Seeking Advice - Okemos,MI

.

When it comes to health and medical questions, always my pediatrician. I am so fortunate that my mom is fairly knowledgeable about current guidelines, and if she isn't she pretty much says to go with what the docs say. She admits that when she was raising babies it was very different and with medical advances in the last 25-30 years, most of what she did is wrong and outdated. Like I said, I am lucky. I would never do tummy sleeping, or cereal at 6 weeks, drink while pregnant. Luckily my mom would never advise that kind of stuff.

For things like techniques and ways of handling situations I listen to both, but probably my mom more except in a couple of areas where I don't want to make the same mistakes she did. But like how to brush teeth, coax a stubborn toddler into doing things, that kind of stuff- I totally trust her advice. I take TV people's advice with a grain of salt. I know they might be experts, and they might not. They probably have more experience than me, but they haven't been around my kid.

Go with what your pediatrician says, but listen to your Mom and ask her what worked for her. But times are very different now, and parenting, like many many (most) other things has evolved as we learn new things....So I'd say (and my 3 kids are teenagers now) that my pediatrician's advice has been the best over the years. And I have a great Mom, don't get me wrong.

Updated

Go with what your pediatrician says, but listen to your Mom and ask her what worked for her. But times are very different now, and parenting, like many many (most) other things has evolved as we learn new things....So I'd say (and my 3 kids are teenagers now) that my pediatrician's advice has been the best over the years. And I have a great Mom, don't get me wrong.

Updated

Go with what your pediatrician says, but listen to your Mom and ask her what worked for her. But times are very different now, and parenting, like many many (most) other things has evolved as we learn new things....So I'd say (and my 3 kids are teenagers now) that my pediatrician's advice has been the best over the years. And I have a great Mom, don't get me wrong.

Updated

Go with what your pediatrician says, but listen to your Mom and ask her what worked for her. But times are very different now, and parenting, like many many (most) other things has evolved as we learn new things....So I'd say (and my 3 kids are teenagers now) that my pediatrician's advice has been the best over the years. And I have a great Mom, don't get me wrong.

I would put more weight on the advice of my pediatrician. My mother and my husband's mother raised their last child 30-40 years ago... There have been a lot of medical and dietary advances since then, not to mention a cultural shift in parenting perspectives. I remember my MIL told me that it was fine to give an infant under 12 months a bottle of milk because that's what she did... (uh?!)

But, of course, it depends on the issue. It depends on whether your pedi has children of their own or if their advice is strictly based on medical journals. It depends on whether your child has any developmental or medical conditions that are contributing to the issue...

I ask my Mom's advice on all kinds of things, but she works in the medical field as well, so it is like having the best of both worlds. If it is normal parental stuff, listen to mom, if it is concerning anything medical, i would go with the doc, there has been a lot of changes and advances in what they know over 30 years ago.

its like the nature vs. nurture debate. it can be BOTH!!

That would depend on the pediatrician and the mother... :-)

I wouldnot take a "tv professionals" advice over my moms. But I have a mom who is AWESOME and has raised 5 healthy, well adjusted, stable kids. Plus she works in a school setting and has alot of experience.
They can have some good ideas... But usually those same ideas are ones that alot of parents use in general life. People like the Nanny 911 shows families in dysfunction and highlight ideas that WORK. Ideas that you may already be using in some form can be applied in many ways that we hadn't thought of yet.

I am also a licensed daycare provider so I have to have yearly training. Things focusing on mental and physical ability, learning traits, etc...

There are things that my MIL is outdated on...(her youngest turned 35 this year)
My moms youngest is 14 and she helps raise my neices and nephews (12,11,8,6)
There are other things that "modern" parents do that should be stopped (filling the house with electronic amusements/ not giving kids responsibilities/ not focusing on family but keeping the family running from activity to activity all week long)

Pediatricians really do not spend enough time with specific kids to talk specifically ABOUT that child. Yes, they can give you general guide lines and point out medical stuff.

I would listen to my Pediatrician about medical stuff... But would Rank my mom over my MIL (because of the length of time since dealing with little ones all the time..) and TV people... (In that order)

I don't take any advice from my mother or my mother-in-law for that matter. I guess it really depends on the source. I am so different from my mother. She put me and my brothers and sisters in danger so many times, I feel like it is a miracle that we are alive. And my mother-in-law is always drunk, so whatever she says goes in one ear and out the other.
I do, however, consider advice I get from other moms from my church, my grandma or my girlfriends that have kids too.

Sometimes this is true, other times it isn't. As a Christian, often the advise given goes against biblical principles, so I have to override it. Also medical professionals are often so afraid of being sued that they recommend more procedures then one needs, just to protect themselves.

Bottom line, you're the parent. Outside advise is great, but you have the responsibility to weigh the evidence and decide what's best for your kid.

It really depends on what the issue is. I think there is a lot of good advice out there now that was not available in our parents day when they were raising us. And in my opinion if you know better then you do better.
The biggest and most contentious issue is usually that of corporal punishment (spanking). Most doctors and parenting experts are against it now but it was normal back in the day.
Also smoking around children. Back in the day, if your parents smoked, they probably smoked around you, with you in the room, with you in the car, etc. Now they have all but banned smoking in public places, especially around children and, where I am, they are also considering making it illegal in vehicles with children under 18 as passengers.
But there are many other pieces of advice that our parents give us that are just fine and work great but may not always agree with what the "experts" tell us and that's okay too.
In the end though it's your own instinct as a parent that should guide you. Sure advice from Mom is nice and doctors/experts will always pitch in with their own advice and knowledge, but the best thing you can do for yourself and your children is take all that in and decide for yourself what you feel is right and then do that. It may in fact be somewhere in between what your mother said and what the experts said, but if that was the right decision for you, then it was the best decision.
Hope that helps a little. Good luck!

I have 2 grown children. Ages 36 and 33, so I did things different than they say today. Some of the things doctors say now are better but, it makes you wonder how there are any of you are all alive to even be having babies now with some of the things they say. I got alot of advice from my mom when I had kids , but I also became an Aunt at 10 so I knew alot about taking care of babies before I had mine. We did put our kids on milk at 6 months back then and did alot different. I have 5 sisters and we have 21 kids and they are all very healthy, but for medical advice listen to your Doctor and if your Mom says something you really dont agree with just follow your instinct.

wow- tough question. I would say that when it comes to "medical concerns", I would go with the pediatrician. Things have changed dramatically since we were children with respect to research and practice. When it comes to behavioral issues or "parenting" questions, I would ask your mom. T.V. professionals are often very good, but they are addressing a broad audience and the advice doesn't reflect your child/family.

To be honest moms live from back in the day. So that is your choice. I say follow your gut after getting all the sides from everyone.

It depends on how much you value your mother's point of view. Just b/c she is your Mom doesn't make her right. I appreciate my mom's opinion, but on health issues I definitely go w/ my Dr's advice. Basically, I try to listen to my guy and weigh the options for what is best for my child.