I was reading the November issue of Parents Magazine and came across an article called "9 Parenting Hacks Not to Feel Guilty About". I thought this article was great and so true!!!
1. Popping a pacifier back into your 7-month-old's mouth after it falls on the floor: Come on, we've all heard of the 5-second rule, right? Unless the pacifier falls into a pile of dog poo, I see no reason for needing to thoroughly clean off a pacifier after falling on the floor every single time. The article even says it's alright to pop it into your mouth real quick before putting it back in their mouth because "exposing your kids to your own oral bacteria via sucking their pacifier can help lower their risk of developing allergies." But it isn't something you want to do on a regular basis. But the bottom line here is that a little dirt isn't going to hurt your little one.
2. Letting your kids roughhouse: Unless it looks like someone is seriously going to get hurt, let them wrestle a little. According to the article, "research suggests that rough-and-tumble play in kids ages 4-11 can strengthen neural networks in the brain that control memory, attention, and impulse control, and also improve social skills."
3. Leaving your kid(s) with a babysitter or child care while you're at work. In an ideal world, maybe more people would stay home with their kids until they are 5 years old and in Kindergarten. But for a lot of women, that may not be an option. And guess what, there is no need to feel guilty about having to have your child at a babysitter or child care center. The article says that "moms who work outside the home may be more likely to raise daughters who grow up to take on a leadership roe at work and sons who take on caregiver responsibilities." It also says that feeling guilty about being away from them during the day while you are working may make you more lax in disciplining them when you are at home and that can lead to behavioral problems as they grow up. So give yourselves a break mamas, being a working mom with young kids that aren't in school yet does not make you a bad mom and don't feel guilty about it!!
4. You serve up store-bought baby food: For Big E I made my own baby food but with Little E, I didn't even think twice about buying the already made food for him because I just didn't have the time or energy to make my own. The DIY kind of food isn't necessarily healthier than store-bought and may just cause you stress by having to make it. So just save yourself the time and stress and go buy that Gerber baby food!!
5. Skipping a nightly bath: Kids under the age of 8 don't have well-developed sweat and oil glands, so they don't perspire with the stink that we as adults do. Doing a bath every other night is fine and even healthy for kids at a young age. As long as you get them in the tub right after an explosive diaper or that spaghetti dinner they enjoyed, bathing every night is not a necessity.
6. You stop breastfeeding before the one-year mark: Yes breastmilk is great for your babies and if you can, you should breastfeed for as long as possible. But for many mothers, breastfeeding doesn't come that easily and by forcing yourself to continue when it is hard, will just add more stress that you don't need. If you have to switch to formula before your little one is a year, don't feel guilty or be too hard on yourself. As long as your baby is getting the nutrition they need and are growing, that's all that matters!!
7. You don't buy the expensive organic diapers: Alright, I know I'm all about getting toxins out of my home, but the organic diapers are not necessary. The article says that "studies show conventional diapers are safe and contain only trace amounts of chemicals." Now of course if your little one gets a rash or has some type of reaction to typical diaper brands, then by all means switch to an organic kind. But don't feel bad if you use regular diapers. There are plenty of other products out there that we can switch to in order to avoid using chemicals on our little ones.
8. You tell your kids you're not their short-order cook: You don't always have to cook up your child's favorite meal. It's ok to say no to their favorite food one night and let their tummy growl. "After a few nights of going to bed hungry, most kids will start to dig into whatever you're serving." There are plenty of nights where Big E doesn't eat a lot (if any) of what I've made for dinner. But do I feel guilty about it? Nope.
9. You allow your kids to play on a tablet at restaurants: This one I definitely do every single time we go out to eat! It just makes our experience a whole lot better going out to eat with 2 little ones. Just be sure to limit their screen-time to 1 or 2 hours a day. I've been getting better with this. The TV is either on in the morning or afternoon when I'm home with the kiddos and I'm starting to limit Big E's time spent on her tablet.
What are some other parenting things that you do without feeling guilty?? Leave me some comments and have a great rest of your Thursday! The weekend is almost here!!!
