Old Parenting Tips to Disregard

As parents, especially new parents, we are often bombarded with advice. Friends, family members, and even strangers all love to give their two sense! The trouble is the advice is usually conflicting and downright confusing. Advice from mothers, mother-in-laws and grandmothers can be…well a bit old school and outdated.

Here are some examples of “old” advice that people frequently are told.

“Give your newborn some water in their bottle. They need to be hydrated.”

Giving newborns and infants water can be downright dangerous. Whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding, that is the only liquid they need. It can cause insufficient weight gain, a lack of nutrients, decreased milk supply and chemical imbalance. Babies do not need water until solids are introduced, then giving them sips of water is perfectly fine.

“If you want your baby to sleep through the night, fill them up more! Add rice cereal to their bottle.”

This piece of advice is still circulated quite frequently. The American Association of Pediatrics recommends not starting your baby on solids until at least 6 months of age. A newborn or infant’s digestive system is not ready for solids early on. Rice cereal specifically is highly refined, low in nutrition and full of synthetic vitamins that are hard to digest. Feeding your baby on-demand is important. This ensures your baby is getting what they need even if it means waking up multiple times a night. That is normal!

“If you hold your baby too much, you will spoil them!”

You cannot spoil a newborn, they need and want to be held. They were held by their mother’s womb for 9 months and being held close is very comforting. Some benefits of holding your baby frequently are:

• Reduces crying

• Breastfeeding is easier and more frequent

• Your voice is soothing

• Helps with cognitive development

• Protects infant health

• Build parental confidence

“Your baby is constipated? Give them Karo Syrup in their bottle.”

Breastfed babies very rarely becoming truly constipated. Formula fed babies can become constipated but corn syrup in a bottle is definitely not the answer! If your baby is straining with bowel movements or not having any, call their pediatrician.

“Never wake a sleeping baby!”

Eventually? Yes. As a newborn, you make need to wake them to feed them. In the first couple of weeks, an overly sleepy baby is a hungry baby and it important you stimulate them so they will eat. It is recommended that newborns are fed on-demand. Long breaks in between feedings (more than 2-3 hours) should not happen until your baby is at least back up to birth weight.