Top Ten Tuesday!

Now that things are a bit calmer from the reviews and giveaways, maybe I can catch up on some posts! 

Top Ten List of Parenting Myths (in my opinion)

10. If your baby is crying they are either hungry or need a diaper change! If only it were that simple. During your first few hours of being home with your baby, you find out the truth!

9. If the Toddler is Acting Out, Ignore Him/Her! Yes, they usually just want attention, but if you ignore the behavior, be ready for something to be destroyed, flushed down the toilet, or scattered around the room/house!

8. Let Your Baby Cry It Out. Many ppl just expect the baby to soothe him/herself, but they ignore the actual rules of the Ferber (cry-it-out) method! Though I could never let my child cry continuously, even Ferber says NEVER leave a child crying alone in their crib.

7. When Starting Baby Foods, If Baby Doesn't Like It, Keep Trying Until They Do! This piece of advice is laughable. Josiah wouldn't eat anything except purees with sweet potatoes for quite a while and to this day he still won't eat squash. Also, if your baby is rejecting all foods, they just may not be ready. Liam wasn't ready the first time we tried and gagged every time we tried something. He still gags when I try certain foods, but after tasting them, too, I can understand why.

6. Daycare Allows Babies/Children To Become More Sociable. As a very shy child, I can tell you daycare definitely did not help in the social department! Josiah enjoyed going to school, but since staying home with him and having Liam at home since birth, I can tell no difference in their social skills and love of being around new people. They are both very social.

5. Co-Sleeping is Dangerous. Not to Mention, It Kills a Marriage. Co-Sleeping has not been found to be any more dangerous than sleeping all alone in a crib. Plus, I can honestly say, from my own experience, that co-sleeping is wonderful and has not, nor ever will, effect my marriage. 

4. Is Your Child Misbehaving? Pop Them on the Heiny! I've always said I would never spank my child, but have, admittedly, popped Josiah on his heiny a few times. What was the outcome? Him believing it acceptable to hit, too. Bad, bad, bad idea! Timeout has been a much more effective tool of punishment and it gives the child/parent time to calm down and think more rationally.

3. You Must Follow the Immunization Schedule Provided by Your Pediatrician. While I understand the usefulness of vaccinations, something just doesn't feel right about sit right about shooting my children up with 6 different vaccines at one time.Some parents choose not to vaccinate at all while others, like me, do choose to do so, but do not follow a schedule. I get my children vaccinated with no more than 3 at a time and schedule another appointment for the rest, if needed. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I don't want to feel bullied into doing something and don't want other parents to feel that way either.Many pediatricians act as if you don't have a choice.

2. A Child Will Use The Potty When Ready. I've followed this advice and it is true to an extent, but all children need guidance. Josiah is now 3 and he is definitely ready to start using the potty, but if I don't constantly ask him to use the potty or try to get him to go, he won't. He doesn't seem to mind having a wet diaper one bit and, if he does, he just takes it off and puts on another. 

1. Cloth Diapering Is Too Much Work! Just Use Disposables! Of course I disagree with this statement! Cloth diapers are easier than ever for parents. Yes, you have to wash them, but I know I'd rather wash a few poo diapers to decrease the tons of disposables sitting in landfills. It completely disgusts me to see how many disposables pile up in a week's time. Eck!