I live in Romania with my Romanian DH and his mother and our DS (10 mo.). DH is quite a bit older than I am and he was a "surprise" baby, so MIL is easily old enough to be my grandmother. She has some...interesting opionions about childcare. For instance, before DS's umbilical cord fell off she said I should wash it every day with chamomile tea. She also says that we should only wash DS's face with cold water, never with warm water.
Last night DH was teething and having a hard time settling down to go to sleep, and she told DH that it's important not to let baby boys cry to much because it will damage their testicles. What? How do I respond to "advice" that seems completely crazy? I'm sure she believes it and I don't want to offend her, but still, wtf?
My mom has some things like this up her sleeve, and sometimes I just say "Huh. Interesting." and sometimes, if it seems harmless, I'll try it or let her try it (like stick a tissue on the baby's forehead to stop hiccups. "Sure. Try it." was my answer.) If I really don't want to do something that would be immediate, then I say "I've never heard of that. I'll look into it."
And all that seems to be enough for us. She is never pushy about things though, which helps defuse advice I don't want to follow.
I'm Polish and the chamomile tea thing sounds familiar - it seems to be recommended for a whole variety of things. Some of the other stuff, if it's not harmful I'd just let it slide (especially if it's stuff you're likely not to get her involved in) and smile and nod. Save disagreeing for things that could have a negative impact on your son, hopefully she will be more likely to listen to you that way.
I agree with other posters. If its not harmful, smile and nod, take her advice when you feel comfortable and keep the relationship positive. If she is advising things that you specifically disagree with (like I know it used to be common in Russia to force left handed kids to use their right hands), at a time like that, firmly and respectfully do things your own way.
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