When mom Emily Landes’s dentist told her that the symptoms babies experience when they’re teething are simply myths, she didn’t quite believe him.
“There is no such thing as teething,” he said. “Yes, teeth come in, but the process isn’t particularly painful. It doesn’t cause fevers, or sleeplessness or crying. Those are all just normal developmental activities that are attributed to teething. But teeth have nothing to do with it.”
Emily’s mind was blown.
Spurred by this new discovery she went ahead and did research of her own, and to her surprise she found a lot of myths that for a long time people passed off as gospel truth.
“It made me wonder, what else had I always taken as a fact of childrearing that actually had no basis in science?” she said in her SF Gate story.
She complied the eight popular parenting myths she’s encountered.
Myth 1: Teething
“Teeth coming in on a baby doesn’t actually create much discomfort.”
Myth 2: Endless crying
“There is probably nothing seriously wrong with babies who cry endlessly and powerfully. Babies who seem weak, passive or listless are actually greater causes for concern.”
Myth 3: Nipple confusion
“Some babies are just pickier than others and prefer a faster-flow bottle nipple. If the flow is too easy, the baby may not want to go back and forth between bottles and breastfeeding, but a slower-flow bottle should do the trick.”
Myth 4: Early walking
“Early walking is not a sign of future genius. But significant delays in walking or talking could be sign of developmental delays down the line.”
Myth 5: Fruits vs veggies
“There’s no evidence that offering fruit first will discourage kids from eating veggies.”
Myth 6: Only children are spoiled
“Only children are not spoiled or lacking in social skills. Research shows that children learn enough about sharing and taking turns at school and through extracurriculars even without siblings at home.”
Myth 7: Classical music
“Listening to classical music does not make your child smarter. But learning to play an instrument can lead to greater academic success.”
Myth 8: Eat and swim
“Kids will not a get a stomachache if they swim just after eating.”
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