what are the most absurd bits of advice you've received as mums

[hushshessleeping]

dd's great grandmother on dh's side has helpfully advised me 'not to stoop'when pregnant, to tie a cord around the top of my stomach so the baby wouldn't go too far up, to 'stretch' the baby's neck so it doesn't stay too short, to harden up my nipples using methylated spirits. She's from Guyana. She also told me that putting salt under her baby's tongue soon put a stop to his biting. It's a wonder the MIL and uncles ever survived!!

My Mum was told by Plunket nurse/health visitor that the reason I wouldn't take the bottle and was crying and miserable was that she was a bad mother (she was 20 and hundreds of miles from her family). In tears at the neighbours, the neighbour checked that bottle teat and found out it wasn't letting enough milk through!!!

and another one a student hv told me i didn't need to change dd's nappy as often needless to say that when dd ended up with bad nappy rash - i still feel bad about that one - i realised the error and changed as often as wet.

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MIL told me to briskly scrub my nips with a toothbrush throughout pregnancies to 'toughen them up' for BF - OUCH!! Mums from the 1970's deffo obsessed with the 4 hourly feeding schedule and giving solids from about 2 weeks...

MIL told me that if I had a gin and tonic before bf, my 4 week old would sleep for 13 hours+. We were happy if he slept for 4 hours...

'Don't change your baby too quickly - they find sitting in their own poo warm and comforting'

'Don't let your baby/toddler sit near a door/window/outside or they might catch pneumonia' (sage advice given whilst sitting INSIDE a French cafe during 40c summer heatwave, sweat beading on DS's head ...)

'My mother started giving me weetabix when I was 10 days old and it's never done me any harm' said ruddy cheeked "expert" whilst rubbing his portly tum.