Outdated advice

[Deleted]

I was talking to H's great aunt the other day about babies and what not. She was advised to bind the babies bellies until the cord fell off. Babies were to be fed every 3 hours and put promptly to bed, regardless of whether or not the baby was tired then or if he were hungry before the 3 hour mark. MIL was told to start the babies on diluted juice at around 2-3 months. My mother was told she had to clean her nipples with alcohol before breastfeeding (no wonder BFing didn't work out!)

So what kind of outdated advice have you heard of or been given? How is it different from when your parents raised you or your grandparents?

[gibbinator]

My grandmother was telling me about how when her first was a baby she was told to keep him on the strict 3hr feeding schedule too.
One time she remembers he was just crying and crying and it wasn't time to feed him yet so she called her mom begging to get the Ok to just feed him early one time. I can't imagine!

She also said back then, everyone who could would breastfeed for 2 years because it was the best birth control.

[rupertpenny]

Jul 30, 2014 5:44:21 GMT -5 gibbinator said:

She also said back then, everyone who could would breastfeed for 2 years because it was the best birth control.

That's really interesting. How old is she?

My grandmother had kids from the mid 50s to mid 60s and breastfed them all, I think exclusively. I was surprised because I feel like I usually hear about how hard they used to push formula back then. She said no one ever discouraged her though, and everyone she knew breastfed. My grandma is also a little crazy though, so her memory might be selective.

My mom had a baby in 2001 so luckily none of her advice was TOO outdated.

[Deleted]

My mom said when she had my brother (10 years older than me) that they kept the babies in the nursery and every 3 hours on schedule brought them to the rooms to nurse. Left them there for 15 mins then came back to collect them. Between that and being told to give him rice cereal at 2 weeks it is no surprise breastfeeding didn't work out with him.

[gibbinator]

rupertpenny, she's 87 (or 88?), and her kids were born between 1948 and 1953.
I found it interesting too for the same reason. I'm curious as to when the formula push happened, or if it didn't really happen here since the US wouldn't have had the cultural impact on Canada that it does now (and most studies cited here are American).

@awinter. My mom had a similar experience in the hospital. She said that when I was born the nurses forgot I was still with her, so she got to enjoy a whole 2hrs of baby snuggles before I was whisked away. Apparently when they came to check on my mom they were shocked to find me with her! She was really sad that when my sister was born she basically just got to say hi and name her before she was taken to the nursery.

[ringstrue]

I don't recall any mothering stuff but my grandmother's employer put women on diet pills if they gained weight. If you got pg you had to quit before you showed.

[Deleted]

The other one was that if a baby was not breastfed, it was not supposed to be fed for the first 24hrs of its life. I'm not sure why though...I think they said it was because the baby needed to rest after the trauma of birth.

[catsarecute]

Two women in their 60's told me to toughen up my nipples before the baby was born by scrubbing them with a tough washcloth. None of these women were family members. Yikes.

I'm not completely sure on this but isn't giving babies rice cereal as their first solid food outdated? My MIL mentioned rice cereal as their first real food the other day but I thought that was a thing of the past.

[vmars]

Not quite the same but FIL admitted they did CIO with BIL when he was a small infant (younger than 3 months) since he was so colicky. Needless to say it did not work.

[thebreakfastclub]

I had bottles of 75% formula, 25% tea, but my mom never tried to pass that off as advice. It was just Australian tradition.

I think I might prefer parts of my mom's hospital stay - extra days to recover, baby already given a bath and had a bottle before they're brought to you, a shot to dry up the milk.

[jeaniebueller]

Jul 30, 2014 6:28:55 GMT -5 gravytrain225 said:

Oh and she also thinks swaddling is cruel. I didn't swaddle so she didn't say it to me, but about other family members.

My grandma didn't like swaddling either, lol. She also said they used to give babies a combo of milk and karo syrup.

[gibbinator]

Oh yeah, my step mom seemed to think it was common to get an enema so you don't poop on the table... That was an awkward conversation.

[bowies]

My mom was floored when I told her solids are typically introduced at 6 months. I got rice cereal at 3-4 months.

She also side eyes pumps - if women want to breastfeed they should stay home.

[tealblue]

Luckily DH intercepted this advice and I didn't hear it until months later, but MIL (who is not that old) told him we should put rice in his last nightly bottle so DS would sttn. Or give him formula. It was odd, because I bf'ed so we didn't do night bottles or formula. And ironic because 2 of her kids didn't sttn until they were 3! So that advice really worked out for you right?

I also got judgment once I told them how long I bf'ed DS because she made a negative comment about another family member still bfing. The next kid should be fun.

[halfpint]

Keep their feet in good, stiff shoes as much as possible so they can learn to stand and walk. Mom is still concerned that B is always barefoot.

[pattieice]

My grandmother had babies in the 1950's in the South. She was advised that only "the poors" breastfeed.

[Deleted]

Jul 30, 2014 6:57:39 GMT -5 bowies said:

My mom was floored when I told her solids are typically introduced at 6 months. I got rice cereal at 3-4 months.

3-4 months is late! My mom had my baby book out this weekend and I had rice cereal at 4 WEEKS and applesauce at under 2 months.

[formerlyllizzyb]

Jul 30, 2014 6:28:55 GMT -5 gravytrain225 said:

Oh and she also thinks swaddling is cruel. I didn't swaddle so she didn't say it to me, but about other family members.

My MIL thinks swaddling is inhumane and cruel. Sigh.

[formerlyllizzyb]

Jul 30, 2014 6:38:29 GMT -5 catsarecute said:

Two women in their 60's told me to toughen up my nipples before the baby was born by scrubbing them with a tough washcloth. None of these women were family members. Yikes.

I'm not completely sure on this but isn't giving babies rice cereal as their first solid food outdated? My MIL mentioned rice cereal as their first real food the other day but I thought that was a thing of the past.

I'd say about 50% of my friends gave rice cereal first.

[teatimefor2]

My grandma said it was good for the baby to cry/scre because it expanded his lungs.
I also think she was surprised I nursed, but didn't say anything.

[212]

My MIL doesn't believe in car seats. She stands over me and cries when I strap my kid in. Sorry-not-sorry, grandmere.

[jeaniebueller]

Jul 30, 2014 6:56:02 GMT -5 gibbinator said:

Oh yeah, my step mom seemed to think it was common to get an enema so you don't poop on the table... That was an awkward conversation.

They did that to Betty Draper on Mad Men when she had the baby!

[212]

Jul 30, 2014 8:03:27 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Jul 30, 2014 6:56:02 GMT -5 gibbinator said:

Oh yeah, my step mom seemed to think it was common to get an enema so you don't poop on the table... That was an awkward conversation.

They did that to Betty Draper on Mad Men when she had the baby!

Is this outdated? I know a ton of people who had one.

[Deleted]

My cousin who was born in the late 60's couldn't tolerate milk so they put soda in her bottle.

Also my MIL saved the typed reports from the pediatrician for my DH. She did BF but there was one about introducing formula, which was a mix of Karo syrup and who knows what else.

[UnderProtest]

Feeding rice cereal to get them to sleep. My MIL still believes this and her niece did this with her kid. Too bad he didn't sleep and mine did.

[gibbinator]

Jul 30, 2014 8:07:35 GMT -5 212 said:

Jul 30, 2014 8:03:27 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

They did that to Betty Draper on Mad Men when she had the baby!

Is this outdated? I know a ton of people who had one.

Really? I know no one my age who (admitted they) did. All the prenatal class stuff was just "fyi, you'll poop on the table"

[212]

Jul 30, 2014 8:13:37 GMT -5 @pnkybrwstr said:

Jul 30, 2014 6:38:29 GMT -5 catsarecute said:

Jul 30, 2014 7:57:30 GMT -5 212 said:

My MIL doesn't believe in car seats. She stands over me and cries when I strap my kid in. Sorry-not-sorry, grandmere.

Your MIL is a loon!

Jul 30, 2014 8:07:35 GMT -5 212 said:

Is this outdated? I know a ton of people who had one.

Say what?  I've never heard of this!

She is. She's super awesome.

It wasn't offered to me but was to pretty much all of my friends in this hood.

[thebreakfastclub]

I would have loved an enema personally. Post C/S constipation is no joke.

[212]

Jul 30, 2014 8:32:20 GMT -5 gibbinator said:

Jul 30, 2014 8:07:35 GMT -5 212 said:

Is this outdated? I know a ton of people who had one.

Really? I know no one my age who (admitted they) did. All the prenatal class stuff was just "fyi, you'll poop on the table"

Yup. I could name at least 10 people within the last 2-3 years who said "get the enema." My doctor said nothing and I never thought to ask because DUH, laboring here! Lol

[ringstrue]

Jul 30, 2014 6:28:28 GMT -5 gravytrain225 said:

Jul 30, 2014 6:24:41 GMT -5 ringstrue said:

I don't recall any mothering stuff but my grandmother's employer put women of diet pills if they gained weight. If you got pg you had to quit before you showed.

Holy crap.  What kind of job did she have?

My grandma is shocked that I slept in the same room as the baby, she thinks I am nuts I didn't put her in her room from night 1.

IDK some office job.