When our baby is born, the rain of advice begins to fall and we as first time mothers receive them, taking into account everything they tell us.
And although surely all those who advise us do so with good intentions, sometimes we have to listen to some recommendations that seem more superstitions or that are based on old beliefs. I share some Grandma's advice that doesn't work with your baby.
Do not carry too much because you will get used to the arms
We start with one that surely you have also listened to weariness. It has some variants: "do not charge him when he cries because he will take the measure"or"if you get used to the arms afterwards it won't let you do anything".
A baby does not cry or ask for arms just because he wants to, he does it because he needs it. The first months (or even years) they need our love and care to feel safe and gradually build your self-esteem. I assure you that taking him in his arms will not spoil him or become an insecure and dependent child, on the contrary.
Let him cry so he has strong lungs
This is very similar to the previous advice, since both basically assume that nothing happens to the baby and only cries because. The lungs, of course, is nonsense, since there is no better benefit for them than the arms. Remember that babies cry because it is the only way they have to communicate and this is how they express that they need help.
Give him water from newborn
This is unfortunately an advice that many follow because at first glance it seems something that does not hurt. Water is natural, why shouldn't we give it to our babies? But it turns out that giving water to a baby under six months is not recommended as it could cause malnutrition. All they need is to drink the milk, which gives them everything they need and that, whether it is formula or breast milk, already contains water.
Offer them rice water before six months
Wrongly rice water is offered instead of breast milk, and although this type of drink has many benefits, it really does not bring anything to a baby and its use is not advised especially in case of diarrhea and vomiting. I repeat, babies should not take any kind of food or drinks in addition to milk before six months.
Put cereal with milk in a bottle because it "does not fill" with breast milk
A fear that we have new mothers or that we have not received advice, is not having enough milk to breastfeed our baby. Therefore some resort to this old grandmother's advice and give the baby a bottle of milk to which they add cereal so that the baby is well fed.
If you have doubts about the amount of milk your child drinks during breastfeeding, there are some signs that could indicate whether or not he receives enough milk.
Give solid foods from 3 months to be strong children
The World Health Organization recommends starting complementary feeding until six months, however, many mothers offer their babies solid foods from three months. He advance solid foods is not recommended and milk is the only thing they need to be strong children during the first six months of life.
Give olive oil from newborn so they don't get stiff
Olive oil is a healthy element in infant feeding that we can even use to prepare baby porridge from six months. But like any other food, we should not give it until that age or use it as a remedy for constipation or empacho.
If you have diarrhea and vomiting, it is safe for teeth
There is a belief that the outbreak of the teeth causes fever, diarrhea or some digestive problem, but this is only one of the many myths about teething.
Neither diarrhea nor vomiting are symptoms caused by the eruption of the teeth. But we must be attentive because it is probably due to an infection in the stomach, because babies often put their whole mouth when they start to leave the teeth because of the discomfort it gives them.
Spread brandy or tequila on the gums to avoid the inconvenience of teething
The best remedy to relieve the discomfort that a baby feels during teething is to give it a cold and hard object so that it can bite. In the same way you can give a gentle massage in the gums to help reduce symptoms. Placing any type of liquor in a baby's gums is not recommended because of the side effects that it may cause.
If you clean the saliva that causes teething, it will give you an embarrassment
I guess this is similar to the belief that babies get diarrhea or vomit, somehow they relate the appearance of the teeth to stomach upset. But no, it will not give you annoyance if we clean the saliva caused by teething, and I don't think anyone likes to bring a wet face, neck and clothes.
Drink beer to increase breast milk production
This is one of the myths most recommended to nursing mothers, but there is no evidence that there is any food or drink that helps women produce more milk.
Use the egg as a remedy for everything "rare or abnormal" in your baby
I do not know if this is something that is only created in Mexico, but it is the "wonder solution" to cure everything weird to the baby. According to the grandmothers, it is used to remove the evil eye and remove the crying, to stop asking for arms and even for breastfeeding crises. Obviously all this is not true and behind every child's discomfort is a completely logical reason.
Put raw egg in the hams to strengthen your legs
Another superpower of the egg: if raw egg is placed on the back of the knees, the baby's legs will be strengthened. There are even mothers who claim that their children began to walk ahead of time thanks to this.
If you want to strengthen your leg and foot muscles, some early stimulation exercises can help. It is also important to remember that before starting to walk, they must crawl. In this way they naturally exercise their body and prepare for when it is time to walk.
Put a button, coin or cotton so you do not skip your belly button
Previously there was a belief that the baby had to be "girdled" from birth so that his navel would not be jumped or look pretty, I was one of those babies who had a girdle consisting of a kind of thick belt to My belly button will look pretty. But the reality is that it is not necessary or recommended to place anything in the navel so that it has a correct healing after childbirth.
Give them chamomile tea so they don't get cramping
Infusions can be dangerous for babies, so it is strongly discouraged to give any type of tea as it could have side effects on the baby.
Like water, it is not recommended to give them any kind of tea or infusion since in this way we would fill your stomach with only liquid and not with the food they need: milk. For colic of the infant there are other recommended solutions, such as rocking in the arms, giving a massage or a warm bath.
Put spicy or garlic on your finger to stop sucking
This is, of course, a very cruel method of removing a child from a habit that obviously bothers us. When a child sucks his finger he does not do so because he is a spouse or wants to continue acting as a baby. We must find out why he does it and once we know the cause, find a way to solve it.
Rub the skin with alcohol and salt to remove itching when they get chickenpox
Mothers who recommend it say that this is an excellent remedy to relieve the tremendous itching caused by these diseases, but it seems crazy and cruelty to me. Some mothers comment that they were made when they were little and they remember that it burned in an unbearable way and in the end they ended up feeling worse.
Please do not try this with your children, to relieve the itching of chickenpox there is calamine lotion or medication prescribed by the pediatrician.
Place a red thread on the forehead so that the hiccups are removed
And like all good advice from the grandmother, we cannot leave out superstitions, like putting a red thread on the forehead to remove the hiccups. Although I have heard several mothers say that it has worked for them, a good remedy is to offer them some breast milk or water to facilitate diaphragm relaxation.
Do not tickle babies because they are dumb
To close with a flourish, one of the rarest and unusual tips I have read when doing my research on this topic: you should not tickle a baby because you can stay mute. Imagine how much dumb baby would not walk the world if this were true! Probably the majority.
But in fact the tickles have benefits, as they are a good way to stimulate the baby and create a bond with him, as it helps him interpret our emotions.
I reiterate that most of these tips were given with love and without bad intention, but being informed mothers will help eradicate these recommendations that do not benefit our babies.
What advice from grandma have you received or heard?
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In Babies and more | 14 things our parents did with us that are not well seen now, what a pity that most of our mothers cannot help with breastfeeding problems
