Baby 'n Me ~ Take Advice with a Grain of Salt

Examples of this are:

To get rid of a fever, bathe child in water with alcohol’ – alcohol actually evaporates on the
skin which makes baby shiver, generating more heat. Again this is what you did when we
were little but it’s no longer recommended.

‘Feed baby pablum early on (as early as at 6 weeks) to help baby sleep through the night’
– I tried this but it didn’t seem to work for my night hawk child! However I did research
the topic and found that there is no evidence supporting the claim that it helps baby sleep
longer at this age; in fact feeding baby too early can lead to them developing food
allergies. Their little systems are not ready for solids at such a young age. Most
pediatricians recommend waiting until baby is 6 months old to introduce solids.

‘Don’t let baby stand too early as it will lead to them becoming bowlegged’ – Babies are
resilient. Doctors recommend allowing them to stand to encourage strength in their legs
as long as - or as early as - they seem comfortable.

'Letting baby cry helps to strengthen her lungs' - Crying is not good for your little one's
lung development. In fact, research has shown that when a baby's cries are not soothed
heart rates can reached worrisome levels, and oxygen levels lowered in their blood. When
these infants' cries were soothed, their cardiovascular system rapidly returned to normal,
showing how quickly babies recognize the status of well being on a physiologic level.

I’m not claiming to be a pro when it comes to these issues. I received advice popular websites
like AskDrSears.com and from family and friends and simply ‘googled’ it. The Internet is a
valuable tool that allows you to look anything up in seconds. So, if you get advice and you’re
unsure of how you feel about it, take a couple of minutes and search the web.