The Worst Parenting Advice

As if parenting isn’t challenging enough sometimes, without having to dodge the barrage of ‘well-intentioned’ but unsolicited parenting advice from both strangers and those closest to us. Of course there’s bad advice – and then there’s just the downright crazy (bordering on dangerous) advice too. Thankfully the later of these is often glaringly obvious – but no less shocking nevertheless – particularly when the person giving the advice actually believes it to be true!

Check out some of the worst parenting advice parents on Reddit have been given.

When kiddo was up all night at a very young age my mom said ” she’s got her nights and days mixed up, you need to lay her down the opposite way in her crib. What?

Reddit user: upyoursbub

My MIL’s friend told me to rub a dry washcloth on my nipples while I was pregnant in order to toughen them up for breastfeeding. Apparently she used to be a lactation consultant!!! Oh and she gave me this advice at my wedding reception.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, another of my MIL’s friends came to visit shortly after my firstborn was released from NICU. She came straight up to me, grabbed my hand, looked straight into my eyes, and said “he will fall off the couch, and he will be fine”. She was dead serious and repeated herself. I never forgot it and when the day came that he fell off the couch I was totally chill about it 🙂 Best advice ever!

Reddit User: Iambevin

A family friend suggested I give my son corn syrup and cold water in a bottle from birth. To prevent diaper rash. The cold water cools down the hot urine, and it’s hot urine that causes diaper rash. Of course.

Reddit user: donnamatrix79

I was told when my kids start teething to put an egg in one of their socks and hang it over a door that is used the most in the house. This will cure the teething pain.

Reddit user: Dotchianni

Rub your urine on their face to prevent baby pimples!

Reddit user: NursingInPublic

• If your newborn is feeding more than once every three hours, you’re overfeeding it.

• If you don’t teach your baby to self-settle by three months, he never will.

• You need to wean him onto formula, or he won’t get enough iron.

• You should let him cry – it’s good for his lungs.

• He’s got legs like eggshells, you shouldn’t let him walk – pick him up!

• Don’t let him watch TV, it’ll give him ADD.

• You mustn’t eat spicy food, or you’ll go into premature labour. (my wife’s of Bengali extraction…)

• Keep an eye on his size – you don’t want him growing too tall. You should water down the milk so he doesn’t get too much protein.

Reddit user: TheBananaKing

“Don’t let him hold his head up like that, he’s not strong enough, his head will snap off.” I looked at her very confused…she actually believed what she was saying!

Reddit user: I_hate_pancakes

When my son was 6 months old, we were out to lunch with a meetup grou. I was still exclusively breastfeeding my son, so as we sat there eating and talking, my son was not eating any food, just chilling with me. A woman kindly offered some puffs to my son, and I declined, explaining why. Another woman, whose 9 month old baby was eating french fries, told me that I needed to feed my son real food so he would get “some nutrition.” Hahahahaha!

Reddit user: forgetasitype

So I’m at work, rearranging some stuff, and a coworker stops on her way out to tell me that if I don’t stop reaching for things the cord will wrap around my baby’s neck and she’ll die. 

Reddit user: Fruitjerky

My current favorite is that I shouldn’t respond to my 2.5 year old unless he pronounces words 100% correctly. “He taught you his language instead of learning yours!”

Reddit user: flantagenous

A random stranger… told me when my son was not even 3 months old, that he needed to lose weight and to stop feeding him.

Reddit user: Ajs1004

An angry stranger lady accosted me in a grocery store and yelled at me that my baby was too young to be outside of the house.

Reddit user: Kifferella

My nana told my mom that she would catch a cold in her vagina (wtf) because she ran errands a few days after giving birth to me in the winter.

Reddit user: thebellrang

My friend’s wife approached me at a party and told me I needed to do more tummy time with my son because he hated being on his tummy. I replied that I do the recommended 20 minutes a day, and she told me I needed to do 20 minutes every hour. I replied that the best parenting advice I ever received was to not listen to other parents’ advice.

Reddit user: Antaymonkey

A guy at a bus stop told me my kid is a crystal child and not to tickle him because it would give him cancer.

Reddit user: Graendal

“Read your child a thousand books before letting them read one themselves. If they learn to read before they’re in school, they’ll just be bored and disruptive when they get there”.

This was from a teacher, ffs. I died a little inside.

Reddit user: TheBananaKing

Why are you pregnant and wearing your seatbelt? Didn’t you know if I stop the car quickly the belt will squeeze your tummy and the baby will pop out? Please take off your seatbelt! – I was told this while pregnant – I said ” remove it so both my child and I can die in a car crash?”

Reddit user: invioletlight

What is the worst parenting advice you’ve ever been given?  Have you ever heard anything more bizarre than some of these?