{"id":443,"date":"2012-07-12T07:51:59","date_gmt":"2012-07-12T14:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.littlebrowne.com\/?p=443"},"modified":"2012-07-12T07:51:59","modified_gmt":"2012-07-12T14:51:59","slug":"baby-myths-some-of-the-best-ones-dispelled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threeadventure.com\/littlebrowne\/2012\/07\/12\/baby-myths-some-of-the-best-ones-dispelled\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby Myths: Some of the Best Ones, Dispelled!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sleepy Baby!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We came across this article<\/a> recently on Parents.com<\/a> and thought it was worth talking about. It’s all about dispelling some of the myths in old school baby advice. You know the deal, everybody and their mother (literally) has some tidbit that they NEED to tell you about how it’s done when it comes to kids. Use this bottle not that one, keep one leg in the air when you breastfeed and they won’t get burpy, sing the chicken dance when they wake up in the night and they’ll go back to sleep faster. Okay, okay, that’s getting a little extreme, but the fact remains; there’s a lot of advice out there, and a myth or two!\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, here are the 14 Most Outdated Pieces of Baby Advice for you to ponder:<\/p>\n

Myth 1: Infants need to be bathed every day.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0Babies don’t get stinky from sweat the way adults do, so they only need a bath every two or three days (except following a major diaper explosion!). If it’s part of your wind-down routine, a daily bath is perfectly okay too–just moisturize afterwards.<\/p>\n

Myth 2: Babies sleep best in a room that’s silent and dark.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0While some children really are light sleepers, most do fine with background noise and a little light. Plus, if your little one gets used to some activity around him when he’s sleeping, he’ll be more willing to snooze in a variety of situations.<\/p>\n

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Myth 3: When infants are running a high temperature, rub them down with alcohol to lower their fever.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0Rubbing your baby with alcohol won’t actually bring down her fever–plus it’s unsafe, since alcohol can be absorbed through her skin.<\/p>\n

Myth 4: Letting your little one stand or bounce in your lap can cause bowlegs later on.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0He won’t become bowlegged; that’s just an old wives’ tale. Moreover, young babies are learning how to bear weight on their legs and find their center of gravity, so letting your child stand or bounce is both fun and developmentally stimulating for him.<\/p>\n

Myth 5: Listening to classical music will raise your baby’s IQ.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0Music can enrich a little one’s life, but no conclusive research has found that having a baby listen to classical music in particular can result in significant brain-boosting benefits.<\/p>\n

Myth 6: Let your baby cry it out; if you pick her up whenever she’s wailing, you’ll spoil her.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0Babies under 4 months of age have few self-soothing strategies; they know how to suck to soothe and like being swaddled, but that’s about it. Picking infants up when they cry helps them learn that parents will always be there to take care of them.<\/p>\n

Myth 7: Babies should be woken up in the night to have a wet diaper changed.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0Urine is sterile, and today’s diapers are highly absorbent, so it’s fine to leave a baby in a wet diaper overnight. However, staying in poopy diaper for too long can cause a UTI or a bladder infection, especially for baby girls–so if you smell one, change it out.<\/p>\n

Myth 8: It’s dangerous to immunize your infant if he has a cold or a low-grade fever.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0A minor illness won’t lower your baby’s immune-system response to a vaccination–or increase his risk of any nasty reactions from a shot.<\/p>\n

Myth 9: Never apply sunscreen to an infant under 6 months of age.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0The risk of skin cancer down the road from sun exposure is greater than the risk of your baby having a reaction to sunscreen. It’s best to keep her away from dangerous UV rays as much as possible from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M., but put on sunscreen with at least 15 SPF if she’ll be in the sun. The AAP says that it’s fine to apply a minimal amount of sunscreen to small areas, such as a baby’s face and the back of the hands.<\/p>\n

Myth 10: During the first month of a baby’s life, it’s critical that all baby bottles and nipples be sterilized.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0Sterilize bottles and nipples when you first take them out of the package–but after that, washing with soap and water is fine. Babies are exposed to many more germs than those that remain on a well-scrubbed bottle or nipple.<\/p>\n

Myth 11: The safest way to put an infant to sleep is on her stomach.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0The safest sleep position for a baby is on its back. In the past, doctors worried that babies might choke on any spit-up if they weren’t lying on their tummy or side, but studies ultimately linked these positions to higher rates of SIDS.<\/p>\n

Myth 12: Putting rice cereal in your infant’s bottle will help him sleep.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0Hold off on introducing solids until 4 to 6 months. Research suggests that babies who are given solids before 4 months are actually worse sleepers than their formula-fed counterparts–an studies have revealed a link between the early introduction of solids and obesity later in life.<\/p>\n

Myth 13: It’s critical to keep your baby on a strict feeding schedule.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0It’s better to feed on demand, as infants’ internal hunger cues will tell them when they’re hungry and when they’re full. By putting your child on a feeding schedule, you may negatively affect your little one’s inborn healthy-eating habits.<\/p>\n

Myth 14: Infants need hard-soled shoes to protect their delicate toes and keep their feet properly aligned.<\/h3>\n

The truth<\/strong>\u00a0Babies use their toes to grip the surfaces that they’re walking on, so they should actually go shoeless indoors. To keep tiny tootsies safe outside, get a shoe with a good grip on the sole–hard-soled shoes can be too slippery.<\/p>\n

So, what are you best stories about myths dispelled??? We’ll get back to you on that one, we’ve still got a baby to get out and practice on!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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