Stranger giving your child money

OrkneyStar

Judi wrote: »

I think the term used is 'crossing the baby's palm with silver'. Old wives tale but it was supposed to give the baby good luck financially in the future.

Its a lovely gesture (but at the same time i thought of that grubby coin thats been in everyones pockets infecting my newborn baby's sterile clean hand).

Your baby's hand won't be sterile, it will have bacteria from you and your baby, and all sorts of other sources on it too!

sabretoothtigger

If it really was a silver coin, the danger is less as silver is anti bacterial. If its just a modern day grubby pound coin I'd tend to agree its not for babys.
No modern coins are silver, the giver of this coin would have to possess very deep pockets to find any to give

In the USA they still use some silver coins, you can put it in a jug of milk and the milk will take longer to spoil. Same for a silver spoon if you have one, I know that is a very traditional christening gift

OrkneyStar

sabretoothtigger wrote: »

If it really was a silver coin, the danger is less as silver is anti bacterial. If its just a modern day grubby pound coin I'd tend to agree its not for babys.
No modern coins are silver, the giver of this coin would have to possess very deep pockets to find any to give

In the USA they still use some silver coins, you can put it in a jug of milk and the milk will take longer to spoil. Same for a silver spoon if you have one, I know that is a very traditional christening gift

The tradition was to put it under the 'pillow' in the pram (where baby wouldn't touch), though pillows are frowned upon now are they not?

looby75

dizziblonde wrote: »

It's quite common in the North East still although more an older generation thing - my little girl successfully mugged half of the local councillors when we were up there visiting my parents shortly after she'd been born!

Round where I live I think they'd flip out completely if someone did it though! Think it's even quite regionalised in the NE - my husband from a different part of that area had never heard of it!

it's very common where I live (NE too) Both my kids got well over £100 when they were first born. I moved up here from the North West when I was pregnant and had never heard of the tradition so was totally baffled why complete strangers in the supermarket insisted on putting 50p or a pound in the palm of my newborn daughters hand.

I was a bit more laid back when I had my son 8 years later I wasn't quite as baffled but I did worry about all the germs so always made sure I had baby wipes handy to wipe his hand after he had been given money.

pimento

Judi wrote: »

Its a lovely gesture (but at the same time i thought of that grubby coin thats been in everyones pockets infecting my newborn baby's sterile clean hand).

My mum says "A little bit of dirt don't hurt" and she's right.

cazziebo

Don't they do wedding scrambles anymore? I saved up all my coins for weeks for my wedding.. There were about 50-60 people turned up, and not all kids!

I was watching a relative's wedding video and she was getting videoed leaving the house and throwing the scramble. You can hear one of her neighbours say very clearly on the video "Stingy b*$%@rds! It's all coppers!" :eek:

sulkisu

I live in South London and find this happens a lot. The first time was an elderly lady on the bus when DS1 was about three months old. I was a bit embarassed and tried to refuse it, but she insisted. Since then, especially since DS2 and DS3 arrived, I have been given money on several occasions. NYE it was £10 from an old man who had just had a win at the bookies. I now just accept it graciously and say thank you.

MissMoneypenny

kandfs_mam wrote: »

Yep, I think it's a Scottish thing.

It happened in South Wales too when we were living there and I had my first child. They touched the babies hand with silver "for luck" and then gave the money to me. I had never seen anything like it; people were very generous and I was embarrassed at first. It carried on for ages.

All the money went into a saving account; which she then got shares on; and all this then paid a good bit towards her first car. All because people were being kind to a baby.

mazza111

cazziebo wrote: »

Don't they do wedding scrambles anymore? I saved up all my coins for weeks for my wedding.. There were about 50-60 people turned up, and not all kids!

I was watching a relative's wedding video and she was getting videoed leaving the house and throwing the scramble. You can hear one of her neighbours say very clearly on the video "Stingy b*$%@rds! It's all coppers!" :eek:

I haven't seen a scramble since I moved back to Scotland about 10 years ago. Remember my sister getting married, had a scramble and her house, his house and then outside the church. Was gutted that I couldn't dive in in my bridesmaid dress

hightara

happens all the time here in northern ireland