Common Parenting Mistakes:

All parents make mistakes.

The truth is no one is infallible, especially new parents.

Below are a few common parenting mistakes, along with tips to help you avoid making them.

Panicking over anything and everything:

Many new parents have overblown physical reactions to spitting and vomiting. Parents can waste the

entire first year of their baby's life by worrying about the small stuff. This worry gets in the way of

being spontaneous and enjoying your infant's first year of life.

Not letting your infant cry it out:

We, as parents, think our job is to make sure the baby is not crying and that's because we associate

crying with the fact that we are doing something wrong and we need to fix it but, what we don’t realise

is the fact that babies are designed to cry. For the most part, crying is just part of being a baby but, if

your infant is inconsolable for an hour and has a fever, a swollen belly, or anything else unusual, call

for help as soon as possible.

Waking your baby up to breastfeed: Breastfed babies can and should sleep through the night. Do not unnecessarily worry yourself if your

baby doesn’t wake up at the middle of the night. Your baby is bound to wake you up if he or she is

hungry.

Confusing spit-up for vomit: The difference between spit-up and vomit is frequency, not forcefulness. Spit-up can absolutely fly

across the room but vomiting is all about frequency. Spit-up, is usually related to feeding and not

vomiting.

Not sweating a fever in a new-born:

The one exception is a fever that develops within 24 hours after an infant's first set of immunization.

Some parents may just say 'he feels warm but, that’s a parenting mistake in this age group. An

infant's immune system is not set up to handle an infection on its own. If your child feels warm, take

the temperature rectally. If the temperature is above 100.4, call your paediatrician immediately.

Neglecting oral care: Many new parents don’t think about their new-born’s oral health. Your baby is never too young for you

to start encouraging good oral habits. Use a wet gauze to wipe down your baby’s gums and start

using a toothbrush when the baby turns 1.