Parenting Advice from Instagam Mums

[DaneV]

I use Instagram a lot and follow some amazing accounts, but I do have concerns about Mum's whose babies are only just 6 months old yet are opening themselves up for 'live parenting advice'

I understand that it's great to be a community and share our stories and upsets and joys - but to offer advice to new parents when really you've only donoe 6 months of parenting yourself???

Thoughts?

They're just sharing what has worked for them. People aren’t obliged to take any notice.

As a first time mum I would really welcome the experiences of other mums no matter how old their child is. Advice is also only advice - you don't have to choose to follow if you don't want to.

I don't know how long you need to parent for before you're entitled to give advice. I've been doing it for 12 years (plus 7 if you add DS2) and feel ill-equipped to say anything beyond "love them, feed them, listen to them" which I'm going to guess 99% of parents on here already know.

I doubt very much that a parent of a 6 year old could always offer better quality advice than the parent of a 6 month old. It's only ever really applicable to that one child in your arms; the next one that comes along will shit it all up and do the opposite just for a laugh.

See also Holly Willoughby's parenting book. I'm sure she's a great mum but really, a parenting manual?

I'm not bad in the kitchen but i doubt many people would buy a cookbook i'd written.

IMO you have to have had a teenager to give any advice! Mind you by then you can barely remember anything from toddler years.

I do LOVE LOVE LOVE when mums or preschoolers advise parents of teenagers.

itallhappens it's the way that it's presented though. On a parent to parent, this worked well for us, have you tried...? level, there's no issue. But setting yourself up as a shining example or baby oracle is just quite odd isn't it? I consider myself an expert in my own son, but not babies in general.

It’s the celeb parenting books I don’t get. Like they’re the bloody oracle of parenting 5 minutes after giving birth.

Vlad oh yeah, eye roll right to the back of my head when I read those posts .

Those posts REALLY make me laugh. I think a lot of people try to emulate the more successful influencers by doing these Q&As. I bet they get about 2 questions!

Vlad, they are my favourite posts too, especially the ones where the mum thinks she's cracked it because her three-year-old is polite and loves helping mummy with chores.
OP: I can't see the floor in my teenager's room because of dirty clothes all over it.
Smug mum of tots: Sorry, I would not put up with that. My DD/DS is only three and she/he knows how to keep her/his room tidy. Luckily we started the routine when they were one, do they know it's not negotiable

I don't have a problem with the general chit chat surrounding parenting, the only time I have an issue is when it strays into medical advice. Natasha Corrett, for example, spouting anti-vax nonsense regarding inoculations in pregnancy and infancy yanked my chain. That's the problem with social media - everyone has a voice, even if what they choose to say with it is absolute toss.