To be annoyed that my friends thinks they're the fountain of all knowledge about childcare...

[Abubu]

I met up with a pregnant friend this evening and her DH.
I have 2 young children already and I am pg with number 3 but now that she is pregnant her and her husband spent a lot of the evening spouting off about childcare.

They seemed to have an opinion on everything we could be doing better.

Should I be forgiving and take it that they are just having a temporary personality bypass as they are clearly excited about having their first baby? Or am I right to feel a bit peeved off?

Be forgiving
Dh and I have the very same thing with a member of his family and it gets right up my nose.
It will pass when their PFB leaves home

The latter... we've all done it to some extent before sleep deprivation robbed us of our parenting principles and ideals.
They'll learn

As your friend doesn't have children already, she may be making the mistake of thinking that bringing up dc is simply a matter of reading a book you agree with, then putting all the principles into action.

Give her a couple of years and a couple of babies down thr line and I expect she will be rather less forthcoming in her opinions.

But, yanbu. It's blimming annoying when someone starts telling you what you're doing wrong when they are not in a position to give advice. I think you have to smile sweetly, make all the right noises to them, and quietly chuckle later how they are going to learn a very hard lesson in a few months time when they actually have to do child rearing for real.

YANBU

I'd write down some of the more ridiculous comments to repeat back to them in months/ years to come

I think bumpybecky has the best idea-if she has a sense of humour she will have a good laugh, once she knows what it is really like. Unfortunately her baby won't have read the same books!!

YABU... just sit back and enjoy the ride as you watch them spiral into a sleep-deprived vortex of despair.

As they shovel calpol/chocolate/fruitshoots down their PFB's throat in a desperate, but ultimately futile, attempt to stop the never-ending screaming/whining, gently suggest some of their own childcare tips back to them.

My brother is like this and it's so annoying. His catch phrase is "if you want to know the BEST way to ..." He doesn't have children yet so am looking forward to hearing all about how to breastfeed, change a nappy, discipline etc.

Over xmas he told my mum how to scramble eggs, make bread (her specialty), preserve apricots and make cider (she doesn't drink.) Every time he started off mum and I would nudge each other and try to keep from giggling.

It's great they have read all the books they have.
Pity their newborn won't have done the same

Oh yes the fun and games, how easy to criticise when not in that position!

I have a friend with a child 4 months older - I was always doing it wrong according to her, then she had no 2 and of course I wouldn't know what its like to be pg with a toddler (or a nanny - pg but don't have one of those!)or what its like to have 2 (well hopefully.....) And actually wouldn't want her children....not nearly as nice, loving, friendly, smiley or good natured as mine

Ring her back, tell her you thought she was so helpful but are struggling, what with the sleep deprivation, to remember it all.

Ask them to e-mail you the information.

Send it back to them in about 8 months time!

I liked what Different said

I would ignore them for now. They obviously think their baby is going to conform exactly to what they have been reading.

However YANBU for being annoyed. I had PND and was on anti depresants (not the first time I had been on them). I came off them and a few months later I had a little wobble and thought I was getting depressed again, after 3 times I do recognise the signs. I was talking to a friend (I use the term losely now with her) who I have known since we were 10 and telling her I was feeling down again. This friend is childess btw so has no idea how the hormones etc effect you.

She was telling me that "you don't want to go down that route again" etc etc, big lecture, about going back on the tablets (luckily I didn't and it was a minor blip) but she seemed to think she knew something about a subject that she has absolutely no experience of. While she may have thought she was being helpful, it just pissed me off tbh.

YANBU to be annoyed but you have to cut them some slack frankly. We all made idiots of ourselves before we had children.

My childless friend is a fountain of advice, all based on her cat. "Oh yes, sometimes Tiddles won't sleep/ eat/ sulks etc., the way I get around it is x, you should try that with babyslattern". I just smile faintly and change the subject.

What sort of things did they say then?

@ fruitstick, bloody genius idea - I have a friend who is an expert on EVERYTHING and will remember that one for future reference!