Grrrr... people calling baby "it"

[maisiedotes]

My MOTHER, of all people, keeps referring to our in-utero DD as "it" instead of "she". I keep correcting her but she keeps doing it. Then again she also calls my female dog "he" and my male dog "she"...

I keep saying to her "SHE IS A GIRL! NOT AN IT!" to get my point across. What do you say? Besides that?

[gcgirl]

Using "it" can have its benefits. I once won a baby shower party game where we couldn't use the word "baby" or any other related word. I just said "it" all day and won.

[mom2lotsofkids]

Well I'm ashamed to admit, I say *it* too I don't know what I'm having & will not be having an ultrasound. But I still love baby very much & I'm sure your mom doesn't mean anything by it. For some people it can be so unreal until baby's actually here. I've had 6 babies & at one time or another I think I called each one *it* & I'm not even sure why! LOL Of course we also refer to each new baby as *new baby* for like 6 mos after it's born instead of his/her name! I guess we're weird. Darn I just noticed I said *it* about the new baby. Try not to take it personally & just keep correcting her or ignore it.

[StacieM]

I sometimes catch myself ready to say it (since we don't know gender) and then say "baby" instead. You would think that knowing gender would make it easier to refer to baby as something other than "it" but for some reason that's the not the case with all people.

[scheelimama]

I say "it" a lot too. We didn't find out the gender the first two times, so I referred to baby as "it" quite a bit. I guess it's kind of a hard habit to break, although I do refer to this one as "baby" or "she" most of the time. I would try not to take it personally. Maybe that's just what she referred to her babies when she was pregnant, so she has a hard time thinking of yours differently.

[sorteep]

I am guilty of the "it" also.. sigh.. I also say "this one" a lot?? I do try to say "the baby" mostly tho.. sorry your Mom is insensitive.. hugs

[boogiemonster]

I've been calling this baby "the new guy", even though we don't know the gender. I guess I just think it's funny. I've had a number of people accuse me of finding out the gender, keeping it secret, then slipping with the new guy thing. It's not that. Really. I just think I'm funnier than everyone else does.

[maisiedotes]

Originally Posted by boogiemonster

I've been calling this baby "the new guy", even though we don't know the gender. I guess I just think it's funny. I've had a number of people accuse me of finding out the gender, keeping it secret, then slipping with the new guy thing. It's not that. Really. I just think I'm funnier than everyone else does.

That is so funny! "the new guy". I bet it *is* because my mother didn't know the gender of any of us so she just called us "it"... although my sister Gretchen became known as Abbott. They threatened to name her that when she came out! Now I like it....

[LittleLlama]

I decided I didn't like "it" either, and in an effort to make this person more... personal, I say "Baby2".

[GinaRae]

My mother kept calling my brother's newborn SHE even though he was born and clearly was a boy AND the ultrasound MONTHS before had said so. Who knows why we crazy people do what we do.

In your mom's case, is it a defensive measure so she doesn't bond just yet? Maybe she doesn't even realize she's doing it.

[melissakc]

Tell her "My baby is not an 'it!'" Bonus if you can cry while you say it. Blame it on the hormones.

I hate that too!