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?

I used to give mine cooled boiled water. They was both formula fed and born in the winter so the heating was on a lot. They both had terrible reflux and I used to worry about them getting dehydrated.

Oh probably best by far. "Let them cry. They'll piss less" saves on nappies

Ah, funnyfarmer, that's really made me sad. Well done for trusting yourself, and sticking with your own very sensible ideas.

Aw don't be sad. At least I'll be young enough not to inflict my own crazy old fashioned parenting tips on my dd.
Can you imagine though 15-30 years time?
"Fgs dm/dmil its already been prooven we ate way to many e-numbers and beef as children for bf to be beneficial for our babies. Everyone knows hyena milk is best.
This isn't the 00's anymore."
"Are you seriously suggesting I let my babies suck on a lump of latex just so I can get a bit of peace? How selfish was you all back in the 00's. It's been proven that if babies don't settle suckling df's nipples is the most comforting."
"And I can't believe you pushed them round in pushchairs and prams at arms length!
No wonder out generation has detachment issues."
And don't get me started on disposal nappies!!"

I love hearing, "Sleep when the baby sleeps."

Yes, and do your housework while the baby does their housework, do your shopping when the baby does their shopping, catch up with American Horror Story while the baby catches up with American Horror Story...

FFS.

And our old fashioned sexist veiws that it should be mothers and not fathers who should stay at home with baby for the 1st few weeks.
I know it's slowly starting to happen now with men being entitled to maternity leave. But I think our generation my struggle with the concept if it became the norm

Funnyfarmer, at your suggestions for the future post

Funnily enough I always thought 'sleep when the baby sleeps' was decent advice. If you are shattered and desperate then missing out on an hours worth of washing/tidying doesn't matter, surely? Unless I'm missing something really obvious. Obviously it would work if you had more than one DC!

Haha funnyfarmer, I often wonder the same about advise!

I must say that I did used to sleep when dd slept. For the first few weeks I was obsessed with trying to have a perfect house and dinner on the table, it never happened and I felt so guilty, not to mention was exhausted. Then Dh said "I don't care if there's dust on the tv unit or I cook dinner when I get home from work, you need to look after yourself". Obviously this advice is near impossible when you have more than one child though!

I've read that in some cultures baby does actually suckle on the fathers nipples for comfort .
Suppose it could explain the age old question as to why men have nipples?
I actually think it would be quite nice for both baby and father.

Yes, and do your housework while the baby does their housework, do your shopping when the baby does their shopping, catch up with American Horror Story while the baby catches up with American Horror Story...

Sleep when the baby sleeps is OK except sometimes you just want to be an awake human without a baby hanging off you.

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

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....

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.

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.

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

melania

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 😀

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!

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?!

"Sleep when the baby sleeps"

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

anything that's ever came out of my MIL mouth

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...

"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.