What's the most irritating piece of unsolicited parenting advice you've ever endured?

[HumphreyComfreyCushion]

One of mine was:
being told by a woman serving in a mobile fish and chip van that I was damaging my children's career prospects by home educating them.

Mil told me to dip bananas in sugar to help ds when he was weeks old and teething! She also advised feeding him carnation milk instead of all those fancy formulas! Latest priceless nugget of advice was when she told me to let dd (3) wear her shoes on the wrong feet to srengthen her arches!! That's why I pay £36 for Startrite then so she can have properly fitted shoes then wear them on the wrong feet!

I know it's a cliche - but I was always upset by people telling me not to pick up my crying baby because I was "making a rod for my own back".

I banned that phrase from the house...

Never heard about the one about wearing shoes on the wrong feet - thank goodness!

Often heard the one about not picking up a crying baby - and been extremely irritated by it!

to soak my dds dummy (which she would never take to and was a very grumpy baby) in honey!!!!

Mmm great , rotting teeth that are not through yet, and possibly salmonella....nice, thanks Mum

Message withdrawn

Actually the very worst one was prior to my being a mother.

On hearing of my MC my mother's comment to me was 'Never mind, what you never have, you never miss'

twisted bitch!

MB.

After losing my baby at 24 weeks, my friend's mother told me that "he was just a late miscarriage"!

A lengthy talk on how my DS could have baby fruit juice now, at 4 months, because "it says so on the label", he was going to get dehydrated, showed how to use sterilising microwave bags... all by a woman id just met. She talked to me asif I was 12. Her daughter was the only one who said "rod for your own back" comment, but I didnt say anything because she looked the sort to thump me if I did!

What was more stupid, was my husbands aunts fancy peice, telling me to stop BFing when DS could talk, as its sick and controlling. I said, "im aiming for about a year", and he said "DONT go beyond that". Wally.

at least 5 different peoiple have gone o about not letting dd2 sukc her thumb. Apparently I HAVE to give her a dummy instead cause you can take that away but you can't take away her thumb

californifright, I completely misunderstood your first post!

Thought your HV had referred to your baby as a "collocky 3month old Potato"!!

Well, I've killed the thread with my vegetable related mistake, I fear.

MIL always used to say smaller babies were better/healthier. She had small babies. Probably because she's small herself. So did SIL but that's because she smoked throughout both pregnancies. Mine weighed between 6.5 & 8.5 lbs and according to MIL were less healthy!

why, what do Germans say about reigns?

MIL & used to let SILs infants fall asleep with tiny feeding bottles full of honey stuck in their mouths. She told me mine would sleep better and have less colds if I did the same. I don't know if SILs 2DC had less colds but they certainly had rotten milk teeth.....SIL was most put out when dentist told her DNs teeth were the worst he had seen in a longtime.

You can't take a newborn to the supermarket, they are full of germs.

You have to have an old-fashioned baby bath on a stand that you use in the sitting room because bathrooms are cold and full of germs that leap out of the loo when it flushes.

Both from my mother. Whose house is NOT a shrine to cleanliness. Not scuzzy, but not obsessive compulsively clean.

Midwife in hospital telling me to take my ds off my breast after he had fallen asleep after a feed because he is just "comfort sucking".

What's wrong with comfort sucking and what place is it for her to dish out this advice? As a second time mother, I just ignored her but I can see myself as a first time mum being intimidated.

'Enjoy it while it lasts' when DD1 was very small and I was going insane.

All the doom and gloom about how I must be exhausted because DD is so young and I'll never sleep again because once she gets into a routine she'll start teething, which will be a complete nightmare, and I may as well start introducing bottles now because I'll be completely knackered if I keep BFing...
I'm fine!
Mind you, I also get irritated by the comments from my nearest and dearest (DM, DF and DH) that I look really well and they're so impressed with how brilliantly I'm coping. I won't mind a bit of pampering and indulging!

I have had so many 'if it were good enough for babies in my day it is now'

And repeatedly been laughed at for not giving DS Peanut Butter, Honey ect before he was old enough.

"Babies are sick Mrs Ghosty, it is called 'possetting'" from my gp when DS was 3 weeks old and had a potentially life threatening condition that caused him to projectile vomit every feed .... he was starving and needed an operation to fix the problem ....