What’s the most bizarre parenting advice you’ve received from your in-laws? Get involved with Hotel Transylvania 2 for a chance to win a £300 voucher! NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

Hotel Transylvania 2 have asked us to find out what the most bizarre advice is Mumsnetters have ever received from their parents in law….

In Hotel Transylvania 2, Drac is worried that his adorable half-human, half-vampire grandson, Dennis, isn’t showing signs of being a vampire. So while his mother Mavis is busy visiting her human in-laws with Johnny – and in for a major cultural shock of her own – “Vampa” Drac enlists his friends Frank, Murray, Wayne and Griffin to put Dennis through a “monster-in-training” boot camp. Mumsnetters everywhere will be familiar with differences in opinion with their in-laws although perhaps not quite on this scale…!

You can watch a clip from the film below

So, what’s the most bizarre piece of parenting advice you have ever received from your in laws? Maybe they they’ve got some peculiar natural remedies they suggested you use? Have they told you that they’ve found a fool proof way of getting your DC to sleep by just singing them a particular lullaby? Perhaps they think they’ve somehow come up with a way to make your DC do everything you tell them? Whatever it is, we’d love to hear it!

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 Love2Shop voucher! Runners up can also win 1 of 3 exclusive Hotel Transylvania 2 goody bags!

#HotelT2 is At Cinemas October 16 in 3D.

Thanks
MNHQ

My MIL told me not to buy a crib just to put the new baby in a drawer to sleep until it was big enough to go into a cot!

My MIL told me not to buy a crib just to put the new baby in a drawer to sleep until it was big enough to go into a cot!

Wrap them up million times over when they have a fever.

This was more physical 'advice' than verbal - but when we went to stay with MIL when LO was a couple of weeks old, he was in the moses basket most of the time. I was paranoid about him getting tangled in the blanket - so would constantly check he was feet to foot in the basket. I'd leave the room for a moment & MIL would KEEP moving his head up to the top of the basket!! I didn't feel confident in telling her, I was still pretty fragile post-birth & couldn't face the confrontation - so we had this silent battle of moving LO up or down the moses basket.. I was persistent though & wore her down in the end!!

My MIL said she always found a few drops of whisky in the last bottle at night made her three boys sleep right through.......

My MIL thankfully never interfered too much thankfully, but she did always want to offer my baby DD totally inappropriate things to eat just 'to taste' - and this was before I'd even weaned her!

rub whiskey on their gums at night for bad teething was advised. We never used this remedy however.

Put a rusk in their bottle it will make them sleep longer, not sure how I would do that as I was breastfeeding and rusks aren't recommended for newborns!

My mother in law told me to put whiskey in the baby bottle for teething...yikes

DS is severely developmentally delayed and has a problem with his bladder where he can't hold on wee at all and it just trickles out all the time.

DSs dad's dad told me that his aunt commented on it at Christmas and said he'd be dry if we just took him out of nappies

I asked him how that would help DSs bladder work and he back tracked and said 'oh I don't agree, she is old'

2 years later and with the right medication for his bladder and he's doing pretty well with his toiletting.

I never understand why it is only the parents of boys who give bizarre advice. Why is a MIL likely to give more bizarre advice than a mother?
What happens when you have a DS and a DD - does the first get the funny advice and the second the completely sensible advice?

I realise that it is a light hearted thread but it is something that irritates me!

Don't let them snack!!

I don't have any in laws but a bad piece of advice I was given was let them eat dirt as it helps them cope with germs

To let them 'cry a bit' when putting them down for a sleep.

And to not bother putting them down for naps in their bed because they'll just fall asleep wherever they are if they're tired enough (one of theirs fell asleep on the stairs once and they thought this was perfectly acceptable parenting). Hmm no thanks, I'd rather they sleep somewhere comfortable and safe.

my mil use to walk her kids behind a tarmac lorry to inhale the fumes thinking it would be good for the lungs and pin blocks of camphor to their clothes to prevent colds.

My MIL said I should wrap my daughter up when she sleeps and put her in the pram in the back garden as the fresh air would be good for her.

Let her hurt herself, she'll not do it again!

Our inlaws mean well but I usually take their advice with a pinch of salt

" Babies need weaning at 12 weeks"

" always tuck their tops in to their trousers or they will catch a cold"

" Don't give them too much attention as its setting them up for a fall later in life"

Make sure the baby is in bed upstairs with the door closed when dh (their darling son) gets home as he will be tired and not ready to deal with a tired baby???? Baby was 2 weeks old at the time.

most pieces of advice are pretty bizarre

If you put the baby in the garage you wont hear him cry- Im sure this was a joke though :) xx

Tip a bag of crisps on the floor when they are learning to crawl - it is an incentive and builds their immune system also (from the added carpet germs and doghair I think the reasoning was) [Hmm] Needless to say we politely declined to do this.

In summary, give them booze to make them sleep - if that fails, put them as far away from you as possible so you can't hear their cries. Simples, no?

Dip a dummy in whisky when she's teething every time she cries!
Never left PIL with her alone after that!