Key Highlights
- A stay-at-home mother said her mother-in-law repeatedly demanded to babysit her 2-month-old daughter.
- The mother said her baby was exclusively breastfed, did not take a bottle and had colic, making her uncomfortable with unsupervised care.
- The Reddit post described longstanding family conflict and raised concerns about the mother-in-law’s boyfriend and past parenting decisions.
Mother Says Mother-in-Law Keeps Demanding to Babysit
A woman on Reddit said her mother-in-law had become a persistent source of conflict since the birth of her 2-month-old daughter. In a post shared on r/inlaws on November 13, the woman explained that she was not comfortable leaving her baby with her mother-in-law, who lived with her boyfriend. The post had received 31 comments at the time of publication.
The mother said her daughter was 100% breastfed and would not take a bottle. She also noted that she was a stay-at-home mother and therefore did not need regular babysitting. Despite that, she said her mother-in-law continued to insist that she should care for the baby.
Distance and Family Tensions Add to the Dispute
According to the Reddit user, her mother-in-law frequently complained that the woman’s own mother looked after the baby when the new mother needed to attend a dentist appointment or visit a doctor. The woman said her mother lived 10 minutes away, while her mother-in-law lived 30 minutes away with a boyfriend whom the family had met only three times.
The woman said the conflict had escalated to phone calls involving her husband. “It’s to the point where she calls my husband, yelling at him and saying that my family sees my daughter more.”
The mother acknowledged that her family saw the baby more often, but said she felt safe and comfortable visiting her own mother. She also claimed that her mother-in-law had made little effort to build a relationship with her during the six years before the baby was born.
She expressed particular concern about leaving her daughter around her mother-in-law’s boyfriend and said the baby’s colic made the situation more difficult. “I’m also not going to give up my daughter to strangers, especially when my baby has colic. The risk of her boyfriend getting frustrated and possibly shaking her because she cries so much.. Like she does not live in reality.”
Reddit User Describes Mother-in-Law’s Parenting History
The woman also criticized her mother-in-law’s past parenting choices. She claimed that her mother-in-law left her children at their grandmother’s home for the entire summer, sent them alone on a plane and, on one occasion, did not ask about them for three months while she spent the summer partying.
The Reddit user further alleged that her mother-in-law did not have a job at the time and repeated this arrangement every year until her husband turned 18. She said her mother-in-law then kicked him out shortly after graduation so she could move in with an ex-boyfriend.
“She was a teacher, so she had every summer off. She just didn’t want to take care of her kids, and she expects me to hand over pride and joy so she can play house?”
Commenters Recommend Boundaries and Supervised Visits
Several Reddit users advised the woman to establish firmer boundaries and allow her husband to handle communication with his mother. One commenter wrote, “Your husband should put her in her place, to be truthful, I don’t get why y’all are still in contact with her.” Another wrote, “Just ignore her. I wouldn’t want to be around her at all, let husband deal with her nonsense.”
A third commenter suggested limiting contact and arranging visits at the parents’ home. “Go low contact and have supervised visits at your home when you plan it. You don’t have to tell her it’s supervised. It’s probably nice for her to be invited. You and your partner can stop telling her when other people look after the baby. I doubt your mom is phoning her up and telling her.”
Why This Matters
The dispute illustrates how disagreements over childcare can intensify when relatives have different levels of access, proximity and trust. In this case, the mother said breastfeeding, her baby’s colic, the mother-in-law’s living arrangements and the absence of a longstanding relationship all influenced her decision not to allow unsupervised babysitting.
The claims in the Reddit post remain unverified. The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the details, and the account reflects only the statements shared by u/Imaginary_Bit6385 on r/inlaws.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the mother not want her mother-in-law to babysit?
She said her daughter was 100% breastfed, did not take a bottle and had colic. She also said she was a stay-at-home mother and was uncomfortable leaving the baby with her mother-in-law and the boyfriend with whom the mother-in-law lived.
Why did the mother’s family see the baby more often?
The woman said her mother lived 10 minutes away and made her feel safe and comfortable. Her mother-in-law lived 30 minutes away and, according to the post, had not built a close relationship with her during the six years before the baby was born.
What did Reddit commenters suggest?
Commenters recommended setting boundaries, reducing contact and arranging planned, supervised visits at the parents’ home. Some also advised the woman’s husband to manage communication with his mother.
