23 Terrible Things No One Should Ever Say To A New Parent (3 of 5)

“Breastfeeding is best”

While breastfeeding may be a practice that has been going on for thousands of years, telling a mother who is not breastfeeding her child that “breastfeeding is best” is just rude. And while you may have your reasons to think they are not breastfeeding because of a certain reason, there are countless other emotional and physical reasons why a mother may not choose to breastfeed her baby. And most of them are valid reasons, too. So, whatever the reason, you shouldn’t jump the gun and shame the mother.

“Why are you not cloth-diapering or co-sleeping?”

There are a lot of basic things a new parent might not be capable of doing, which includes sleeping and bathing their child. And therefore, by commenting upon parenting practices that they are not engaged in, you are just being rude to them. Whether it is breastfeeding, cloth diapering, or sleeping, any parenting practices that they cannot perform should not be commented upon as it is never welcome. According to experts, one cardinal rule everyone should follow while talking to new parents is this: no judgmental questions.

“I wouldn’t think about putting my child in daycare”

We all have heard those horror daycare stories in the news every now and then. However, licensed day workers are proven to provide loving, compassionate, and necessary childcare to kids whose parents cannot afford to take more leaves from work. So, if you really want to help new parents who need to return to work, suggest them good daycares or get them in touch with other friends who might have used local daycare centers instead of judging them for the fact that they are going back to work.

“You are so lucky as you get to stay at home”

To a lot of working parents, staying at home while taking care of their kids at the same time is like a win-win scenario. However, for most people, it is more of a financial necessity than an actual luxury they cherish all the time. According to a recent report that was published by ChildCare Aware of America in 2018, the childcare costs are more than the public college fee in more than half of the states in the United States. And considering the fact that the job involves not a single paycheck, while at the same requires a person to deal with a lot of screaming, squirming and bodily fluids all day long, you should probably keep your opinion of how “lucky” they are to yourself.

“Wow! How can you go back to work so soon?”

In most cases, new parents simply do not have the option of staying at home and taking care of their newborn for a long period of time. According to a recent report published by Congressional Research Service titled “Paid Family Leave in the United States 2019”, only six states in the entire country offer paid leaves to new parents. So, the next time you think about questioning and judging a parent for returning to work “too soon”, you should direct that judgment towards the employers instead of parents who cannot wait to see their newborn after pulling long hours at work.