Advice - misguided, weird or just plain laughable!

[lovemybub]

Okay folks. We've all had plenty of advice I'm sure (that's partly why we're bubhubbers, isn't it?).

But along with the useful, I'm sure many of us have had plenty of advice to which we've smiled and nodded, and thought "Not on your life", or perhaps gone home and had a jolly good chuckle at. So fess up, what advice have you received that you now look at and laugh, shudder or simply drop your jaw at?

Here's some to get you started:

1. When DD was three weeks old (and sleeping by our bed in a bassinet) I was told that by four months we would want her out of our room. She's now 10 months and I don't even want her out of our bed, let alone our room...

2. Apparently we should no longer be telling our children "No" because this is negative. We should be asking them to 'abstain' instead (my sister (a nanny) told me she read this recently). I can just see me now, when my daughter is reaching up to touch the boiling pot, saying "Please abstain from touching that pot Elizabeth. You might burn yourself" :confused:

3. When I first found out I was pregnant, I was told that I might have to 'prepare' my nipples for the rigours of breastfeeding, and that someone they knew had filed their nipples with a nailfile while they were pregnant to toughen them up :eek: (admitedly this was 50 years ago).

I'm sure I'll think of more... but it's your turn now.

[cheezelkat]

Letting my boy at 2 weeks cry to strengthen his lungs :rolleyes:

[MissBrightside]

All I can say is ow at your number 3!
One I can remember is to put honey my month olds dummy, so he would take it better. Mind you he had no problem with sucking on his dummy.

[the_queen]

"Don't carry that kid around all day long, and don't let him sleep on you during the day - he'll get all clingy and he'll never learn to go to sleep by himself!!"
About my 4 month old - who has just now put himself to sleep, by himself, in his side-carred-cot, for about the 3rd time today. He loves going to sleep on me, he loves cuddling with me, but he gets enough of my cuddles that he is occasionally able to indicate "ok mum, enough's enough, give me some space now" and put himself to sleep quite happily :cool:


"Using all those big words will just confuse the poor girl, she'll never understand what you're talking about!"
About my now 5 yr old daughter - who regularly uses 4 and 5 syllable words (eg innapropriate; ridiculous; absolutely) in correct context, and who could debate her way out of a war crimes tribunal.


"Your daughter will be born with a bilateral cleft lip. What, breastfeed? Hahahaha no, why even bother trying??"
From a bloody idiot male specialist, during an ultrasound. And *insert Young-Ones-style 2 fingered salute here* to you mate, she and I breastfed for 4 months :yelclap:

[FunkyMonkey]

I was told by my MIL to slap my 2wk old son on the cheek, to "Snap him out of it" referring to a particulary ernest howling session. I told her that if she ever suggested something like that again, her visits would be supervised at all times, (and maybe I threw in a few swear words too...:rolleyes:)
I've also had people tell me to let him scream, to toughen him up, but of course those people are ignored and avoided.
There is more but it's too late to think of any more.

[lovemybub]

Actually, another one was the suggestion to lose the dummy because DD would develop a dummy dependency and continually wake up when she lost the dummy.

I tried for two days, but gave up after two days of permanent attachment to DD at the breast and some rather sore nipples! Incidentally, we still use the dummy, and it frequently falls out at night. She rarely wakes at this, and on the occasions that she does, she has become fairly adept at putting it back in herself!

The other one is the 'don't feed your baby to sleep' advice. They had me convinced for a while, until I read that breastfeeding releases a natural sedative in the mother which is passed on to the baby, and discovered that feeding to sleep is one of my favourite things *insert 'sound of music' playover* :smiliedance:

[the_queen]

I like boobying the baby to sleep too. Hey, what's the first bit of advice given to grown-ups who can't sleep? Drink some warm milk. Um, hello? Why shouldn't babies get to do that too?? :D

[FunkyMonkey]

My boy will wake during the night if not "boobied" to sleep to his satisfaction.
He sometimes goes to sleep with a dummy but doesn't usually worry if it falls out.
I'm sure my MIL would love to tell me I'm doing horribly with my bub but seeing as though he's generally really content and rarely makes much of a fuss, she only ever able to whinge about my "housekeeping abilities." :laughing:(she has plenty of advise about everything to do with cleaning, but i know for a fact she rarely does any herself)

[lovemybub]

she only ever able to whinge about my "housekeeping abilities."

You mean we're supposed to keep house as well?!?!?! :banghead:

One piece of good advice I got was that babies are only young once. The housework will always be there. That's my motto and I'm sticking to it :D

[KaM]

Okay . .now I have the oddest one ever. .and just to top it off . .it came from a man . .and not just any man . .the armaguard officer who used to come collect our banking when I was working while pregnant . .his advice??

To rub baby oil into your pregnant belly a few times a day because his wife did the same thing and their baby has absolutely beautiful skin :eek: :eek: :eek:

Rove says it best .. WHAT THE?!

[xkwzit]

Hi All

Some of you might enjoy this (http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=33858&highlight=apple+core) thread, bought to you from the bubhub library.

Cheers:D

[Gloominous]

rubbing a coin along gums to break the skin so teeth can come through!!

[justrace]

I got told for wind pain, warm vodka and rub it into their tummy :confused:

I always get told about the honey on the dummy and if he's having a bad day that I should switch to formula, as he's probably hungry :laughing:

[lovemybub]

rubbing a coin along gums to break the skin so teeth can come through!!

I have also been told that if you press the gums with a spoon that will help the tooth come through. I guess that's kind of along the same lines.