Daft comments from well meaning (?) idiots

[oldnewmummy]

Just got back from 4 weeks in the UK (I live in Singapore) with son (who'll be 6 months on 5/6).

Was asked umpteem times if he's on solids yet, and to my reply "No, I'm waiting until 6 months as that's what the WHO now recommends" I had such varied replies as:

"Well what do they know" (erm, well they're health professionals and you're a van driver so a bit more than you I'd imagine)

"Well I can tell he's hungry, put him on rusks straight away" (erm, you met him 5 minutes ago and I've known him all his life)

"Oh, so you like to follow the rules then do you" (so I must be a drone)

"I gave my daughter a weetabix at 2 weeks and she's fine" (!!!!).

Not related to weaning, but my mum offered the very useful "I think you're expecting too much of that boy". When I asked what she meant, she said I was reading too many books on childrearing and psychology. I said that I just wanted to make sure he was confident and secure and not screwed up, and she said "Are you saying you're screwed up then?" No answer to that one.

She also said he should be toilet trained by a year. Who's expecting too much now?

Nice to be back here where all we have to deal with are looks of shock that 2 white parents have an Asian baby (he's adopted) and comments that he may be cold as he's not wearing a cardigan and wooly hat in the 90 degree heat.

Please god let me never turn into one of these people .......

[skirmish]

oh god - i know exactly what you mean

eg.

'just one little meal a day will really settle him' (he has 3 now and no different!)

i also don't understand why, if you are wearing vest and flip flops, you'd feel the need to dress your child in what would be suitable for trekking in antartica!

[ruth2007]

Gave me a good giggle this....makes me remember ..... we had the same and still do because I won't feed her crap (chocolate etc) and still bf her at 10m. We know this is normal for us Mums that like to read the odd book and surf the net but for others who raised babies years ago (or even 3 or 4 years ago) or those who like to live in blissful ignorance we are wrong.

My Sister was the worst (although I love her dearly) she wanted to give DD Birthday cake and made me look bad in front of her 2 boys because "mean Aunty won't let baby eat your Birthday cake". She was 4m. She did the same at Easter when I wouldn't let her have Easter eggs! I don't think even M&S intend their lovely chocolate catapillar cakes to be eaten by 4 month olds

[lulumama]

"Well what do they know" (erm, well they're health professionals and you're a van driver so a bit more than you I'd imagine)

that bit made me snort my tea out of my nose !





just smile and nod, smile and nod.......

[Eight]

Ignore, ignore, ignore.
Engage fixed smile.
Ignore some more.

[Tommy]

ha ha - back from school yesterday when a teacher said to me "Is he sleeping though yet?" (DS3 is 4m)

Me: "Well, he wakes up once usually"

Tecaher: "Oh, give him some baby rice - that'll get him sleeping"

Me: "Oh - give it a rest - you sound like my Mum"

Fortunatly this teacher is afreind of mine as well but am trying to work out why one spoon of baby rice is suddenly going to miraculously make him sleep! DS2 ate like a horse as a baby and still didn't sleep through. He's 3 now and will quite often wake up in the night



You have to let is wash over you oldnewmummy - but I like your answers!

[Aitch]

lol at the WHO van driver and the 4 month old meanie who wouldn't try birthday cake.

[NineUnlikelyTales]

I was in the M&S checkout with 5 week DS and the assistant guy said "Do you want some parenting advice?" (At this point I should have said no but am too polite so muttered yes in a passive aggressive way). His gem was:

Never feed a baby of any age after 10pm or before 7am. My wife had twins and I wouldn't let her feed them no matter how much she begged or they cried, right from birth.

Thanks for that. The thought of those poor babies haunts me

[lulumama]

if i was his wife, i would have deprived him of food & drink for 9 hours at a time, then given him a vasectomy myself twunt

[TinyGang]

You could always mix up a nice rusk with some milk in a bottle. Just make the hole in the teat bigger with a pin if it gets stuck. (Golden tip circa 1966 handed on to me from my mum....which I ignored btw)

[bohemianbint]

"If you keep running to him whenever he cries he'll expect to have his needs met. An adult who expects all their needs to be met is a psychopath." - from my dad when DS was 6 wks old.

[NineUnlikelyTales]

But don't forget that the baby's teeth won't come through unless you give him rusks (That's obviously why there were a lot of toothless crones around in the past - not enough Farley's to go round). That nugget is copyright NUT mum, 1975.

[Aitch]

ROFL at these...

[Ellbell]

at NineUnlikelyTales' tale!

The 'cold' thing reminded me of taking dd1 to Italy when she was 5 m o. It was early September. It was hot. Complete strangers were stopping me in the street to say 'Isn't she cold?'.

Have also had a lot of these weaning ones (esp. rusk-in-a-bottle). MIL claims that dh ate fish and chips at 3 months.

All together now...

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGH

[Dragonhart]

my nan gave me a magazine from when her mum was younger (so circa 1920s) and it had a tip which said that if your baby cries in the night, smack it until it stops crying. It will soon learn not to disturb you!

A friend of my MIL used to put her baby in the attic if it cried and said 'he can cry all he likes, I cant hear him'! !

Was telling my MIL about BLW and she said she thought that sounded 'dangerous'!

[theUrbanDryad]

my mum was reading the baby book that my grandmother wrote and it said something like, "Went visiting but baby cried so I put her in the hall. Mother doesn't want to go visiting with a baby who cries."

my mum was about 3 weeks old.