18-Year-Old New Mom Faces Mom's And Sister's Judgment After Bathing Her Soiled Newborn In Their Kitchen Sink

"I’ve seen sinks with dishes that look worse than a baby blow out"

Chelsi

• Published in Interesting
• July 5, 2023

Parenthood is tough enough as it is without others judging new parents for not doing everything perfectly. There are ways of handling things "by the book," but parenthood requires a lot of resourcefulness.

An 18-year-old applied some quick thinking when her 5-week-old daughter soiled herself. OP cleaned her daughter in their kitchen sink when her oldest sister saw her and was disgusted.

OP and her baby still live with her parents and three sisters. OP's 2-year-old sister is at a phase where she destroys everything she touches.

Their parents are still trying to teach the toddler what's right from wrong, and it's slow going. They advised OP and her sisters to store their things unless they don't mind their youngest sibling unleashing her powers on them.

OP carefully stores her baby's infant bath away from her sister's grasp. Unfortunately, a toddler with an agenda always finds a way.

OP found the mesh of her baby's infant bath torn. She spent her money fixing her car, so replacing the bath will have to wait another two weeks.

When her baby got messy, OP had no other choice but to use the kitchen sink. Her parents did the same thing with OP and her siblings back then.

OP thought that cleaning her soiled baby in the sink wouldn't be an issue. Her oldest sister walked in and immediately lectured her about hygiene.

OP said their parents used to do the same thing, but Jo said OP should know better by now

OP said she wasn't comfortable bathing her baby in the shower or the tub without a seat

OP's mom got involved and supported OP's oldest sister

OP's dad is on her side and asked his wife if they wanted OP to clean her newborn outside with a hose. OP doesn't know if she was wrong and asked Redditors to weigh in.

Far worse things than a soiled have been cleaned in a kitchen sink

It's what kitchen sinks are made for and we're fine as long as they're disinfected after

It's a lot safer than the alternatives OP mentioned which she wasn't comfortable with in the first place

It really isn't unusual. It's worthy of an eye roll that OP's mom and her sister are shaming her for it.

Pepperidge Farm remembers

The overreaction from OP's mom could be caused by something else

OP did her part, she stored her infant bath in the closet but her sister got to it anyway. Shouldn't the bath be replaced by her parents?

Would it be petty of OP if she follows Jo around if/when she has a baby of her own and then tut-tut at every little thing she does?

Risking her baby's safety wasn't an option. It was an emergency and OP did the best she could.

Jo is 25 years old, she'll get over it

The only reasonable response to what OP did was her dad's rhetorical question

Assuming that OP cleaned the sink after, what harm did bathing the baby in it do? Jo is mad because she thinks she knows better, but she should wait until her own infant does the same, and the sink is the only safe option.

Bathing the baby in the sink is the most sensible option for OP at that moment. Unless Jo is willing to buy OP a new infant bath, the kitchen sink is where the baby will bathe for at least two weeks.

Chelsi