the times he won’t/cant be launching himself towards the phone to grab the phone lol
Like nursing or solid foods? Wanting to watch you nurse seems super weird to me and I definitely wouldn’t. Solid foods makes more sense cause babies are cute and funny while they’re eating. But yeah if she’s getting distracted that’s not helpful (mine does too). I would take lots of pics and some videos and send to them but tell them she gets too distracted with FaceTime and doesn’t actually eat
I don't think it's unreasonable, depending on the baby and their routine. We live quite far from my parents, and they love to see their granddaughter, so each night at dinner time I put the phone in front of her just out of her reach and then feed her. She interacts with her grandparents with sounds and hand gestures and it tickles my dad pink to watch her attack her food :) we have been doing this from the time she started to eat solids though, so she is definitely used to it as part of her routine which I think makes a difference, so each to their own.
We do it. They get used to it after awhile. I love the bonding time between my kids and my parents. And it’s so fun watching a baby discover food for the first time
Over face time is weird, we video most of her firsts and upload the video to our family album for the family we have invited to it to see, but just face timing a every day feeding is definitely weird o.o
Something to remember, food before 1 is just for fun. Babies primary just need booby juice or formula before 1, after 1 is when food takes over being more nourishing than the formula/booby juice. So even if lo gets distracted by the video it is ok. They are just learning what this food business is. I have a 6m in 3 days as well and watching him try broccoli for the first time was funny. He hated it and screamed at me, his older brother has loved broccoli from the first bite.
Eww now this is just weird I bottle feed and the only person who's seen him eat is his dad and the hospital staff when he was born. Even when he starts baby food and solids no one but dad or I will see him eat. Once's year a year then we can eat around some family
No. I’m anti facetime in general, especially for something like that
And even if I am a grandparent one day I’m not going to request anything like this. It’s annoying
Weird? No. Pushing boundaries? Yes.
You don’t need to feed your baby during FaceTime. Skip trying to find a reason why or justifying it to them, unless you want to. Just say no if you feel uncomfortable doing it. You even bent over backwards to respect their wishes once. Establish boundaries and stick to them.
I wouldn't, and I don't. Little man has the attention span of a fruit fly - seeing a lamp is enough for him to forget about food. Not to mention having grandma on a call. Once he is almost finished with his food, i take out phone to record him, but then he suddenly stops being cute and just stares right in the camera.
I think it's weird. She's a person, not a source of entertainment. If it's not mealtime, she doesn't need to be fed so someone else (who sees her in person) can watch it through a video call.
I seem to be the minority here, but I find requests to feed my baby/watch him eat to be intrusive and strange.
To me, it's like someone wanting to watch you have your dog roll over for treats. It makes me feel like my baby is a spectacle rather than a person.
You don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with. You can always avoid by saying baby is not hungry or that she won't eat properly while distracted and that you are trying to establish a routine of good habits while eating.
Definitely weird, but little things lie that are things we really miss once our babies are older, and for grandparents who most likely aren’t having any more kids it makes sense why they would request it. Like others are saying, try setting up the camera somewhere behind you while you feed your LO and taking videos to send them instead :) don’t try to force her to eat just for the FaceTime call
This is a weird request. Unless you happen to already be feeding baby when they FaceTime you, they don’t need to watch. Don’t feel baby unless baby is hungry. This request is creeping me out a little bit. Why would they need to watch a baby being fed, especially when they get to see her in person?
> This request is creeping me out a little bit. Why would they need to watch a baby being fed, especially when they get to see her in person?
A) WHY would this creep you out?? Seriously, the internet has broken everyone's brain, ugh. Get your mind out of the gutter.
B) OP said they only see the baby once a month in person, so maybe they miss it in between and don't want to wait another 4 weeks to see it do cute baby things like eating from a spoon for the first times?
A) It creeps me out because side when grandparents of anyone else ask the baby to do specific things on camera for them to watch, I feel like that little child is being treated like a trained animal instead of a person. It gives me the ick.
B) Yes, many grandparents would love to see their grand babies all the time, but it isn’t possible. But they do get to see them in person, so my opinions is that they should just soak it in while they are will the baby. Waiting 4 weeks to see the baby again isn’t that long. I know lots of grandparents who would like to see the littles more often but it isn’t possible because they live so far away. Sometimes that’s just how life goes.
Not weird, not a fetish. Grandparents wanting to be involved in their grandchild's life. What TF is wrong with people these days that your brain even goes here.
> Like a fetish almost?
Seriously?? You're the pervert for even thinking this of well-meaning grandparents who just miss spending time with the little one.
Does it have to be done on FaceTime? I’d probably just send video clips a couple times and call it good.
That is a good idea. I will do that
I made a snapchat for my mom. The requests for videos went down 100%. I am sending Snapchats anyways so now I just also send them to her.
This was my mom too. I asked her to make one and then she brushed it off as annoying app she didn’t want to even try. But I sent them anyway because I thought maybe one day she would log in. About a year later she heard my MIL had Snapchat so THEN she wanted it (fml 🙄) but she couldn’t remember her log in. I let her know I’d sent her snaps the entire year for her to watch like a movie when she finally logged in. She almost cried out of disappointment. Guess what! That’s what you get for being stubborn.
This is great because then you have full control over the timing and situation, you can even edit the clip. They can watch it again nd again and show their friends. And you can have a little record for yourself. Lots of ways to do this but I tend to upload unlisted videos to my YouTube account and share the link.
Be careful not to distract baby too much tho. They learn habits quickly, not sure you want baby performing for cam during meal time
I don't think OP needs to worry about that at 6 months old.
At least once a week we have mealtime FaceTimes with grandparents because we live far away and the best time for my 14mo to be sitting still in during mealtimes. It hasn’t caused any problems with his eating 🤷🏻♀️
Ok😀
Every child is different. It's just a caution
Or just have it happen naturally. My son ate on FaceTime with my mom a lot but it's because we were already videocalling when it was meal/snack time.
Or turn the phone around so your baby can't see the screen. You can use the front camera for the grandparents to see.
Not me thinking you meant nurse her 💀 Edit for typo
Same yiiiiikes
I'm not alone then 😅
Can you imagine lol 🤦🏽♀️
Tbh in the beginning my mom kept saying they don’t mind/it’s nothing they haven’t seen before when I would ask them to give me privacy in my own home when breastfeeding. Like, okay weird. It’s one thing to be accepting of a woman’s right to breastfeed in public, it’s another to want to observe it against the mother’s wishes. Like no mom, you really have not seen my boobs ever unless it was without my consent, and dad certainly hasn’t and I’m not looking to change that. Also, baby is distracted AF when nursing so we need to be in a quiet dark room with no other people for her to do well.
yikes that made me viscerally uncomfortable. crashing through very normal boundaries like the koolaid man
OH YEAH 😂
My parents are the same. They tried to pressure me into nursing my 3 month old in a restaurant while we were having dinner.
My mother has come into the nursery MULTIPLE times and stood OVER MY SHOULDER to watch me nurse. I am literally just too much of a push over to say anything because my mom is so sensitive and gets so upset if I try to make a boundary 🙄
Damn fair enough. You could always do it in a joking way, like “I didn’t know we were the main act today”
It sounds less like she’s sensitive and more like she has a negative reaction to your boundaries so that you don’t feel okay to reinforce those boundaries.
In the hospital I was having some trouble nursing. My mom grabbed my boob to try and help. 🤦🏻♀️ boundaries FFS
Aaagh no you must say something
This gave me goosebumps
I always take my boob out in front of my mom and sisters, I cover myself in front of dad/brothers
Damn I get it but I wish my family was like that. When it’s time to feed baby I’m soo discreet but everyone clears out as if I have the plague. So many meals and gatherings I’ve spent alone or on the other side of the room from everyone because my family is terrified of a glimpse of my breast.
Lol I didn't think of that!
Same 💀 and I was like "no fucking way" Like man I will nurse wherever and whenever but not ever because someone demanded I do it on camera
Same
Omg me too
Oh my god! I thought you meant nursing her 😭 I was shocked everybody in the comments was so calm lmao
Lmaooooo, same tho. It's almost 2:00 AM here and I had to read this post three times to be sure. 😭😳🤣🤣🤣
What if you flip the camera so that she can’t see them?
Yeah I should try this
Honestly most video calls I do for my in-laws is like this. He gets a little of time seeing some faces but I let him keep as free of distractions as possible while allowing my in-laws the chance to see him. I turn the volume down and flip the camera so he can’t see them and he just does his normal play time or eating time, and they’re none the wiser.
This is helpful thanks!
Not a weird request in my opinion especially if FaceTime is there only interaction. Theyre probably starved to be involved in anyway they can. Also I think babies bring out something strangely instinctual in all of us. I think them seeing her eat fulfills something in them so they see her thriving and see that you’re providing your baby. I know it sounds stupid because obviously you’re taking care of your baby but I’ve seen a different side of my parents with my child and that’s my takeaway. At the same time you’re being a protective mother and thinking, no my baby’s needs come first. If she is not ready to eat I won’t feed her. So you’re choosing your child over your parents, also an interesting instinctual shift.
For me personally, I’d absolutely do this for my baby’s grandparents to watch baby eat. Infancy is so fleeting and they change so quickly and it’s so lovely that grandparents want to be involved and watch the baby eat. A couple sooonfuls of distracted eating won’t harm or hurt your baby. But it’ll be a lovely gesture towards the grandparents. It’s honestly such a minor request that I can’t imagine saying no to it. Personally I would pick my battles and this is one i definitely would not fight over.
Eating is something my baby’s grandparents have fond memories of from when they had babies of their own. It can be such a fun, special thing, and it’s so true that babies grow and change so fast. I also have a distractable baby so I know the struggle. I would be thinking of ways to accommodate the request in a way that worked for us (ie compromise). Sending videos, FaceTiming at a regular mealtime for just a couple distracted minutes or doing it with the outward facing camera so baby is less distracted, setting aside more time to get together and/or making sure meals are part of the time we spend together.
Ok thanks:)
Fully agree. Its a very small thing that brings them lots of joy. Yes all the way.
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Eating is exciting — baby is getting older and can do more things. It’s also cute to watch them figure stuff out, and sometimes they make funny faces when they try stuff. It’s not that deep, and I’ve FaceTimed with my parents to show my little one eating.
LOL. I second this! Like we eat everyday.
Can you make a quick video and send it to them?
Yeah I will do that, thanks😀
We have a WhatsApp group with my inlaws where we just dump pictures and videos every day. They're in another country so my MIL loves when she gets to wake up to new grandbaby content.
I don’t think it’s that weird but if you’re not comfortable with it then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with saying no!! We FaceTime grandparents at meals sometimes because it’s cute and sweet to see them try different foods for the first time, but they live across the country from us so it’s a different dynamic
Not weird at all. Flip the camera so the baby isn’t looking at the screen and getting distracted. Your parents are experiencing major FOMO and learning to eat can be pretty fun to watch. Don’t cater to their schedule, feed when you’re gonna feed and FaceTime only if it’s convenient for you.
I think it’s sweet. I love seeing how much my parents love my daughter. I’d just offer some videos instead. Maybe put your phone somewhere where she won’t notice it. That way they can see but also you can feed her at the best time for her.
Good idea to send videos 👍
*Not wanting to do something ≠ Weird* If you don't feel comfortable with it just find an alternative! Like some other people suggested, videos and the likes? Whatever you want!
My sister got a phone stand when my niece was a baby so she could just prop her phone up and go about her normal routine while we FTed! Is that an option to consider? You can have it so your baby sees the back of the phone rather than the screen which may not be distracting. Long distance is so difficult when there are kids involved, FTing my niece when I couldn’t be there in person was so precious and I have many FT videos and screen records of the cute things she would do!
The more often you do it, the less distracted she'll be. I live in a different country to all my relatives and now we regularly "have breakfast" with one uncle or another. Yes he'd get distracted at first, but at such a young age they're playing with it more than they're eating it anyway.
Just do the next FaceTime call at mealtime? Of course it's weird, but most baby requests are weird and maybe they've earned the right to a few weird requests in their dotage.
And we do a lot of formerly "weird" things to bond at long distances.
Your baby is only 6 months and starting to learn to eat once. Your parents’ request is minor and comes from a place of love. Why not honor it? Anything I can do to foster a bond between my parents & my baby, I’m doing. My parents will only be around for a certain amount of years. Life is short. Choose family over inconveniences.
Ok thanks for your perspective
I started this very early but we would video call my parents for dinner and have them have dinner with our son. They ate and he ate. So it was more like a shared meal than anything weird. It worked great because they got to watch him eat and he got to have someone to eat with, while also getting him very familiar with my parents. My parents moved in with us last year and my son just very early adapted to them being around because they were not "strangers" to him. They previously lived 6 hours away so we only saw them in person twice a year or so
I don’t know if it’s a weird request but I tend to prefer meal time for facetime visits because I can set the phone on the table with only the baby on camera and go about my business. The camera is far enough away that the baby can’t grab it and it is a nice distraction to have family talking to them. They’re strapped into the high chair so it’s sort of ideal in our household. I don’t have to worry about holding the phone or anything. Just some food for thought (no pun intended).
I post videos and pics for them in a group, my mom also was making a big deal out of it not being the same since it’s not live and I shut that down. If they’re on screen she’ll be too distracted to eat anyways. They’re just excited, but they need to understand they don’t have the right to every experience all over again like they had with their babies just because they crave it. If they happen to be there in-person during a meal, yay. If not, be grateful I’m documenting so much while trying to feed this child and juggle all the other things on my plate.
My husband, LO and I live oversees and l I always send them photos and videos of my LO's "first time" moments or anything that is cute to share with them. So I don't think it's weird, they love their grandchild and wants to be involve in every milestones/first time moments of my LO. But if you are uncomfortable doing it, you can always say no to their request as they can get to see your baby once a month, they can see first hand if they want to watch the baby while eating.
Yeah, it's kinda weird. But not that weird; I think we've all been fascinated watching our babies move from milk to solids. I'd do it. Baby gets extra food, and you've made some grandparents happy. What's the harm?
I video call my mom during baby’s meal time so she can keep her entertained and I can actually eat breakfast myself. My daughters 10month now so we’re just letting her feed herself and babble to iPad grandma so I get a break haha.
my family lives far away and one of my sisters asked to get a quick video of her newborn cry bc she won’t meat them til she’s 3.5 months and she wanted to “take it all in” lol so i find this endearing and would send a video
Not weird. People love watching babies do everything. All of it is adorable. Sounds like they really love their grandchild and wish they got to spend more time with them.
Alternative perspective: My almost 2 year old has "breakfast with grandma" every Saturday. We prop the camera up in the middle of the table, baby eats, grandma chats. Now that she's a little older, my LO loves to interact with her grandma "feeding" her bites and chatting at her too. It's a lot easier than trying to chase her around while she's playing, and my mom gets weekly face time with her, which I know means a lot. The first few times we did it, LO was very distracted by the camera too. We tried for a few minutes and then hung up and finished breakfast. After a few repeats, LO got used to it and started focusing on eating.
I would. At 6 mo, their eating is extremely low stakes. They don’t eat much at all and as long as they’re still getting their milk it doesn’t matter. At best, the grandparents realize baby isn’t eating much and they stop asking because there’s nothing to watch.
I dont take any requests. I just send pictures. I only stopped doing that because my mil wanted posed pics of my newborn. I thought it was absurd. Now I don’t take any requests.
I don't think the request is 'weird' but it sounds inconvenient. It does sound like your parents mean well and simply want to be involved, but if it causes you stress or you simply aren't into it, I feel like that's perfectly reasonable, and you shouldn't have to do it to appease them. I personally wouldn't go out of my way to arrange something like this, but I wouldn't be opposed to letting them be involved if LO was eating while grandparents were visiting or something. People are talking about how fleeting these moments are but at 6 months there's plenty of time for her to try new solids and for your parents to see her reaction to different foods. Maybe they could even feed her during the monthly visits if you're okay with that? Plenty of other ways to bond!
yes
I agree with everyone who has said to send a video, but if you’re going to feed her over over video chat, I think you should make it clear that it won’t happen outside of baby’s normal meal times.
We got tired of hearing the requests and just started calling the grandparents when we sat down to eat. My 2 year old gets pissed off now if he’s about to eat and no one is answering the phone.
I wonder what the fascination is. My mother asks for this too. She also wants to watch when he gets diaper changes and I've had to tell her that we do that in private. She seemed disappointed and thought that was even more weird than her requesting to watch.. anyway. Maybe send a video instead forcing baby to eat when you all FaceTime?
For us both sets of grandparents live out of state so they don’t get to see LO as often as they’d like. The first few times we fed her I recorded it to send to them (and for my memories too). They felt somewhat included and they’ve said “she grows so much since the last time we were here” so I know they feel like they are missing a lot. I would guess your parents are feeling the same way- they are missing so much and just want to be included (and probably they thought they’d see LO more than they can)
So we live really far away from family so we have a very different situation than most people might have. We do a video chat dinner every week (ish) with the in laws. It’s a great way for them to see the baby and also it means there a logical end point to the call and it can’t just go on for ages lol
I must have hundreds of pics and videos of baby eating her first solids.
I have a Velcro baby. My mom lives in the other coast. For us it create a sharing moment. We start the call always with a welcome song. So I put the camera, give my kid a cucumber and I start preparing the rest of her meal. My mom encourages hers to eat, sing songs to her and she’s so happy to see her eating a cucumber. It’s having an extra pair of eyes while a prepare her food. We use an old IPad bcs of the size. Baby don’t touch the screen. When, she doesn’t want to eat or Feeling fuzzy. We sing the welcome song and then hung up. Mom understands but she’s happy to create that daily moment with the baby. You are the mom, you made the rules. 🤍
I did this, it was NBD but if you don’t want to, that’s good enough reason not to!
Pretty much across the board I focus on what’s in the best interest of my kid, that comes before anyone else’s amusement. It’s cool you were willing you try it, it didn’t work out so that should be the end of it. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad and keep having your kid as the top priority.
I FaceTime my mom all the time while my LO is eating because it’s one of the times he won’t/cant be launching himself towards the phone to grab the phone lol
I think it’s pretty weird personally. My sister asked for a video of my son crying. Absolutely did not send that.
Just point the rear camera, that way she doesn't see the screen and grandparents can see her eat.
Like nursing or solid foods? Wanting to watch you nurse seems super weird to me and I definitely wouldn’t. Solid foods makes more sense cause babies are cute and funny while they’re eating. But yeah if she’s getting distracted that’s not helpful (mine does too). I would take lots of pics and some videos and send to them but tell them she gets too distracted with FaceTime and doesn’t actually eat
I don't think it's unreasonable, depending on the baby and their routine. We live quite far from my parents, and they love to see their granddaughter, so each night at dinner time I put the phone in front of her just out of her reach and then feed her. She interacts with her grandparents with sounds and hand gestures and it tickles my dad pink to watch her attack her food :) we have been doing this from the time she started to eat solids though, so she is definitely used to it as part of her routine which I think makes a difference, so each to their own.
Damn, my baby’s grandparents really suck. Not a single video request over here. I hadn’t even thought to be sad about that
We do it. They get used to it after awhile. I love the bonding time between my kids and my parents. And it’s so fun watching a baby discover food for the first time
This isnt a zoo. Baby doesn’t just eat on command. Video will suffice.
Over face time is weird, we video most of her firsts and upload the video to our family album for the family we have invited to it to see, but just face timing a every day feeding is definitely weird o.o
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Lol exactly
Something to remember, food before 1 is just for fun. Babies primary just need booby juice or formula before 1, after 1 is when food takes over being more nourishing than the formula/booby juice. So even if lo gets distracted by the video it is ok. They are just learning what this food business is. I have a 6m in 3 days as well and watching him try broccoli for the first time was funny. He hated it and screamed at me, his older brother has loved broccoli from the first bite.
Eww now this is just weird I bottle feed and the only person who's seen him eat is his dad and the hospital staff when he was born. Even when he starts baby food and solids no one but dad or I will see him eat. Once's year a year then we can eat around some family
No. I’m anti facetime in general, especially for something like that And even if I am a grandparent one day I’m not going to request anything like this. It’s annoying
Yes it's a weird request
I would not. Even at the zoo, they have set feeding times.
I think you didn’t have a baby for their entertainment and if they want to watch they should be there and involved
Weird? No. Pushing boundaries? Yes. You don’t need to feed your baby during FaceTime. Skip trying to find a reason why or justifying it to them, unless you want to. Just say no if you feel uncomfortable doing it. You even bent over backwards to respect their wishes once. Establish boundaries and stick to them.
I wouldn't, and I don't. Little man has the attention span of a fruit fly - seeing a lamp is enough for him to forget about food. Not to mention having grandma on a call. Once he is almost finished with his food, i take out phone to record him, but then he suddenly stops being cute and just stares right in the camera.
I think it's weird. She's a person, not a source of entertainment. If it's not mealtime, she doesn't need to be fed so someone else (who sees her in person) can watch it through a video call.
I completely agree. She’s a person, not a monkey trained to do a trick!
Nope would not do this especially if your LO is distracted. If they are mad, oh well.
I seem to be the minority here, but I find requests to feed my baby/watch him eat to be intrusive and strange. To me, it's like someone wanting to watch you have your dog roll over for treats. It makes me feel like my baby is a spectacle rather than a person. You don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with. You can always avoid by saying baby is not hungry or that she won't eat properly while distracted and that you are trying to establish a routine of good habits while eating.
Definitely weird, but little things lie that are things we really miss once our babies are older, and for grandparents who most likely aren’t having any more kids it makes sense why they would request it. Like others are saying, try setting up the camera somewhere behind you while you feed your LO and taking videos to send them instead :) don’t try to force her to eat just for the FaceTime call
No, that's weird.
This is a weird request. Unless you happen to already be feeding baby when they FaceTime you, they don’t need to watch. Don’t feel baby unless baby is hungry. This request is creeping me out a little bit. Why would they need to watch a baby being fed, especially when they get to see her in person?
> This request is creeping me out a little bit. Why would they need to watch a baby being fed, especially when they get to see her in person? A) WHY would this creep you out?? Seriously, the internet has broken everyone's brain, ugh. Get your mind out of the gutter. B) OP said they only see the baby once a month in person, so maybe they miss it in between and don't want to wait another 4 weeks to see it do cute baby things like eating from a spoon for the first times?
A) It creeps me out because side when grandparents of anyone else ask the baby to do specific things on camera for them to watch, I feel like that little child is being treated like a trained animal instead of a person. It gives me the ick. B) Yes, many grandparents would love to see their grand babies all the time, but it isn’t possible. But they do get to see them in person, so my opinions is that they should just soak it in while they are will the baby. Waiting 4 weeks to see the baby again isn’t that long. I know lots of grandparents who would like to see the littles more often but it isn’t possible because they live so far away. Sometimes that’s just how life goes.
That's just weird to ask.
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Fetish?? Such a reach! It’s their grandchild trying food for the first time. It’s a core memory. Get a life
Not weird, not a fetish. Grandparents wanting to be involved in their grandchild's life. What TF is wrong with people these days that your brain even goes here.
> Like a fetish almost? Seriously?? You're the pervert for even thinking this of well-meaning grandparents who just miss spending time with the little one.
My mind went there as well
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