Mums, how often do you hear your mother or mother- in- law or any other elderly woman question your decision for your baby and say that, ‘In my times, I did it this way and you can see for yourself, my children grew perfectly well.’ We bet by now you have grown tired of the constant badgering from everyone around you about the do’s and don’ts for your baby.
Parents receive lots of contradictory advice on how to raise their little angels that is sure to confuse them. Quite often the advice offered by the household elders is completely opposite to what the pediatrician says. Apart from this, there are other mum friends who have different experiences with similar advice from pediatricians even. So, who do you listen to when your baby’s wellbeing is at stake?
Let’s hear it from the Real Mum, Ashwini Mulye Doshi.
“As a mum, I always listened to my heart rather than blindly following any advice,” says Ashwini Mulye Doshi, a working mum.
Ashwini has been working in the sales industry for many years and has a busy schedule but that never stops her from being the doting mom to her two-year-old son, Baby Hridhaan. As a new mum she received lots of advice that continues till date.
Ashwini says, “The most important decision that I took for my baby was to breastfeed him for as long as possible. Contradictory to this, elderly women in the family kept insisting that I wean my son off breastmilk earlier but I continued till quite recently. According to my mother and mother- in- law, breastfeeding for very long affects the health of the mother and hence eight months to one year is a good period to change the feeding habits of the baby My son was on breast milk along with other home cooked foods almost till he turned two years old and here I am, hale and hearty.
“Another weird belief that I heard was that you must not bathe the baby on the day of the week he or she was born. So, for example, my son was born on a Wednesday and till he turned 1 year old, I was expected to not bathe him every Wednesday. I didn’t really understand the logic behind it but what I did know was that it was unhygienic. So, I continued giving my baby a bath event on Wednesdays. Of course, I was on the receiving end of criticism for a while before everyone saw that it didn’t make any difference to my baby
“All mums are extra careful with their baby’s tender skin. Even I was. So instead of going for baby baths or soaps, I used traditional mixes to bathe him like a powder of Masoor Dal with natural cream, honey and so on. Unfortunately, this mixture was very difficult to cleanse, resulting to my little darling suffering from ear infection.
So, another lesson that I got in parenting was to be aware and cautious about everything. After that I continued using the homemade mixture for a while but then I had to make sure that I check it gets properly rinsed off the body, especially the body parts with many skin folds. Now I use Baby Dove Rich Moisture Baby Bar with the Baby Dove Rich Moisture Baby Lotion for him and there’s absolutely no need to worry about anything. His skin stays soft and supple throughout the day.
“Earlier I wasn’t using any moisturiser because my family thought that oil would be the best option but even oil massages can lead to rashes if the oil is not rinsed off properly. Also, my pediatrician had suggested that after the confinement period it would be best if I massaged my baby to strengthen the bond while my family wanted to continue with masseuse. So, I had to take a stand and say that I prefer doing it myself. Both me and my son enjoyed this bonding time.
“My son is yet to outgrow diapers and there was a phase when my family insisted that I must make him wear diapers only when outdoors. However, I didn’t agree to that. I consulted my pediatrician and she explained how with good amount of nappy free times I could maintain diaper area hygiene. One of my mum friends also suggested that she applied diaper rash cream as a preventive measure whenever she had to make her baby wear a diaper for longer duration. Presently I’m using the Baby Dove Diaper Rash Cream and it is excellent.
Baby Dove’s range of products are created specially to leave your baby’s skin smooth and soft from the first use itself. Baby Dove products are hypoallergenic and their pH neutral formula respects skin’s natural pH balance. All their products are pediatrician and dermatologist tested and are meant for daily use. Baby Dove’s wide range of products are your solution to all your new born’s skin related problems.
“My motherhood experience has taught me that there’s no right or wrong way of raising a baby. Every baby is different and has different needs. As a mum, you need to understand your baby and amend your parenting strategy accordingly. Nothing is fixed or even perfect for that matter. I am really glad that I listened to all perspectives and finally chose to do what suited my baby the best. I think that’s the sign of being a Real Mum.”
Mums, just like this mum who herself decided for her baby, choose freely for your angel and forget about the pressure of conflicting advice.
Baby Dove believes that there are no Perfect Mums, only Real Mums. For the complete range of products visit www.dove.com/in/baby
