5 Mistakes You’re Probably Making With Your Baby

Parents, don’t you just wish babies came with an instruction manual?!

Most of the time as parents, we feel like we don’t know what we’re doing or whether we’re doing this thing right.

First off, you are doing AMAZING! 

However, we would bet money that nobody taught you the best way to do a lot of things for your baby. Most of the time parents just follow the loving and well-meaning, but outdated and unscientific advice that they have received from their loved ones. 

We know that you want the absolute best for your bundle of joy, and so do we! Here are 5 things common mistakes that you may be making with your baby that are not the most optimal for their health and development, and solutions you can do instead. When you know better, you do better! 

Mistake 1: Burping your baby by patting their back.

Parents have been taught to (quite forcefully) pat their baby’s back after feeding, which actually creates a whiplash effect and irritates the nerves that go to the baby’s digestive system.

What you can do instead is rock/bounce them gently up and down! This is much less irritating to their digestive system, and you'll see for yourself how much more effective it is!

Mistake 2: The way you change their diaper.

Parents have been taught to lift a baby’s legs up to change their diaper. However, this puts a lot of pressure on their low back and irritates the nerves that control their digestion. This makes them gassy and makes it harder for them to go to the bathroom. 

Instead, roll your baby over to the side to change their diaper! It might be a little messy the first time you do it, but you'll get the hang of it in no time!

PS: We made a YouTube video all about this. Watch here!

Mistakes 3 & 4: Putting your baby in assisted sitting devices and assisted walking devices.

The market is saturated with endless bumbos, walkers, jumpers, and all sorts of contraptions--but beware of them.

The problem with these is that parents are often putting their babies in these devices before they are able to do these things on their own, which has long term consequences for their development. 

What can you do instead? The best thing that you can do with your baby is give them LOTS of TUMMY TIME! Did you know that tummy time can help your baby reach their milestones faster? Tummy time is so important in allowing them to meet all subsequent milestones in the proper order: rolling, then sitting up on their own, then crawling, then standing up. 

Once they’re able to sit up and walk on their own, you can use those assisted sitting and walking devices. This is because their body is up and in that position already, their spinal curvature is properly developing, and their nervous system is ready for that next step in development.

Another great thing you can do is lay them on their back and press into their feet which will help them eventually start walking! 

Mistake 5: Wiping their nose by pushing into it.

Do you wipe your kid’s nose by pushing the tissue up into their nose? I bet they hate when you do that, don't they. That's because this is the wrong way to wipe! This jams the ethmoid and sphenoid bones, which further pushes snot into their nose and causes more congestion (kind of counterproductive, isn't it?).

Instead, pull the tissue down the bridge of your child’s nose. That way, you will not make their congestion worse and they won’t fight you as much!

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If you have found yourself making these common mistakes, we hope that you find these solutions easy and effective! 

The best thing you can do for your baby is get them checked regularly by a neurologically based pediatric chiropractor like us to make sure that their brain and body are optimally communicating, so that they can reach their milestones and their fullest potential!

At Sláinte Chiropractic, help build healthy families before they conceive, throughout pregnancy, and as their baby develops. We support you, guide you, and affirm you as you navigate every bump of the rollercoaster that is parenting.