Comments for Parenting Myths, Parenting Facts

Comment on The truth about bedsharing risks – and why it may not be what you think by Erynn Schwellinger

Erynn Schwellinger — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:09:23 +0000

Wish I’d seen this when i first sartd cosleeping. Baby wouldn’t sleep any other way – a frank discussin with honesty about the risks would have been lovely.

Comment on Breastfeeding for longer than a year – myths, facts, and what the research really shows by Indie

Indie — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 01:26:00 +0000

If you are concerned with iron deficiency, I would suggest that you look into how our cultural norm of early umbilical cord clamping plays a part in this problem. There is good information available and some doctors are beginning to wait longer to clamp the cord. It is not that breastmilk is missing iron, it is that babies are starting life with lower than normal stores of iron due to cords being clamped too early. (There is an excellent grand rounds on this available on YouTube if you are interested.)

Comment on Breastfeeding for longer than a year – myths, facts, and what the research really shows by Indie

Indie — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 01:20:48 +0000

Breastfeeding for around two years is the norm biologically and anthropologically. It is up to those who choose to go outside the norm to prove that doing so is not detrimental. I haven’t looked into these studies, but from what you’ve written is seems to say that the studies really haven’t been done or done well. It doesn’t make sense for those who are feeding human milk to human young to bear the burden of proving it is somehow beneficial.

And lets be honest, there are extremely few people who breastfeed past a year because they feel pressured to. There are many more who stop because they feel social pressure to stop. And there are many, many more who stop much earlier than a year for a host of reasons, in many cases not because they wanted to.

I would love to see more and better studies if the existing ones are as poor as you indicate. And I don’t advocate guilting anyone into doing anything. But I won’t stop telling women that its a healthy and normal thing to do. If that makes them feel guilty, they have issues to deal with that are larger than breastfeeding decisions.

Comment on The truth about bedsharing risks – and why it may not be what you think by Bed Sharing | Full Bed

Bed Sharing | Full Bed — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:43:28 +0000

[...] The Truth About Bedsharing Risks – And Why It May Not Be What You Think on Parenting Myths, Parenting Facts (bottom of post has both both academic references and personal blog posts on bed sharing) [...]

Comment on The truth about bedsharing risks – and why it may not be what you think by Bed Sharing | Chhoto Pakhi

Bed Sharing | Chhoto Pakhi — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 13:29:25 +0000

Comment on About me by Dr Sarah

Dr Sarah — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 09:41:04 +0000

Bionic Brooklynite – Sorry not to have been of any help here, but that article doesn’t ring any bells. I’m sure it wasn’t me who posted the link, and I haven’t seen that one before. I asked about it on a medical forum to see whether it rang any bells for anyone else (which is why I’ve taken so long to get back to you – wanted to see whether anyone was actually going to post anything useful in response), but no joy there.

Hmmm… maybe try the Momma Data blog? She posts about this kind of stuff – might have been her, or she might know of it.

Comment on About me by bionicbrooklynite

bionicbrooklynite — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:40:07 +0000

Hi, I am a big fan of this blog and your other one (the breast feeding stuff was a real life saver when I was eating my heart out over supplementing with formula bc of reynaud’s not allowing me to pump). I am currently searching for an article that I think maybe I read because of a link of yours? If this rings a bell, I would be very grateful if you’d point me in the right direction, as i am working on a post about letting my toddler have more autonomy on the playground.

The article was some kind of study (British, I think) about minor injuries in early childhood seeming to help prevent major injuries later. The gist as I recall it was that small children who fall out of trees may get hurt, but they also learn they are vulnerable, which teaches them not to do more dangerous things when they are older. Does this seem familiar at all? Google is only giving me head injury lawyers.

If it does seem familiar or you have any ideas about search terms, etc., that might help, please let me know. Bionicmamas at gmail.

Thank you!

Comment on The truth about bedsharing risks – and why it may not be what you think by Robin

Robin — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 02:46:40 +0000

I’m late in seeing this, but I have to post and thank you for writing it. I looked for a year for a good summary of the available research on bedsharing before finally stumbling across your article. I think that your weighing up at the end is the smartest, most level-headed thing I’ve read on the subject. If only more parenting discussions were like this.

Comment on Breastfeeding for longer than a year – myths, facts, and what the research really shows by Becky

Becky — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 14:49:41 +0000

This is really to Angela’s last post, but I don’t seem to be able to reply directly to it. Giving parents information is NOT the same as trying to influence their decision. Parents’ decisions have to be based on SOMETHING, and if it is not based on scientific research, then it is simply based on their own biases or preconceived ideas. A lot of parents is simply about “what works for us,” but looking to see if the are possible health effects to different options is GOOD as it gives parents objective information to base their decisions on.

Comment on Accentuate the negative, eliminate the positive? The problems with Wiessinger’s ‘Watch Your Language’ by Dr Sarah

Dr Sarah — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 06:59:34 +0000

John Q: After thinking it over, I’ve decided not to approve the comment you submitted, as it was quite unpleasant and snide in tone. If you want to make a contribution to the discussion that doesn’t contain digs at others, you’re still welcome to do so.