Grandmother wants kajal for the baby, the paediatrician said no, and the caregiver is on grandmother's side

fig_violin_70126 Aug 2026

The baby is three months now. My mother has been bringing up kajal since the naming ceremony. At the last check-up our paediatrician said no kajal near the eyes, so we said no. The caregiver has now quietly joined my mother's side, and on my client-site days I'm fairly sure the two of them discuss it without me. I don't want a fight with either of them. How did you handle it when the older generation and the doctor disagreed?

1 comment

silver_badminton_573227 Aug 2026
With both of mine, my mother wanted the same thing. We settled on a black dot behind the ear, nothing near the eyes. She felt the protection was there, we felt the doctor's instruction was kept. It worked because my mother cared about the dot more than where it went.
- ochre_diary_640428 Aug 2026
  A dot behind the ear is still kajal on a three month old's skin. Did the doctor say anything about that, or only about the eyes? Check before you offer it as the compromise.
- fig_violin_70128 Aug 2026
  Replying to @ochre_diary_6404
  Fair point, so I messaged the clinic. They were fine with a small dot on the skin, well away from the eyes. That's what we'll put to my mother this weekend. The caregiver will hear it from her, which is probably better.