Get Ready for Parenting Advice- Left, Right and Center

If there is one thing you will receive a lot of now that you are going to become a parent is free advice. Whether you ask for it or not, whether you agree with it or not, you are going to be bombarded with advice left, right and center. After all it’s free, so everyone loves giving some.

What Should I do about all the Free Parenting Advice I get?

You can turn a deaf ear to all the aunts and uncles, in-laws, friends and even strangers who volunteer parenting advice. Your mom says the baby will sleep best on his belly as that was the parenting advice of the 60s and 70s. Your sister swears her daughter slept through the night on her side, and your doctor recommends that back is best for your baby. Because the pediatrician’s advice is based on hard science that sleeping on the back reduces the chances of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), you should probably go with your doctor.

However, for other non-life-threatening situations, go with your gut. After all it is you who has to stay with the baby 24/7 and you need to do what you need to do. So if friend A is an advocate for the pacifier whereas friend B says stay away from it like you would from the plague, see what suits you and your baby. Does the binky soothe your little one to sleep and give you some much needed rest? Then, that is all you need to know.

You also get a lot of parenting advice from the plethora of magazines and emails you are swamped with, especially if you so little as register somewhere or fill in a form on a website that you are expecting a baby.

And if it’s your first then you are prime property for advertisers.

So what should you do with all the printed parenting advice you’ll get? Take it with a grain of salt. Some time-tested tips from real life moms, dieticians, lactation specialists and teachers can be very useful. However, if you feel you need to adapt some parenting advice to your specific needs, feel welcome to.

And what should a new or expectant parent do about ‘parenting advice’ from someone selling something? If you get advice from paid endorsers that only musical potty seats can toilet train your kid in a day, do not fall for it. Millions of babies grow up to be healthy individuals regardless of whether their wipes were warmed before use or their crib sheets matched the window valence.