Good parenting advice is shockingly hard to come by. There’s just so much of it out there. It can come from anyone or anything: a family member, a friend, a book, a commenter on the internet. What can be trusted? What do you do if certain sworn-by advice doesn’t work for your family? We know what advice moms wish they’d been given before having babies, but what about the advice moms wish they hadn’t received? It’s time to put stop sharing these kinds of overrated parenting advice.
A member of the Mamas Uncut Facebook community asks:
What is the most overrated piece of advice given to moms? Looking back on your experience as a mom, what do you wish people would have *stopped* telling you either because it was too obvious or actually unhelpful?
– Mamas Uncut Facebook Community Member
Now, let’s turn things over to the community, who responded with the parenting advice they hated receiving.
Retire These Phrases From Your Parenting Advice Vocabulary
“Sleep when baby sleeps.”
[Editor’s Note: “Sleep when baby sleeps” was far the most common response to the prompt, so let’s definitely retire that one!]
“It only gets worse from here.”
“Wait till they are such-and-such age…”
“The worst phrase is ‘Wait until the Terrible Twos…'”
“‘Enjoy it because they will only be little once.’ Yeah, I freaking know that, and some of us are looking forward to the independence.”
“Let him cry it out.”
Advice That Is Both Obvious and Unhelpful
“‘Don’t baby him.’ HE IS A DAMN BABY”
“Being told ‘just you wait’ when I was venting about toddler tantrums and such… I know it doesn’t get easier, but damn just let me vent.”
“That holding your baby too much is bad. That cosleeping is bad. That “crying it out” is the way to teach them. Honestly, I did whatever I wanted because they were MY kids. If I had a question, I would ask for advice, but if I didn’t ask and someone offered their ‘helpful’ advice, I ignored it.”
“People always tell me where ever I go ‘Wow you have your hands full!’ I’m like ‘Yeah, there’s four of them… no sh**.'”
“Don’t hold your baby too much, and don’t rock them every time you’re putting them to sleep. No. My baby is a baby only once for a short time and I will hold them as much as I like. Did this with both my boys, used to always rock them to sleep. They are now 5 and 3 and are very cuddly still and no, I don’t need to still rock them. They go to sleep just fine on their own.”
Straight-Up Bad Parenting Advice
“That C-section mothers are not real mothers and that they took the easy way out by not giving birth.”
“If you weren’t nursing she’d sleep through the night.”
“That I absolutely HAVE to breastfeed. It was shoved down my throat.”
“Someone told me you’re supposed to stop nursing once a baby gets teeth. That nature designed it that way for a reason. Lmao. I also was told that if I cosleep, my kids will never be able to sleep in their own bed or be independent. My daughter moved right into her bed at 2. She won’t even sleep with me if I want her to. She wants her bed.”
“If they throw a tantrum in public, just ignore them/walk them out of the store. Yeah because ignoring them REALLY got them to calm down (one daughter with a sensory disorder and on the autism spectrum, the other daughter with ADHD and anger disorders). Walking them out of the store when that was LITERALLY the only time I could get to the store would have meant no groceries for the week for my family and no diapers for the week for my toddler and my infant… Yeah, I appreciate that advice. Now shut up while I do what actually works for my kids so we can eat for the week.”
Do you have a question you’d like answered? Submit it to the Mamas Uncut Facebook page, and we may feature it along with some of the best answers on this site! You can remain completely anonymous while still getting the information and support you need from other moms who know what it’s like.
Mamas Uncut is THE online place for moms. We cover the latest about motherhood, parenting, and entertainment as well – all with a mom-focused twist. So if you're looking for parenting advice from real parents, we have plenty of it, all for moms from moms, and also experts. Because, at the end of the day, our mission is focused solely on empowering moms and moms-to-be with the knowledge and answers they’re looking for in one safe space.