Parenting trends can be quite a dangerous thing. We need to talk about the 5 parenting trends that are detrimental to your child’s development. Whether they cause physical harm or emotional danger, we’re going to break down what each trend is and why they hurt a child, so you can make sure you do the best you can as a Mom.
Different Milks
As adults, we have a lot of different choices in regards to what kind of milk we want to drink. For us though, it isn’t completely essential we drink milk as part of our diet. For babies, especially newborns, having the correct milk is extremely important.
We can drink almond, coconut, soy or other nut “milks” but studies have proven if you give this to your baby it can cause problems. One of the latest fads is switching your baby over from breastmilk or formula to nut-based milk (almond, coconut, soy, etc.). This is because some parents, who are practicing vegans, want their children to keep a vegan diet as well.
Having your baby drink these milks before they are a year old can lead to serious nutrient deficiencies, dehydration, or even death. What many parents are forgetting is that breastmilk, and soy-based formulas, are actually vegan approved.
Yes Parenting
Another fad that is taking over the parenting world is called ‘yes parenting.’ Yes, it is as crazy as it sounds. Instead of telling your child ‘no’ or ‘don’t’, parents have started using what is called positive discipline. I know, the words positive and discipline rarely go together – let’s dive into what this really entails.
This style of parenting is slightly confusing. In “yes parenting” there are no bribes, no yelling, no sticker charts, no time-outs. Why exactly? It argues that both rewards and punishments override a child’s natural desire to behave a specific way. Basically, it’s saying that when you don’t use ‘yes parenting’ you’re teaching your child to behave certain ways only so they are rewarded.
Psychologists say that this form of parenting is actually doing more harm than good. They say that the word ‘no’ creates healthy boundaries. Therefore, when your children grow up they have no problem creating boundaries in their relationships throughout life. If you grow up never hearing the word – it makes it way more difficult.
RIE Parenting
This form of parenting is one that I can’t even begin to wrap my head around. Let me introduce to you RIE parenting, or as it’s formally called “Resources for Infant Educarers.” What exactly is RIE parenting?
In short, it’s treating your children like they are a mini adult (I know, it’s wild). RIE encourages parents to avoid baby talk and speak to your babies as though you’re having adult-style conversations. It also discourages any toys, strollers, lullabies, sippy cups, high chairs, pacifiers. So, anything that would bring your child joy, soothe them, or make your life easier – you need to avoid.
While I could go on, and on, about the issues with this style of parenting – here is the bottom line: baby talk helps babies who are learning to speak, and high chairs, strollers, and sippy cups exist for a baby’s safety.
Freebirthing
I don’t know one person who isn’t a little nervous when you start to talk about even the idea of child birth. It’s scary. You’re literally pushing another human being out of your body. With all of that being said you should be allowed to deliver your baby in the way that makes you the most comfortable.
While comfort is important – so is safety for both mother and baby. Some women are jumping on board with the latest fad called Freebirthing, but it isn’t actually very safe. Freebirthing is a movement of women reclaiming their autonomy during pregnancy, childbirth, and then motherhood.
Basically, it’s when a woman wants to deliver her baby entirely on her own with absolutely zero medical assistance. It also encourages women to have minimal to no contact with doctors during their pregnancies.
In essence, people are avoiding modern medicine and it seems as though they’ve forgotten how important doctors are. In addition, it’s like they don’t realize how dangerous childbirth can be. Unfortunately, Freebirthing often ends tragically, but we can’t say we’re surprised by that.
Extreme Breastfeeding
Anything about breastfeeding is kind of a touchy subject. Each Mom has their views on why they do it or why they don’t. However, all of us know that breastmilk is full of necessary nutrients and antibodies that are extremely beneficial.
Breastfeeding is, of course, a good thing, but it also has its disadvantages. Specifically, extreme breastfeeding. Basically, extreme breastfeeding is exactly what it sounds like – breastfeeding for too long.
Too long can mean a few things. It could be too long, in regards to the child getting too old for it. Or it could be merely too long for a length of time.
Restricted Diets
This fad being problematic won’t come as a surprise to anyone. Putting your baby on a restricted or special diet is not the best idea. This is especially an issue if your baby doesn’t need to be on a special diet.
Moms like Kourtney Kardashian and Gwyneth Paltrow are big advocates of putting their children on special diets. These diets include making their children gluten free, meat free, or carb free, even when their children don’t show any signs of food intolerance. It’s actually pretty detrimental to your child’s health to restrict them of foods unnecessarily.
Harvard revealed on their health blog “children should never go on a gluten-free diet unless their doctor has specifically instructed them to.”
They went further to explain why restricted diets are a problem, gluten contains crucial nutrients and calories that children need to have. Cutting dairy from their diet without reason eliminates the source of calcium that children need.
Measles Parties
This trend builds off of the debate regarding shots. There are many parents who have made the controversial decision not to vaccinate their children. That is not the fad we are talking about. We’re talking about the fad called measles parties.
This is a trend that was started by the misinformed parents who have made the decision not to vaccinate their children. These parties initially started in the 1950s and 1960s, before the measles vaccine was invented, the idea was based on adults thinking children will somehow build up an immunity to measles. Of course, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention discourages intentionally exposing yourself to measles, and your children too.
Having these parties is dangerous for your child’s health. It is particularly dangerous for children under the age of five to attend these parties. When exposed to measles without proper vaccination, it can result in pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death.
Unschooling
This particular fad is an educational philosophy that allows children to choose what they are taught in school. It’s referred to as unschooling. Unschooling puts the children completely in control of what they’re learning. They get to decide what they’re taught based on their interests.
In addition, the kids are in control of what they do and how they do it while in the classroom. Of course, this method is not used in a traditional classroom. It is only used in homeschooling. Experts have weighed in and found that children schooled with this method had lower academic scores in writing, reading, and arithmetic compared to their counterparts that had structure.
Unschooling can also cause problems for children in the long term. The real-world revolves around structure and deadlines. Not enforcing these things at a young age makes it virtually impossible to integrate them into your adult life.
