17 Parenting Myths That People Have Been Blindly Following For Years! (2 of 4)

Having even slight disagreements in front of your child is traumatizing

If you’re one of those people who believe even the slightest of disagreements in front of your child will scar them for life, hold your horses. While any kind of violence, yelling, or name-calling will certainly cause irreparable damage to your child’s psyche, having respectful, polite discussions in front of your kids is actually a good thing according to experts. When your kids notice the calm and civilized discussions, they learn from it and it is a very healthy sign for a growing child. It not only teaches the child the art of problem-solving, but it also teaches them to be respectful of other’s opinions and also teaches them how to negotiate. Most importantly, they learn that it is alright to disagree with each other and still be in love.

Sleep training comes automatically to a child when they’re ready for it

If you are seriously expecting your kid to give you cues that they are ready for sleep-training, you are in for some trouble and countless sleepless nights. According to pediatricians, it is always an easy task to sleep-train your child a bit earlier, when they are slowly learning to pull to stand. However, it gradually becomes more and more difficult if you delay it, so think twice before you actually believe that sleep training comes naturally to a child.

Giving a baby solid food will make them fall asleep easily

According to a lot of people out there (all well-meaning people, of course), if you want your baby to go to sleep easily, all you need to do is feed them solids. However, this can actually backfire, according to pediatricians. Introducing solids in your child’s diet too early can make their stomachs gassier and can even cause a lot of pain. So, when parents feed their kid solids before they are ready for it, it backfires as the babies scream all night in pain and find it difficult to sleep.

You should always reward your child for good behavior

While rewarding your child for good behavior is certainly a good thing to do as a parent, doing it every time your child does something good is a bit too much. According to experts, when you reward your child every single time they do something good, it does not allow them to internalize what exactly they are working towards, and it ends up hampering your child’s capacity to take information, process it, and do something worthwhile with what arises from child’s own internal values system.

Your instincts are always accurate about your baby’s care

You may know more about your child than the pediatrician they see once in a while, that certainly doesn’t mean your instincts are always reliable about their care – particularly when it is related to health issues. According to health experts, parents often insist that their kid just has a cold and infection as they understand their child’s body better. However, that isn’t always necessarily the case, as a medical provider is better adept at understanding what is truly wrong with the kid’s health, and can treat it accordingly.