Although parenting should come naturally (and children are pretty resilient), no one wants to make a mistake, especially with a young child. Yet parenting myths and misconceptions regarding child care are plentiful. This means it’s easier than one may think for a new or experienced parent to make a mistake.
How is this possible when parents have so much information readily available to them? Quite simply, many of the child care beliefs that parents, grandparents and even a few pediatricians hold dear are wrong.
It turns out that there are hundreds of myths and misconceptions regarding children’s health and development. I don’t mean silly superstitions or old wives’ tales like “if you cross your eyes, they’ll get stuck that way.” (They won’t.) Instead, I’m talking about child care beliefs that are widely practiced, embraced and sometimes even “pediatrician endorsed.” These myths apply to all aspects of raising healthy children, from the daily childcare routines of bathing and diapers, to management of common illnesses, nutrition and feeding, skin care, first aid and accident prevention and even childhood behavior.
My wife and I are both pediatricians, and yet, even we fall victim to some of these parenting myths. Years ago, we didn’t allow our children to go swimming until 30 minutes after they ate. We didn’t know back then that this restriction is based on superstition, not science. Likewise, I remember encouraging my eldest child to leave her “boo boo” uncovered at night so that it would be exposed to air and thus heal faster. (It turns out, keeping it covered is better.)
Although I’d like to believe we’re the only two pediatricians who were confused about these points, it turns out that many pediatricians also subscribe to these and other parenting myths. When I surveyed 35 Long Island primary care pediatricians, many of my peers also endorsed various pediatric myths. For example, 20 of the 35 pediatricians likewise believed wounds heal more quickly if exposed to air. Examples of some other myths that were believed by at least a third of the pediatricians surveyed were:
- Reading in the dark can cause later vision or eye problems.
- Eating raw carrots will improve a child’s vision.
- Treat a burn with an application of ice.
- Vitamin C supplements help ward off colds.
What I did learn from this survey, quite simply, is that many parenting myths are so widely accepted in our society that even pediatricians accept them as true. Parents need accurate information so that they can distinguish between parenting fiction and baby facts.
Here we present just 15 of the more than 160 myths and misconceptions about children’s health, safety and development debunked my book BabyFacts: The Truth about Your Child’s Health from Newborn through Preschool (Wiley & Sons, $15.95). To see additional myths and take a fun “Myth or Fact?” quiz, go to www.BabyFacts.com.
Myth #1
Wiping the umbilical stump with rubbing alcohol will help it fall off sooner.
Fact: Recent research suggests otherwise. The umbilical cord stump needs to be kept clean and dry. Rubbing alcohol will not help it fall off sooner and there are better ways to prevent infections of the umbilical stump.
Myth #2
Baby powder should be applied to the diaper area with each diaper change.
Fact: Parents shouldn’t routinely use baby powder since particles can be accidentally inhaled by the baby and irritate their lungs. Talc powders shouldn’t be used at all. Cornstarch-based powders should be used sparingly – perhaps following baths or to treat a heat rash or other mild rash.
Myth #3
It’s okay to put your baby to sleep on his side.
Fact: In the past, it was thought babies should sleep on their stomach. However, to minimize risks of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, it’s now recommended that healthy babies sleep on their back during their first year of life. Although side sleeping poses less of a risk of SIDS than babies sleeping prone, babies can roll from their side onto their stomach. Thus, side-sleeping is now discouraged for all infants.
Myth #4
Newborns and infants should wear shoes to protect their tiny feet.
Fact: Socks or booties are all that are needed to keep the feet warm when the babies are very young or when outside. For infants who are first learning to walk, bare feet may be best when indoors.
Myth #5
Breastfeeding women need to drink milk to make milk.
Fact: Nursing women don’t need to drink milk in order to meet the nutritional requirements for breastfeeding. But they should maintain a healthful diet that includes calcium.
Myth #6
A baby who strains while having a bowel movement must be constipated.
Fact: Constipation is defined by hard, difficult-to-pass stools. Straining and grunting is normal.
Myth #7
Newborns should be bathed daily.
Fact: A daily bath may seem like a fun activity that produces a pleasant smelling baby, but it can lead to dry and irritated skin. During the first year of life, a bath every two to three days is sufficient, unless your baby is truly dirty or has an odor.
Myth #8
After or between baths, remove normal earwax build-up with cotton swabs.
Fact: Parents really should resist the temptation to clean inside those ears. This common practice poses many risks and no real benefits.
Myth #9
Babies should be woken in the middle of the night to change a wet diaper.
Fact: If you’re using an absorbent disposable diaper (and assuming your baby doesn’t have a diaper rash), there’s no need to wake her to change a wet diaper.
Myth #10
Large babies sleep through the night at an earlier age than do small babies.
Fact: Babies typically begin to sleep through the night at about three or four months of age. But big babies of a given age don’t reach this milestone earlier than smaller babies of the same age.
Myth #11
Eating raw carrots will improve a child’s vision.
Fact: Sorry, but eating carrots will not improve your vision. Although carrots do contain carotene (which becomes vitamin A), and vitamin A deficiency is associated with night blindness, vitamin A deficiency is uncommon and consuming extra carotene will not further improve your vision. There must be another reason why rabbits don’t need to wear eyeglasses.
Myth #12
Teething sometimes causes high fevers, diaper rash or ear infections.
Fact: There are many misconceptions about teething. Although teething does cause discomfort and some studies have linked it to low-grade fever, teething doesn’t cause a fever above 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit, diaper rash or ear infection. It can be dangerous to assume an infant’s fever is due to teething. Visit your pediatrician to determine the source of the fever.
Myth #13
A child who has diarrhea shouldn’t be given dairy products until the diarrhea resolves.
Fact: Small quantities of milk may be given to a child with a mild case of diarrhea if there’s no vomiting, high fever or lethargy. If the diarrhea doesn’t improve, consult with your pediatrician who may suggest some dietary changes – including withholding milk for a period of time.
Myth #14
You should correct a toddler's mispronunciations.
Baby Fact: Toddlers are able to learn one or more new languages with extraordinary ease. Of course, they’ll make some pronunciation errors. In general, parents shouldn’t correct these errors directly. On the other hand, parents can model the proper pronunciation by conversationally following up with a question, comment or observation. For example, if your child says, “I want totton tandy,” you can simply reply, “We can’t eat cotton candy now.”
Myth #15
Time-out doesn’t work as a behavior management approach.
Fact: Time-out is an effective behavioural method for punishing preschool and grade school children when needed. Parents who believe this technique isn’t effective are likely not applying it correctly. A time-out is a quiet time for the child to consider why he’s being punished. Time-outs should be in a common space, typically the base of the stairs or the corner of a hallway or kitchen, and should last approximately one minute for every year of age (example: a five-year-old gets a five-minute time out). Having a child “go to his room” isn’t a time-out. Time-outs should be administered as soon as possible. Just as the child isn’t allowed to cry or complain during the time-out (it begins when he’s quiet), there should be no chastising or moralizing by the parent during or after the time out.
Andrew Adesman, M.D., is chief of the division of developmental and behavioural pediatrics at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New Hyde Park and an associate professor in the pediatrics department at Albert Einstein School of Medicine.
For additional myths or to see the results of the study, visit www.BabyFacts.com
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Check back this month at our Local Experts Blog at http://liparentonline.com/blog to ask Dr. Adesman questions.
