"Babywearing will make your son infertile!"

[MittensKittens]

We were walking around the mall today when a guy came up to me and said: "Ma'am, is that a boy?", pointing at DS, in his mei tei. I asked him why he was asking that, to which he replied.....

"Well, I am a doctor, and you should stop wearing him in THAT THING right away, because he will become infertile if you wear him like that! He NEEDS to be in a stroller!"

WTH? I explained to him that what I was using is a mei tei, not a baby bjorn (which I don't think will make boys infertile obviously) and that he wasn't suspended from his crotch. He continued to insist that it would make him infertile, and that he knew, because he was a doctor. I then told him "I think that using your status as a doctor to scare moms and spread misinformation about something you obviously know nothing about is quite disturbing, and if mei ties made boys infertile, Asian nations would have been wiped out a long time ago." He still had the nerve to say "Chinese people don't wear their babies in THOSE things, they use buckets" (!?!)

That's about the craziest babywearing comment I ever received. Some people are so ignorant. Did anyone else ever get this comment? What do did you say?

[SunshineJ]

I just have to say that I about spit soda at the monitor laughing when I read the title of this thread. That's probably one of the most ignorant statements I think I have ever heard! I LOVE your reply!

[mntnmom]

Wow. That is a whole different degree of crazy! I suppose African, Indonesian, and Central American moms for all of history have used strollers too. Oh how did we survive as a species before we had wise "doctors" like this guy to help us. Realistically, I doubt even a bjorn would cause infertility.

[LionTigerBear]

D'ya think he was really a doctor? I wonder . . . . how craaaaazy . . .

[FrugalGranolaMom]

I hope he isn't really a doctor

[cyclamen]

Originally Posted by MittensKittens

He still had the nerve to say "Chinese people don't wear their babies in THOSE things, they use buckets" (!?!)

To be fair, some places in China, they really do wear a basket on the back and the baby stands in it and it kind of looks like a bucket. (I will see if I can find some pictures. It does not look that comfy to me but I have seen pictures of old gramps doing this so it must not be too bad. And it looks fun if you are the kid!) But this guy was obviously a nutter. Geez.

[xekomaya]

This would be hysterical if it weren't so awful. Do you think he walks up to every guy drinking mountain dew or using a laptop as well? How about moms carrying their boys on their hips?

[philosoikou]

Wow. That's a really special one.

[Rose-Roget]

Doctor of what???

I have to say the post made me laugh, but only in the abstract - when I remember that this really happened, it makes me shake my head in disbelief. *sigh*

[LemonPie]

LOL! You should have asked him how much he had to pay for his diploma.

[calebsmommy25]

Holy crap...to think that this man could actually change some mama's minds about babywearing if they don't know any better makes me sad. So crazy.

[GreenGranolaMama]

Originally Posted by Rose-Roget

Doctor of what???

I agree!!! That is crazy!!!

[MittensKittens]

Originally Posted by calebsmommy25

Holy crap...to think that this man could actually change some mama's minds about babywearing if they don't know any better makes me sad. So crazy.

I know, this is what made me most angry about the whole thing. Perhaps this guy wasn't even a doctor, but perhaps he was. I don't think he was crazy, and I think he genuinely thought he was right. Obviously not something that he learnt about at medical school .

The other thing that made me angry is him trying to convince me that mei teis are not actually used in Asia (and PP yes, I have seen those baskets! But I've also seen mei teis and podaegis). When I told the guy I actually lived in Asia for a few years, he said "congratulations!" (!?!?!). Like the mei tei manufacturer was trying to trick me into believing they were really used in Asia. Shame I made it myself . I get really pissed when people try to use their "weight" as medical whatever to push their own agendas.

[sweetpeppers]

Wow, good comeback. I could never think quickly enough for that.

[BrittneyMarie]

wow, and i thought i had gotten some strange comments...

[sapphire_chan]

Interesting how he decided to tell you he was a doctor after he found out you knew more about it than he does.

[laohaire]

"Oh, I'm not a doctor. Can you explain to me the anatomical process by which a mei tai will make my son infertile?"

You'd find out pretty quick whether he was a real quack or not... not that it would make a difference, but it would be amusing at least.

I don't think he was a medical doctor. Or any doctor, really. I think he just read something about Bjorns somewhere. Honestly Bjorns make me wince too (though I certainly don't harrass parents wearing them, and CERTAINLY don't claim to be a "doctor").

[MsVyky]

I'd have asked him where he practiced, LOL.

What a jackass.

[Michigan Mama]

That's nutzo! I'm lucky to have only ever gotten positive comments (so far!).

[gbutterflykissesm]

Wow. That would have pissed me off to no end. And I have trouble coming up with responses to people in those situations. I either get angry and sound off to them, or just come out with some stupid sounding mumbo jumbo because I would be so shocked. Good reply on your part!