mydietsucks_1 wrote:I hate the excuse that the parents know best. Some well meaning parents have accidentally killed their children (suffocation during unsafe co sleeping, unsafe sleep situations, there was those vegan parents who practically starved their baby the death trying to avoid animal products). If a parent is uneducated on taking care of children, bad things can happen if they refuse advice.
Yeah, when it comes to parenting, especially with infants where 99% of the job is keeping them alive because they're totally helpless, there's no substitute for experience. That doesn't mean first time parents are bad parents, just that you have to be willing to admit that there are some things you don't know, or struggle with, and it's ok to ask 'how do I do this?!' even though it can be super embarrassing. These two worry me because it's just them in a city where they have no friends, no family, no parenting community or support network whatsoever and no one to help or advise them but a naturopath doctor who they've seen once (I think?) since June was born. The idea that they know better than anyone in the world how to care for June is pigheaded, she's a normal healthy baby - she's not special. She needs the same things as other babies. And they're complaining because people gently say 'you're not carrying her in the wrap properly, that could be dangerous'. Stuff where it's objectively unsafe, not just the usual 'everyone has an opinion' thing.
Just because you can have a baby, doesn't mean you always know best. If that was true the foster care system wouldn't exist.