After we found out the gender of our baby, we found ourselves overwhelmed with outdated opinions as well.  For instance, my mother once argued with me that I should buy a drop-side crib.  She argued that I’m short (I stand five feet tall) and would have a hard time lifting the baby out of the crib otherwise. While she had a point (I am short, after all), our #1 concern was our child’s safety (drop-side cribs hadn’t been banned yet when we were crib shopping).

Another relative chimed in with, “You have to have a crib bumper.  She’ll hit her head on the crib if you don’t and hurt herself!”  We listed a handful of SIDS facts and changed that person’s mind quickly too. And yet another close relative looked at us like we were aliens when we refused to allow her to buy anything baby-related at a garage sale.  We’re not talking gently used here; we’re talking 25 years old and possibly recalled by now.  She wasn’t aware of safety and current guidelines, nor were most other well-meaning adults who hadn’t had a newborn in over 20 years.  While I certainly don’t expect someone whose youngest child is in their twenties to keep up on current safety guidelines, I do expect them to respect our decisions regarding childcare and safety.

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