It's hard being a parent these days. Yes, for all of the obvious s reasons that have spanned generations, but also because we live in a time that is so technologically advanced and information-focused: you can literally find information, often too much information, about any parenting or kid-related issue under the sun. Issues that are on your radar, and more often than not, things you had never worried about before but are worrying about now because you read about them. All of this information is a good thing for so many reasons but there is way too much of it to properly process anything. Furthermore, sometimes searching for information is a self-fulfilling sort of venture: if you're leaning one way on an issue you can absolutely find information that supports your leaning, even if you claim to be researching all perspectives. Even our doctors aren't aware of all the alternative information out there, and are often rooted in a particular opinion about most possible subjects, that it's hard to get helpful advice from a professional along the way.
Another difficult thing about all of this information is that we have such limited amounts of time to process and act on it. Babies and children grow so fast and can move past the stage/issue faster than we, as parents, can properly research and consider all options available to us. And if you're researching this information after your children are born (opposed to forming certain opinions and game plans while pregnant), you likely have less time to devote to see all, or at least the most predominant, views on a particular parenting subject.
The impetus on this train of thought today has been the introduction of solid foods for little P. There is so much alternative information available that it's overwhelming, and I haven't even been looking for information on this subject. I've done the food thing with A and consider myself to be pretty knowledgeable about it. But then I heard about baby-led weaning, where no puréed food is offered, just soft enough chunks - this was interesting to me because A has food texture issues, but I don't know enough about it to comfortably execute it, and all information I found about it was from vested sources, so not entirely trustworthy.
Then there's the Whiteout Movement, which claims rice cereal and similar grain cereals are like junk food for baby: full of sugar and other things with no nutritional value. But I buy organic whole grain brown rice cereal, with no additives (no added sugar, gluten and soy free), and don't the babies need the iron this cereal is fortified with? Well, not according to this movement.. again, I'm not really convinced. I'm pretty sure the cereal I'm buying is far superior to the stuff this movement is shunning, and I don't blame those who look down at the mass produced rice cereal, as it is full of additives. A sample of a mass produced rice cereal came my way the first time around, which had an abhorrent ingredient list that included a sneaky artificial sweetener (side note: I have a major issue with artificial sweeteners in general). This sample led me to find an alternative, which I did. I thought about making my own, but there are benefits to the boxed stuff that I can't match in a homemade version, particularly iron. I do, however, make all my other baby food at home.
Unrelated to food I've also been hearing a lot about vaccinations these days: do babies and children need them? Is it better to let them build up an immunity on their own? This issue is very complicated, as children are vaccinated for diseases which exist today, and diseases that are rare these days because of widespread vaccinations. Do my children need the flu shot and chicken pox vaccines? Probably not as these illnesses are generally manageable and, barring rare complications, are not the least bit life threatening. But meningitis, polio, rubella? Yeah, I'd like my kids vaccinated against unnecessary serious illnesses. There is so much information available about this issue, but from two distinct sides: I've yet to read something that lists both the pros and cons of vaccinations. It seems the vast majority of information available comes from proponents of one side or the other. Please note, I'm not even talking about MMR-autism related issues here, which have been scientifically proven to not be related, but the link still seems questionable in some cases, enough that even I have worried.
We all want the best for our kids, and that's essentially what this comes down to. I believe that with or without all of this information only we, as parents who know our children best, know what is truly right for us and our kids. What's more important than popular opinion or scientific support is doing what works for us, taking into account available resources (time, money, support), and never, ever, let anyone tell you, or make you believe, you're doing it wrong! We all make mistakes, but we also all do abundantly more things right than wrong. Listen to your friends and other people you trust, but always know that only you know what's right for you!!
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