Parents: whats the worst piece of advice you have ever been given about your child?

My worst piece of advice has to be when my daughter was 6 weeks old. She was badly constipated and already in alot of pain. I rang my MIL and she said to try orange juice and water. Thankfully I checked with the doctor and was advised never to give an in infant under 4 months old anything other than water and milk as it can seriously harm the child.





What's the worst piece of advice someone has given you?Parents: whats the worst piece of advice you have ever been given about your child?
My MIL told me to put hot chocolate in my baby's bottle at 6 weeks to help her sleep through.


At 6 weeks, she was only getting up once in the night, which didn't bother me. I was in no rush to get her to sleep through, and certainly not in a rush to offer anything other than breastmilk or formula. But even if I was... hot chocolate to help her sleep? Sugar?? Seriously, where's the logic, lol!


The orange juice thing is an old one and I do know a few who have used it succesfully. Obviously, I wouldn't recommend it as I'm not a health professional, but some parents do desperate things when they're trying to help their baby's discomfort.


ETA - Yurri - co-sleeping actually carries less risks than baby in their own cot/crib. Perhaps a mother who is on medication or drinking heavily could roll onto a baby (in which case she shouldn't be co-sleeping), but not otherwise. Co-sleeping can help to regulate baby's temperature (mothers body temp will adjust accordingly to help baby) and breathing, (baby's breathing will imitate mother's breathing patterns) and babies sleep better with their parents. It is not unsafe nor is it a poor parenting technique. Additionally, neither is not co-sleeping.


ETA - Actually Yurri, I think if you chose to do some research rather than try to offend people, you might find that there is a lot of truth in what I'm saying. I don't co-sleep, but I have in the past. I wouldn't tell someone else that it was unsafe unless I had some evidence of this. Feel free to provide links that disprove any of my 'theories'.


P.S - It's MRS 'obviously not a supermom' if you don't mind. I'm married, using the correct term is the polite thing to do.Parents: whats the worst piece of advice you have ever been given about your child?
The nurse-receptionist at my pediatrician's office telling me that my 10-month-old daughter's earache didn't sound all that urgent, so I could make an appointment for about 8 hours from the time of my call.





My daughter's ear-drum burst about an hour-and-a-half later.





And yes, she'd been screaming since the early hours of the morning, I'd given her every pain-killer that she could have, and I'd called the doctor as soon as someone was there to make the appointment with me. And yes, my baby was screaming in the same room when I made the call, the receptionist *had* to have heard her.





I still haven't forgiven this woman.
The worst piece of advice I got was not to co-sleep, it sounded like the lady was predicting my baby would die. As if my doing it should be a felony or was abuse; she was ridiculous and out of line. Needless to say, my little one has slept in my bed every since she came home. Anyone who has anything to say about it can get their point across without that kind of judgmental drama besides my little one has slept through the night since she was 6 weeks old, I know it is because she sleeps deeper when she is right next to me.
ive been told quite a bit my my partners nan, she told me to give my daughter baby rice when she was only a few weeks old because she gave her kids baby rice at 3 days old! when i said shes not ready and shes too young she told me im basically a bad mum because shes hungry and i wouldnt like living on just milk!! then she said shed never take a spoon when shes on solids if i didnt give her one from a few weeks old! i was then 'instructed' to put extra scoops of formula in her bottle which isnt good for them. then she said she should be in a door bouncer because hers were at a week old, which is cruelty in my eyes because they cant even hold their head up at that age. and the worst of all was when she offered to give my baby alcohol because she had just started teething early and was in pain and that alcohol would apparently help and make her sleep (when she had been asleep and obviously woken up and she told me to give her alcohol to make her go back to sleep until the evening and then again all night as if she never wanted to wake up!!) she was only about 8 weeks old when she said this. its a good thing i have my head screwed on and wont take any advice from people unless i trust it and check with a doctor first. things were different in those days but they didnt realise how dangerous it was to a baby back then and i definately wouldnt do anything to risk my daughters health as would any mother.
??? When my baby was a few weeks old she was constipated and my health visitor told me to give her fresh orange, which I did, 5ml actually, it cleared up her constipation and she was completely fine!





The worst advice I ever had was to take advice, the best thing a parent can do for a child is to go with their instincts!
last summer, my 12 year ld was out playing with no shoes on. it was 7:00 pm and my fiend came over. we live in the country and the property is big. far from traffic and grass all over. she informs me my child should not be out side with out shoes that she may end up sick. i blew it off until i got a visit from children services. when i saw her a gain, well long story short we got into it and i kicked her azz. we are no longer friends. oh and the woman from DHR saw nothing wrong with her being out side in the summer with out shoes. the ex-freind that reported me has no kids.
When my son was 8 someone told me to ';lay off, he's just a baby';. He was playing baseball and I told him to ';shut up and listen to your coach!';





My son is now a very successful young man and the person who told me to ';lay off';? Well her son just flunked most of his first year college classes for the SECOND TIME!!!!!!!!





There's a time and place for everything. Sometimes you sit quietly and listen and learn. Other times you run and play. They're never too young to start learning the difference.
None really - I used instinct .





May I just say that a spoonful of sugar in some warm water has ALWAYS been recognised to relieve constipation in babies and your MIL probably meant 'babies orange' which used to be free in the clinic. I'm sure she didn't mean 'Sunny D'!!
To scmack my son!1 I couldn't believe it, I am completely against it, especially since my son is only 17months old!! Xx





EDIT. Yurri: I co-slept with my son and I never once rolled ont top of him, I think in the cases that you're talking about is when a mother's on medication or drinking alcohol and apperntly smoking!!
Still regret doing 'controlled crying' when my boy was about 2, because the sleep nurse advised me just to carry on though he was obviously very distressed... definitely made it worse in that case.





Right against instinct, you're right when you say you should listen to it all you peeps!
so much - let them cry it out probably. i'm not saying you should run to your child every second - but when theyre infants they need to know they can count on you to be there. it develops a sense of trust. they don't know any other way to communicate. i let my son cry it out - and to this day i regret it.
My MIL told me to put WHISKEY in my babys bottle because he wasnt sleeping through at 6 weeks!She also advised rubbing whiskey on his gums while teething!Idont know how my husband wasnt an alcholic by 2!
when my daughter first started her periods my mum told me to tell her to keep away from boys.she also told me the same thing when i was a child.
mine was just give him a smack,from a family member when my son was trowing a paddy,i hate violence against children s of course i would not smak him
One things I was told that really ticked me off was too blow smoke in my babies face for colic...I dont even smoke and I be danged if I would ever blow smoke in my childs face
Give her rice cereal from a spoon at 6 weeks old to ';fill her up'; and help her sleep. Durrrr
Rub gin on his gums. My son is 10 months old and I'm not giving him a taste of liquor THAT young.
My MIL has been trying to convince me to spoonfeed my son since he was 6 weeks old!
When my son was teething someone told me to rub whisky on his gums! I'm not stupid i didn't do it.
my step mum mia gave me the advice to go play on train tracks or run infrunt of cars
*Putting rum in my babies bottle, which is probably quite a frequently issued bad piece of advice I am guessing!


*A male friend of mine once told me to just let my three week old daughter cry because babies do not know that the noise is coming from themselves so it doesn't upset them (I didn't know how to begin that the baby was upset in the first place) and also that it was good for airing out their lungs.


*When I was breastfeeding someone seriously advised me to take codeine to dope Faith up, apparently codeine is safe in small amounts whilst breastfeeding...but taking something for pain and taking something to dope someone up are two completely different things!