Why do people suggest things whe they have no flipping idea of the implications????

[VictorianSqualor]

I was just on yahoo questions and answering some of them.
One question involved a woman whose health visitor has mentioned baby needs force feeding more milk as she isnt drinking a ton of it.

About SIX of the people answering suggested putting food into the babies bottle

Arghh, it gets me so

[tiktok]

link, Squalor??

[tiktok]

It happens here, too, though.....I get more than a mite irritated when people suggest things that 'worked' for them as if they are right for every baby everywhere, and people who point out there are other options get flamed!

[VictorianSqualor]

here
One of them was a nurse apparently, and another suggested asking her paedatrician about cereals in bottles

[claireybee]

Oh god I know what you mean! Since Monday I have had:
3 people tell me I should stop breastfeeding and give ds formula (because apparently he should be sleeping through by now )
2 people tell me to give him a rusk/babyrice before bed
1 person tell me I should fully wean him now "so his system gets used to different things".
These all came from mothers of young children too!
I wasn't even complaining about his sleeping-just replied "not yet but it's still early days" when asked if he was sleeping through yet.

[VictorianSqualor]

And he is one month old
At least you know they are talking bollocks, it's more annoying when it's someone who is actually asking for help.

[princessmama]

I can't believe the person who suggested giving tea to a 17 week old baby!

[VictorianSqualor]

Or carrots in a bottle, I mean I've heard of rusks and baby rice, but carrots?!?!

[Caz10]

ok, i don't think i would put carrots in a bottle, but the thing that worries me, as a paranoid 1st time mum with no baby experience is HOW ARE YOU MEANT TO KNOW WHO IS RIGHT?!!

a few weeks ago i sat with 2 bf books in front of me, both "reputable" - both gave completely contradictory advice on the same subject. I've lost count of all the contradictory stuff health care professionals have given me, never mind other mums. how are you meant to know???!!!

[Wisteria]

Well obviously a lot of the info on that thread is not following current guidelines but it is worth remembering that people, like the nurse you speak of, are a lot older so would have brought their children up when this would have been encouraged and advised by the then guidelines. As their babies no doubt thrived and didn't suffer from these methods then they believe that they are genuinely giving good advice - bit like asking your Grandma or Mum really.

If you have no contact with young babies now, you're not to know how much things have changed (I count myself within all this too as I had no idea either until MN taught me I knew nothing )

Some of the posts read as if the people giving advice were of not only a completely different generation but also different countries so for instance references to soft cookies may have meant rusks etc.

Personally I question the wisdom of asking for advice on a completely open forum like that - at least generally on MN the majority of peole posting wrt weaning etc are a little more up to date (not me though ....

Not worth getting about though - who's to say that current guidelines won't be 'poo poo'ed by the next gen of Mums....they probably will, bearing in mind they've changed radically even since mine were born - 12 and 14 years ago!

[Wisteria]

Caz - my advice would be ask everyone you know and respect (who have experience), read up on health guidelines/ books etc, ask on MN and then go with your gut instinct of what you believe is right for you and your child.

[FairyMum]

well, my Dh was given baby rice in his bottle from 2 weeks. He has a lot of problems with his digestion. I always wonder if introducing baby rice really early is at least partly to blame.

[Wisteria]

Fairy Mum - it may well be something to do with it - that's one of the reasons why they've changed the guidelines IIRC from all the things Tiktok taught me - but I'm sure they didn't know that then.....

[welliemum]

Caz, the kellymom site is really great, because the advice is based on research findings and is about as up-to-date and objective as you can get without trawling through medical journals for recent research.

Athough it's mainly about breastfeeding, there's quite a lot of stuff there about other related issues, like sleeping and weaning.

Although a lot of it is opinion, it's informed opinion, based on research as I said, and I found it very calming to read when I was being pressured into stuff by other people "because that's what I did with my children and they're all fine and if you don't follow my advice you are insulting me personally as a parent" - you know the scene I'm sure.