What's the worst piece of advice you have ever been given re parenting?

[grumblingirl]

Mine include:

1. Strapping ds2 into his cot by tying a sheet tightly round the mattress and base so he can't wriggle about at night. My reply 'A bit like a straight jacket for babies eh?'

1. Putting my newborn in a (used) furry soft dog house as a playpen/sleeping basket (offer of 'giving' us the dog house included)

1. Stick a dummy onto LO's face with sticky tape so it doesn't fall out at night - This one was a joke though because I was moaning about lack of sleep (again).

Please tell me I'm not the only one who gets this crackers kind of advice?

My mum told me about phenigan, she used to dose me up then start swigging it herself, I was quite a difficult baby by all accounts! When I tell my dad now dd still isn't sleeping he says 'you get no sympathy from me, what goes around comes around' Like I purposefully kept them awake for 2 years and now I'm getting my comeuppance.

My mil told me to start potty training ds as soon as he could sit up. She also said that i should wipe his face with his NAPPY his USED nappy!! To stop him having acne as a teen. I was like.... :O uh?

OH god, yes, the 'crying is good for their lungs' gem. My mother came out with that one a few times.

'Perhaps he's THIRSTY, give him some water instead of milk all the time'... er, breastmilk is 88% water!!

Ha ha - like the thirsty one.

My dad bought me a bottle so I could give DS some water cos he was thirsty (aw bless...) when I was bfing.

He also kept encouraging me to stop bfing as it was bad for me...

He does mean well tho.

My SIL also told me that 'sigh, well, babies just cry' when DS had really foul colic. Could have happily slapped her as had already had 1 DD with collic (a teenager when SIL gave me this advice on what babies do) and she was on her PFB...

BUT there was some karma - her DS stopped sleeping when he was 6 m/o, having been the perfect baby before then, when the advice was on tap

dd1 slept in our bedroom until she was about 1 year old. For her first birthday I decorated her new bedroom and my mil told me that I "shouldn't do any decorating until dd1 has stopped teething as she'll end up allergic to the smell of paint otherwise!"

Needless to say I ignored her and dd1 was moved into her room the following week quite happily and doesn't seem to have any reactions to paint.

Mil also asked me if dd1 ever got some water and sugar to drink just for a change as all that milk can make you thirsty this was when dd1 was about 2 weeks old and exclusively breastfed.

I am on a different tack here: I was aware of lots of info encouraging parents not to overheat baby or use too many blankets etc.
No one told me that the first few hours are very different. My healthy baby got so cold in the hospital that she refused to feed until kitted out with a woolly hat and put under a special heater.
Thankfully, my local hospital is good at supporting breastfeeding. We could have done without this shaky start though.

just received it yesterday from my mum. my DD (7) said at breakfast yesterday 'mummy i am worried you are not pretty enough for daddy and he might split up from you and that makes me sad'

• obviously not the best start to the week or the most ego-boosting for me!!! but she said it anxiously and i think it's bcs her friend has her parents splitting up at the mo. so obviously - talked about it, reassured, and took a look in the mirror with a critical eye once she was at school!!

told my mum - really just to amuse her - her reaction: 'i hope you slapped her'

REALLY hoping i don't turn into my mother anytime soon...

By hollyandnoah on Mon 17-Nov-08 23:11:40

My mil told me to start potty training ds as soon as he could sit up.

I started sitting my girls on the potty once or twice a day once they could sit up on thier own, so at about 7 months or so. No big deal, just 5 or 10 minutes sitting on it) generally first thing in the morning and again in the afternoon sometime, and both of them stopped wearing nappies, of thier own accord ("no nappy mummy!") when they were 20 (ish) months old. They did wear a nappy at night for another year or so, but they were both dry (and clean) in the day before they were two years old. I am fairly sure this early, gentle introduction of the potty was key in this.