Stupid parenting advice you've been given

[Lillieslamb]

What 'stupid' parenting advice have people given you?

The ones that stand out to me:
Put whiskey in dd's milk to make her sleep
Give dd multi vitamins instead of milk as she doesn't need it now (at about 6 or 7 months old)
And my friend was once told a ham sandwich would cure her baby's cold!

Where do people even get these things?

[Lillieslamb]

If he read it on Facebook, it must be true.

[NerrSnerr]

I forgot about the ikea delivery man who told me that I should turn Peppa Pig off as it causes autism. He told me he'd read it on Facebook.

[LottieDoubtie]

Oh and from a random man in Tesco's - he smiled at me when I was with my whinging toddler, then lent over and said 'you should never let him be unhappy, I never let my children be unhappy, I would have given him some chocolate to eat on the way round the shop by now, it's cruel to say no to them'.

[LottieDoubtie]

From my HV- from about 8 weeks put the baby upstairs to sleep at 7, go downstairs 'have an evening' go up and feed him between 10-11 and then go to sleep yourself, he will then sleep til 5 when you should feed again.

Me- isn't that against the safe sleeping advice that babies should sleep in the same room as someone else?

Her- (horrified) but you can't do that, you need to have an evening.

Me- do you seriously think I can just make him go from 11-5 without a feed at 8 weeks?

Her- (cross now) of course you can, it will be very hard for you if you don't follow the routine I've just set out.

Me:

This was 2014 and the HV was pretty young so no assumptions about past advice and how things used to be are relevant.

[lizzieoak]

Constantly being told when ds was aged 3-12 that he should not be vegetarian because "he'll never grow to his full height". He's now 6"1 & not adult yet. Growing much more seems somewhat unnecessary.

[Lillieslamb]

Ginger - don't worry, I always slept when dd did too! Not now, but a lot of the time until she was about 6 months. I stopped after then as her night time sleep started getting better. I think some people need more sleep than others.

[Ginger782]

I feel so guilty after reading this thread. I actually sleep when the baby sleeps. I'm so ashamed.
Note: my house is not spotless. Which my PIL's have noticed...and have called me lazy for not cleaning enough/sleeping all the time "is there something wrong with her? Why has she let the house go? Why is she sleeping all the time? Does she have PND? She obviously isn't coping" No, arsehats, I'm coping BECAUSE I get so much sleep. If PIL's wanted to help they could bring a mop next time.

[BlueeSpottyTiger]

Yep sleep when baby sleeps 😂😣 My mum still says this to me and dd is 15m. She did actually sleep when the baby slept(my brother) and her house was always spotless.. How!?!?

[Tiredlyofthis]

Oh and I was also told maybe my breastmilk was "too rich" that's why my baby with reflex was spitting up and I should give her a bottle instead

[Tiredlyofthis]

My newborn woke up hungry. I was told not to feed her straight away as she needed to wake up properly before she could have any milk

[gemma19846]

Nap when baby naps 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[Elledouble]

"Get him on the baby rice! I weaned mine at 12 weeks and they're fine!"

Hmm. No.

My mother tried not to offer too much advice but she made suggestions in a supportive way. She was a bit weirded out that I carried on breastfeeding until 16 months (you could give babies cow's milk from 6 months in the 80s!) but she knew better than to make her opinion heard too much.

[WellThisIsShit]

My mother was astonished to see me hold and cuddle DS when DS was born. She said the GP told her not to pick me up when I was born unless she couldn't avoid it, as I'd get spoilt. He also said that new norms don't 'like being interfered with' and it's best to leave them on their own!

I wonder why I have no bond with my mother, humm...

[tired88]

anything that's ever came out of my MIL mouth

[angryladyboobs]

"Sleep when the baby sleeps"

Haha who the fuck has time for that?!?!

[LemonyFresh]

My mum constantly asks when DS is due a feed.

Every time I tell her he's fed on demand how am I supposed to know when he fancies a bit of food?!

[LemonyFresh]

I was told to put rice - as in adult rice - in DS bottle at 6 weeks old.

Sat in a sunny pub garden my dad shouting 'oh youre not one of those women who get all out and show off are you' in reference to breastfeeding.

I combi feed so made DS a bottle instead 😞

Why is it the baby boomer generation have such a problem with breast feeding!

[Willow2017]

God some of these are horrendous

I had a hv ask me every sodding time I went from time baby was 10 weeks if I was weaning yet, despite the guidelines being not before 16 weeks.

She also told me that my baby had 'milk spots' on his nose cos he drank milk!!
Well I didn't think anything else came out my boobs!

I asked to change hvs 😀

[Lillieslamb]

melania

[MelaniaMacron]

"Before you freeze the breastmilk you express, why don't you add a bit of hot chocolate powder?"

[Anditstartsagain]

Don't let ds run or climb incase he falls she meant ever her kids were not ever allowed to run or climb they are 7 and 9 now.

[2littlemoos]

That I should start giving my ebf baby formula because I don't know how much she is having and babies have died from dehydration. Yes mum. You are an idiot.

[Anatidae]

I actually find a lot of it quite distressing. Did you leave me in my pram and go indoors and let me cry for the whole afternoon? That's fucking awful and it's no wonder I'm in therapy....

[Anatidae]

Men have nipples because they're included in the basic body plan and have developed before the SRY gene turns on and kicks the embryo down the male physical development path.

God I've had some utterly shocking advice. Mil thinks that ds can be 'just told to leave the kitchen chemicals alone'. She gets twitchy when she sees them in a secure plastic crate out of reach on the worktop. She wants to leave him unattended outside to sleep.

I hardly class myself a a hippy attachment type but ffs it's physically uncomfortable listening to some of this advice. Leave them to cry, shove them in the pram in the garden when they cry and go indoors, don't pick them up, put them in their own room from birth and ignore themnif they cry etc etc.

He's just wanting attention, well yes, he's four weeks old, he's not some kind of fucking Machiavellian genius plotting to take over *

• well he is now at 19 months and we are terribly proud