5 common myths about babies, have they been true for me? |

Last Updated on April 12, 2024

There are a lot of common myths about babies, and quite often they’re given as advice when we’re faced with something we need help with during the newborn stage.

In fact, I’ve quite often be given advice that’s based on a common myth about babies, and I thought that it would be interesting to see if this type of advice has worked for my baby, and by doing so, maybe you can see if it’s worked for you as well, if it’s advice you’ve also been given.

If you have a toddler, you can also see if myth based advice has worked for you by visiting 5 common myths about toddlers, have they been true for me?

In this post

Babies need baths everyday

This is a common myth about babies that isn’t true, because bathing your baby everyday can strip their skin of essential moisture and oils that it needs to stay moisturised.

In terms of my own baby, I always make sure his nappy area is kept clean, and I bathe him once or twice a week because he’s not yet running around or getting dirty.

Picking up a crying baby will spoil them

I’ve been given this advice, and for me I can’t let my baby cry without comforting him, so this common myth about babies for me has also been false.

By picking my baby Thomas up, I’m comforting him when he’s upset, which shows him that I’m there for him when he needs me, and it helps him to learn how to go from upset to calm, which is an important skill to develop.

Never wake a sleeping baby

I’ve been told this many times, but at various points in the early days babies need to be woken from their sleep.

Some of these include waking them to feed them, especially in the early weeks, and waking them from naps so they can start to distinguish between day and night.

However, like most things, only you know what’s best for your baby and if you don’t want to wake them then you don’t have to, especially if they’re not a good sleeper and they’re finally asleep and you need a break.

I wake Thomas up from sleep whenever he’s asleep close to his bedtime, which makes this another common myth about babies that isn’t true for me.

Get your baby into a routine from day one

The best advice I was given from a midwife just after Thomas was born was to be responsive to his needs from day one, which meant letting him sleep and feed when he wanted, and for how long he wanted.

This meant that I didn’t have Thomas in a routine from day one, which again means another common baby myth that wasn’t true for me.

It was only after Thomas was three months old that I started to implement a loose routine, which consisted of running through the below over and over each day:

Sleep
Nappy change
Feed
Play

Babies need to sleep through the night from 3 months old

This is a common baby myth that’s unrealistic, because many babies can’t distinguish the difference between day and night until they’re about six months old, which affects their nightime sleep.

Thomas was a great sleeper, but even by three months old he wasn’t always sleeping through the night.

None of these common myths about babies were true for me, and that’s okay, because all babies develop at their own pace.

This isn’t to say that there aren’t some common myths about babies that are true for me, I just haven’t found them yet.

What common myths about babies have you been given as advice?