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All parents make mistakes. Don't believe it? Just think about your own parents. You will no doubt come up with a laundry list of things they did wrong.

The truth is that everyone makes mistake -- especially new parents. But if you know the 10 most common parenting mistakes, maybe you can help yourself from commiting it. So here they are, along with tips to help you avoid making them.

1. Panicking over anything and everything.

"Many new parents have overblown physical reactions to spitting up, vomiting, and other things a baby does. And the baby picks up on that anxiety."

Parents can waste the entire first year of their baby's life by worrying about the small stuff. Is he having too many potty or too few? Is she spitting up too much? Is she getting enough to eat or too little? Does he cry too much or not enough? Any of that sound familiar to you?

Babies are far more resilient than we think. But being a parent we tend to worry on such little things that we tend to forget enjoying our child first year of life. And sometime you need to enjoy your child first year of life.

2: Not letting your kids cry it out.

We, as parents, think our job is to make sure the baby is not crying. That's because we associate crying with the fact that we are doing something wrong and we need to fix it. Babies are designed to cry. They can be perfectly diapered and fed and still cry like you are pinching their arm. Its only because that's the way babies communicate. It doesn't mean you can't console or cuddle them.

For the most part, crying is just part of being a baby. But if your kid is inconsolable for an hour and has a fever, rash, vomiting, a swollen belly, or anything else unusual, call your pediatrician/Doctor as soon as possible. You know your baby best. If you think something isn't right, always check with your doctor.

3: Waking your baby up to breastfeed.

Breastfed babies can -- and should -- sleep through the night. But there’s a common misconception that breast milk is not thick enough to get an infant through the night. But it is possible and beneficial for breastfed babies -- and their moms -- to sleep through the night.

4: Confusing between spit-up and vomits.

The difference between spit-up and vomit is frequency, not forcefulness. Spit-up can happen anytime and anywhere. But vomiting is all about how many times does it occur. If your baby is vomiting it will come every 30 or 45 minutes regardless of feeding. So vomiting occurs frequently even if you are not feeding your child whereas spit-up usually occurs when you are feeding your child.

5: Not understanding a fever in a newborn.

Any fever over 100.4 F in the first 3 months of a baby's life is an emergency. The one exception is a fever that develops within 24 hours after an infant's first set of immunizations. But other than that it is an emergency.

Some parents may just say 'he feels warm' and give the baby Tylenol or baby citamol. 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 immediately. If the temperature is above 100.4 F, call your doctor (pediatrician) immediately.

6: Not child proofing their home for safety reasons.

Sharp edges, slippery furniture, dangerous stairs, finger injury due to slamming door are some of the common injury at home. Data also reveal that most injury happen at home. So childproofing is considered as important step to keep your children safe. Some solutions to these are using door stooper, corner and edge protector, Safety gates, child safety locks.

7: Neglecting oral care.

Many new parents don’t think about their newborn's teeth or oral health until it is too late. Your baby is never too young for you to start encouraging good oral health habits. Here are some tips to help new parents:

Don't give your infant milk in bed once teeth have erupted. This will increase the risk of developing cavities, adding that the cavities are also known as baby bottle decay.

Use wet soft cloth to wipe down your baby’s gums. And start using a toothbrush when the baby turns 1.

It’s also important to make sure your child is getting enough fluoride. Fluoride is found naturally in water and helps prevent cavities.

 

 

This information is not a substitute for professional advice and does not create a doctor-patient relationship. If you have any concerns about your child's health or wellbeing it is important that you seek help from your doctor or a health professional.