Am I Spoiling my Baby?
Debunking myths about spoiling a baby.
“What good mothers and fathers instinctively feel like doing for their babies is usually best after all.”
When I had my first baby girl, it was an eventful and joyous time for me. Due to a cesarean, I wasn’t able to hold her properly for a week and it made me feel so frustrated. Even though she was a tiny creature, I wanted to hug her and make sure she stays with me 24/7. After some time, however, people started to interfere and started to give advice such as “don’t hold your baby for too long, you will spoil her,” “don’t play with her all the time, you will spoil her.” My rational mind was unable to decipher how I was spoiling my baby by giving her the love that she deserves?
Here are some of the myths about spoiling your babies that I think no one should follow because all babies deserve love and care. Besides, they are babies for a very short time so why not enjoy those cuddly little creatures until they grow up.
1. Don’t pick up your babies when they are crying. WRONG!
You should always let your baby know that you are there for them and pick them up to soothe and comfort them. Believe me, I’ve seen people whose babies cry so much that they end up getting sick but their parents don’t pick them up because they think it will spoil them.
2. Give herbal tea to a newborn with colic. WRONG!
It’s true that some home remedies work fine for everyone, but newborns are very fragile and they should be given something only when the pediatrician approves it. Babies suffering from colic pain should be given probiotics instead of herbal tea. At least that’s what I think. Probiotics helped cure my daughter’s colic at a very early stage.
3. “Oh she is teething, she will have a fever now.” WRONG!
It’s not compulsory for every baby to have a fever while they are teething. I was very worried about that so I asked the pediatrician and she said maybe your daughter won’t have a fever at all. It all depends on babies. You cannot make it a rule that if a baby is teething, he/she will surely have a fever.
4. Newborns can’t see so it’s okay to watch TV in front of them. WRONG!
Newborns can see but their vision is blurred. If you are closer to the baby she can see you but if you are far away you will be blurred. Also, babies tend to focus on contrasting colors. Looking at the television, however, is very harmful to babies whether they can see properly or not. Our pediatrician told me that I should listen to the radio instead of watching tv in front of the baby because it will cause serious damage to the baby’s brain.
There are lots of other myths related to newborns. In different cultures taking care of a baby varies accordingly. We cannot call someone wrong because they do things that are a part of their culture and traditions but I had to write about this because some people were literally telling me that I’m not a good mom because I pick up my baby whenever she cries or I don’t give her herbal food or my I’m formula feeding her so she will grow up weaker than the breastfed babies.
Even though babies cry a lot, they will pee and vomit on you sometimes, but they are delightful little beings and you will want to love and care for them more than anything in the world.
