What is the worst/dumbest thing anyone has ever said to you about parenting stuff? V - Page 6

[4myfinn]

When our son had colic, our neighbor advised us to give him a little 7-UP mixed with water in a bottle to help ease his tummy! He said that's what they did with their three children and it seemed to help them. I just stared at him and said, "You want me to give my newborn baby soda pop?!" Amazing!!!

[4myfinn]

Originally Posted by AFWife

Another from this weekend: (same guy actually)

*me changing DS's diaper*
D: Is that...
Me: Cloth diapers, yep.
D: Isnt' that expensive?
DH: Well, only at first but after the initial investment...
D: Oh, you wash them???
Me and DH: *pause and look at each other* yes...


I wanted to say, "Hell no, we're rolling in money and just throw them away after each pee!"

This guy sounds like pure entertainment!

[Eligracey]

When my MIL was visiting me last month, she told me "If you need a break from the baby (12 months old at the time), just put him in his crib with some toys while you take a nap. An hour or so in there won't hurt him!"

Maybe this parenting advice works for some babies, not trying to criticize anyone if you do this and your baby is fine with it, but my extremely active toddler would scream for about the last 55 minutes of that time. How am I supposed to sleep through that???

I can't remember if I've already posted this, but other gems from MIL include things like when the baby was a newborn telling me that if he was fussy before 4 hours after a feeding, it was most likely gas rather than hunger and I should give him a peppermint stick to suck on to soothe his belly. Apparently it was a "livesaver" for her kids. Um, perhaps because they were STARVING and candy has calories so shuts them up?

She also told me that my baby got ear infections because cold wind got into his ears when I would take him outside. Apparently I'm supposed to put cotton balls in his ears to keep out the wind. Ever heard of Pasteur's Germ Theory?

[crunchy_mommy]

My mom & I were out for lunch with my DS (then 6-7 mos or so) and talking about what DS eats. I said broccoli, sweet potatoes, avocados, brown rice, etc. So she says, Oh so really healthy stuff? I say, Yup! He eats what I eat & I want him to develop a taste for healthy food, not junk.

Not 3 minutes later, we get our food & she says, Can I give him a french fry?

[elus0814]

When my first baby was a newborn my mom somehow convinced me to stay with her for a few week so she could "help". I was very young, I had a spinal headache from the horrible epidural that was given while I was pushing and never worked, and I had a fussy baby that I was having a terrible time trying to nurse. All I wanted to do was lay in bed (a spinal headache only goes away when you are laying down) and let the baby sleep next to me but she made me put the baby in a bassinet in another room and get up and try to nurse him in a chair in that room. She also kept inviting people over and having me come downstairs to entertain them for hours. I would be crying in pain and could barely keep my eyes open, anyone who came over would tell me I needed to go back to bed but she would just tell them I was fine. One day when he was maybe three days old there was a house full of people and she kept passing the baby from one person to the next I got really upset because I wanted to hold him. I went upstairs and sobbed, she came up to find out why I wasn't downstairs with everyone and when she saw me crying she put on this mocking pouty face and said "is someone suffering from postpartum depression". I cried a bit longer then went back downstairs and took the baby upstairs to take a nap. That night during one of the nighttime pain filled feeding sessions in the baby's room she just stood at the door to "supervise", she never helped with anything. While she was standing there telling me I needed to let him cry I picked him up to comfort him and she said "well doesn't he just have you wrapped around his little finger". Like a three day old baby is capable of manipulation. I figured out then that she had no clue and she was why I never felt close to her growing up. She was mean!

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy

Not 3 minutes later, we get our food & she says, Can I give him a french fry?

So she asked? I mean I get it's totally not in the usual diet, but I could see asking. Well, as long as she accepted "no, he's fine" without any fussing.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by elus0814

When my first baby was a newborn my mom somehow convinced me to stay with her for a few week so she could "help". ... She was mean!

O.M.G. I hope you've told her off since then. I daresay she'd deny it, but it'd at least let you say "remember all that stuff I yelled at you about? Yeah, that's why you won't be alone with my kids ever." Assuming, that is, that you still speak to her, which I could see not doing.

[wrappedupmama]

My little ones are high needs and I've accepted this (though I still have my moments of frustration). So we were at a restaurant and DS is 5 months old and honestly not being all that bad, especially for him. He hates when I sit down to eat no matter where we are. He wanted to nurse, but it was cold so I was putting his jacket on first. He was fussing a little because he didn't want to wait. Well an old woman at the table next to us says "he can have some of my scotch, that will keep him quiet." I responded "umm no, he just wants to nurse." What is wrong with people!

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

So she asked? I mean I get it's totally not in the usual diet, but I could see asking. Well, as long as she accepted "no, he's fine" without any fussing.

LOL well if you knew me, I'm super strict about food, so I was shocked she even asked!

[ErinYay]

Originally Posted by elus0814

I was very young, I had a spinal headache from the horrible epidural that was given while I was pushing and never worked, and I had a fussy baby that I was having a terrible time trying to nurse. All I wanted to do was lay in bed (a spinal headache only goes away when you are laying down)

Oh, Momma!!! I had a nearly 2 week spinal headache from a poorly done spinal tap, and cannot IMAGINE taking care of an infant on top of that. For those not in the know, if you lift your head above heart-level, it feels like someone is smashing your entire brain in a vice; take the worst headache you've ever had, including cluster headaches, and multiply it by a zillion. (It's actually the #1 reason I won't ever have an epidural- fear of a spinal fluid leak!)

You're a super, mega, AMAZING momma for going through that!

[Smokering]

Well, this isn't exactly the worst or dumbest, just a bit puzzling...

DD at 23 months can't drink from a straw. She chews it instead of sucking. I mentioned this to MIL and she was all "That's so weird; you'd think she knows how because she still breastfeeds!". I said "Well, not really, it's a different method of suckling." Blank look. "You know, she uses her tongue when she breastfeeds, sort of like lapping?" Blank look. She breastfed two children: did she really think they drank breastmilk like drinking through a straw? Very odd...

[ramlita]

Originally Posted by luckysgirl

DS was singing yet another of the songs and chattering away about his favorite parts of the show, when a well-dressed woman in her mid-thirties walks up to us and says "You know, little boy, if you don't don't find other things to be interested in you're going to grow up to be very lonely."

I'm not a confrontational person, but it took all I had not to say, "It sounds like loneliness is something you know a lot about."

Hope your son didn't absorb anything from her-

Sounds like one very unhappy person

[Sweetmama26]

The dumbest thing I think I've been told as a parent is that giving my 15.5 month old son a doll would turn him gay

My future MIL and FIL are sooo against giving dolls to children.

[LiLStar]

[Miss Chris]

Reading all these ridiculous breastfeeding stories suddenly reminded me of this bizarre exchange I had when my daughter was about 3 months old. We had gone to a friend's wedding reception and I was carrying my daughter in her Ellaroo when we were approached by a relative of the bride. This guy was a complete stranger to me.

He says "are you breastfeeding?"
I (still a new mother, not yet used to the bizarrely personal questions strangers will ask you when you have a baby with you) manage to stammer out a "yes" instead of the vastly more appropriate "what business is it of yours?".

and he says:

"When we had our kids we formula fed them because we figured you know whats in the cans but you don't really know what's in the "cans" (as he makes gestures with his hands as though he were lifting his own enormous, invisible breasts) if you know what I mean"

Uh, uh, wow. I think my mouth actually fell open. What do you even say? "How interesting, I think I better be going now....."

Almost four years have passed since that day and it still cracks me up every time I remember it

Miss Chris

[PatienceAndLove]

Originally Posted by Miss Chris

He says "are you breastfeeding?"
I (still a new mother, not yet used to the bizarrely personal questions strangers will ask you when you have a baby with you) manage to stammer out a "yes" instead of the vastly more appropriate "what business is it of yours?".

and he says:

"When we had our kids we formula fed them because we figured you know whats in the cans but you don't really know what's in the "cans" (as he makes gestures with his hands as though he were lifting his own enormous, invisible breasts) if you know what I mean"

Uh, uh, wow. I think my mouth actually fell open. What do you even say? "How interesting, I think I better be going now....."

I would have to say the opposite! I know what's in my "cans"- tasty goodness!

[Sk8ermaiden]

Originally Posted by Miss Chris

"When we had our kids we formula fed them because we figured you know whats in the cans but you don't really know what's in the "cans" (as he makes gestures with his hands as though he were lifting his own enormous, invisible breasts) if you know what I mean"

I wonder how he felt about that when that massive tainted formula recall was going on.

[mrspineau]

Honestly the dumbest parenting advice that I have recieved was from other parents, while I was pregnant with my first child. Such as "oh you just wait, you aren't a mom yet and you'll see how things really are" and that sort of fluff. Like me saying that I wanted my son to have a bedtime, and not stay up until all hours of the night. so many people seemed to think that was impossible, like I was nuts to even wish for that. He goes to bed by 7 on the dot every single night.

[Amatullah0]

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by mrspineau

Honestly the dumbest parenting advice that I have recieved was from other parents, while I was pregnant with my first child. Such as "oh you just wait, you aren't a mom yet and you'll see how things really are" and that sort of fluff. Like me saying that I wanted my son to have a bedtime, and not stay up until all hours of the night. so many people seemed to think that was impossible, like I was nuts to even wish for that. He goes to bed by 7 on the dot every single night.

Yep! My parents said this too. I said I didn't want to vax so, in addition to the "your child will die" comments, I got the "just wait" comments. Well, he's almost 10mo and has had no vax to date.