The Crib: A Blog for New Parents

Posted by kateriscribe on 01/17/08 - 10:22 AM

Have you ever gotten advice from a friend or family member, which although given with the best intentions, was just wrong? The art of raising children has changed an awful lot since we were babies. So many things that were common then, seem simply ridiculous to us. On the other hand, though, there are still some of those old-fashioned tips and tricks that still work. But those aren’t as funny, so we’ll talk about them another time.

When you bring baby home, everyone you know will remember every thought they ever entertained, on the subject of raising, and caring for children, even if they never had one of their own. Then, they will inflict this accumulated wisdom upon you, and the best advice I can give you, is to just listen with a smile, and trust your own instincts. You know your baby better than anyone, and will know what is best for yourself, your baby, and your family. For your medical and health concerns and questions, your pediatrician will usually give you good advice, based on research and science. Just remember that not even doctors know everything, and different doctors have different opinions. You have every right to seek another opinion if you don’t agree with the one your regular physician gives to you.

That said; these are some of the all time winners for the category of “When parenting advice goes bad”.

“You should never put a new baby to sleep on their back, she could choke”

This wisdom came from a time before we knew anything at all about SIDS.

“You should put the car seat in the front seat, so you can reach him if he cries”

Sure, but that was when we thought we didn’t really need seat belts either.

“If the baby seems fussy, or won’t fall asleep when she’s teething, put just a teeny bit of rum or something in her bottle, calm her right down”

This would be okay, if it wasn’t so wrong on so many levels.

“Be sure to bundle baby up if you take him out, so he doesn’t catch cold”

Even though we know that colds aren’t caught from the cold, and we’ve known about germs for many, many years, this warning is still given today.

“If you pick that baby up every time she cries, you’re going to spoil her”

We’ve come a long way since then, now that we know that babies learn from our reactions as well as our actions.

“Baby needs to learn right off the bat to sleep in his own bed”

Whoever came up with that knowledge never had a baby of his own.

Every parent is more than entitled to their own choices for their children, and some things work for some parents, that someone else would never consider. But there are some things that are just not safe, or healthy and that is the kind of advice you need to be careful of. :)