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Mothers really do favour their 'precious first borns' over the children they have later, research has found.
Among examples of attention lavished on the 'precious first borns' (PFBs) were tales of how mothers rubbed shampoo into their own eyes before using it on their baby to ensure it wouldn't sting, and pulling their prams backwards for miles to keep the sun off their adored offspring.
While they will conscientiously disinfect everything that comes into contact with their PFB and change them up to 150 times a week, their later children have to make do with items licked clean by the dog and stew in their own juices until their parents are ready to deal with them.
The term PFB and its poorer sibling the Neglected Subsequent Children (NSCs) were coined by members of the parenting website Mumsnet.
Among the tales reported was one of a mother that used a hairdryer on her baby's bottom after changing her.
"She was chatting to her neighbour and asked if they were ever disturbed by her crying,"
"The neighbour assured her they were not, but that they had been woken once or twice by what sounded like a hairdryer."
Another self-obsessed mother turned down an invitation to a friend and her baby's christening party because she thought her own child's "total gorgeousness would show their baby up and make them feel bad".
Another confirmed the differing hygiene practices used for Child One and Two, saying: "First child, suckable items must be sterilised in Milton or steam after they've dropped on the floor. Second child: items must be wiped over with a clean damp cloth.
"Third child: give them to the dog to lick clean."
Justine Roberts, co-founder of Mumsnet, told the reporters that most mothers would agree they treated the first child differently to later children.
"Precious First Born syndrome is something we can all relate to – most mums will confess to having checked on their sound asleep firstborns several times a night, whilst Neglected Subsequent Children are liable to bawl for an age before we even notice," she said.
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(Agencies)
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最新研究表明，媽媽確實偏愛長子長女。
有很多例子可以證明媽媽對“寶貝老大”所付出的極度關愛，例如在給寶寶擦洗發水前，為確保不刺激皮膚，媽媽會先擦一些在自己眼睛上。為了自己可愛的寶貝不被太陽曬到，媽媽還會倒推嬰兒車數英里。
媽媽會將老大能摸到的每樣物品都認真消毒，每周更換尿片高達150次。但對待老小們，只要是狗舔干凈的東西就行，在父母有空理他們之前，只能自己受著。
PFB（寶貝老大）和可憐的弟弟妹妹即“被忽略的老小”（NSCs）這兩種說法是育兒網站“Mumsnet”的成員創造的。
在眾多例子中據說有這樣一個故事，講的是一位媽媽在給寶寶換尿布以后用吹風機把她的屁股吹干。
“她當時在和鄰居聊天，問他們有沒有被寶寶的哭聲打擾。”
“鄰居們很肯定地告訴她沒有，但卻被聽著像吹風機的聲音吵醒過一兩次。”
另一位“自戀”的媽媽拒絕了朋友的邀請，不去參加朋友寶寶的洗禮儀式，因為她覺得自己的孩子“太耀眼了，會把別人的孩子比下去，讓他們感覺難堪。”
另一句話則印證了媽媽對老大和老小的衛生保健也不同，“老大吮吸的東西掉到地上之后都要用米頓消毒液或者蒸汽殺菌，而老二的用干凈的濕布擦擦就行了。”
“至于老三么，讓狗把臟東西舔干凈就可以了。”
“Mumsnet”的合作創始人賈斯汀?羅伯茨在接受記者采訪時稱，大多數媽媽都承認自己對老大和老小的態度不同。
她說：“很多現象都與‘寶貝老大’這種情結有關。大多數母親坦稱在老大睡覺時，會每天起夜數次看寶寶是不是睡得香，而‘被忽略的老小’則要喊很久，我們才會注意到。”
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（英語點津 許雅寧編輯）
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