9 Biggest Baby Development Myths, Debunked

Is your baby's first smile really just a reaction to them passing wind for the first time? As funny as that may sound, this is a real question I get asked. In fact, it's one of the many unusual questions I get asked surprisingly often. So in this video, I'm going to answer that question as well as eight other interesting questions that parents have about their babies. This video is going to be a little bit of fun. I think you're going to learn a lot from it and hopefully get a smile out of it as well. So let's start with the most common myth that I hear all the time about babies, which is actually quite dangerous. And that is that teething causes fevers. Teething should never, ever, ever cause a fever. There is some evidence to show that when your little one is teething, their body temperature might increase slightly. But a true fever, which is when their body temperature is over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius, indicates that your little one is fighting an illness or might have an infection that requires treatment. While we're on the topic of teething, let's talk about another myth I hear all the time. And that is when a little one starts to dribble. Often at 8 to 12 weeks of age, they are definitely teething. Now, unfortunately, this statement is not correct. What parents are noticing at 8 to 12 weeks of age is the little one's body is starting to produce saliva. And when they produce saliva, that saliva is unfortunately coming out as dribble. And that's because they don't yet know how to swallow it and they predominantly have their mouth open. So it just comes right on out. Also, at 3 to 6 months of age, babies learn how to mouth their hand and also hold and mouth toys. And that is because that is how they explore and interact and play with those toys. So, of course, the motor receptors in their mouth are going to indicate that the body needs to produce more saliva because they think it is food. And this means that more saliva will be produced during this time period and it will come out of their mouth. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are teething. The next thing I often hear is that newborns cannot see. Now, this is not correct at all. Newborns can see. They see best at 20 to 38 centimeters, but they cannot see well at a distance. And that doesn't improve until around four months of age. So by four months of age, they should be able to see across the room. Newborns really enjoy looking at human faces as well as high contrast toy if a face isn't available. So definitely play and interact with your little one because they can see and they can see well up close. The next one might be a little bit disappointing for you as a parent. And that is that newborns should be sleeping through the night at three months of age. Parents do often come to me because they're extremely concerned that their little one at three months of age is not yet sleeping through the night because they're being told that three month olds should definitely be sleeping through the night. Now, although we would love our little ones to be sleeping through the night because that newborn phase is definitely tiring, it is unfortunately not necessarily true. Some babies might sleep through the night at this point, but other babies will wake for a feed. So it is completely normal and OK if your little one has a longer stretch of sleep at the beginning of the night and then wakes for one to two feeds after that. Now, if your little one is sleeping through, then that's fantastic. But if your little one isn't, then don't stress. I know it is frustrating, but over time, they're going to start to reduce those night feeds and then they will eventually sleep through the night. Parents and grandparents often believe that holding a baby and responding to their needs throughout the day or carrying them too often is going to do more harm than good and is going to spoil the little one. Now, holding your little one and responding to their cues and communications attempts doesn't actually harm them. It actually does more good than harm. And that is because your little one soon learns that when they try and communicate with you, you are going to respond and address their wants and needs. And this will help to develop a secure attachment with you and your little one. And in fact, once your little one develops a secure attachment, they're going to be less clingy and spoiled in the future because they're going to be more comfortable to go out and explore the world and interact and play because they know they have a secure base that they can return to to provide comfort and support if needed. Another thing I often get told is that newborns cannot hear. Babies actually start to listen inside the womb at 24 weeks gestation and at birth, your little one is going to be able to recognize your voice over another person's voice. So they'll actually look for you by moving their eyes in the direction of your voice. We also know that babies like a Parentonese voice, which is a sing-song voice with high pitch sounds and lots of exaggerated facial expressions. And we also know that talking to a little one is extremely important for their language development. So your newborn can definitely hear and you need to start talking to them from the very first day. Now let's talk about one of the funnier myths, which is a baby's first smile is going to be a reaction to Now you will see a newborn do lots of non-communicative grimaces and it's extremely common and that generally occurs during their sleep and it's not a true smile or a reaction to gas. But at between five to eight weeks of age, you will see your little one smile for the very first time and you are going to know it's a smile. This is when they are looking directly at you and that smile is very purposeful and it's truly completely glorious experience and it will make those first few weeks with a newborn completely worth it because you're starting to get some interaction with your little one. Now smiling is a developmental milestone that your little one will learn in their first year of life as well as lots of other developmental milestones. So if you want to know what they are and when to expect them, make sure you click on the free developmental checklist in the description box below. Another myth I also get told is that a baby is constipated because they haven't had a bowel movement for a number of days. Now there is a wide range of what's considered normal when we're talking about the frequency of bowel movements. So some babies will actually have multiple bowel movements throughout the day and others may only go once or twice a week. Also when they get older, we notice that the frequency of the bowel movement actually reduces and this is completely normal. Now as all babies are unique, it's best to be guided by your little one's usual bowel habits to determine whether or not they're constipated. So if you notice a change in consistency, volume or frequency of their bowel movement, then it is a good idea to go and check in with the doctor. Also if you notice that their poo is white or it has blood in it, then it's also another indication to go to their doctor for a checkup. Another dangerous myth I often hear is that baby walkers are safe. Now despite the common belief that baby walkers are safe, there's lots of research out there that shows that baby walkers are not safe. In fact in October 2018 in pediatrics, there was a study completed which found that over 230,000 infants under 15 months of age were actually admitted to the emergency department for baby walker related injuries during 1990 all the way up to 2018. And that's because when an individual is in a baby walker, they are able to move extremely fast. So they can move three feet or one meter every one second and this is too fast for an adult to keep up with. Also when they're in a baby walker, they're able to access items they usually wouldn't be able to access and they're at high risk of falling out of the baby walker because of a change in surface or a flight of stairs. In addition to these safety risks, baby walkers have also been shown to not promote independent walking but can actually lead to a delay in a baby achieving these developmental milestones as well as motor control. In fact a study which was completed by Siegel and Burton in 2019 showed that babies who used a baby walker sat, crawled and walked later than babies who did not use a baby walker. It is actually due to the safety risks as well as no supported developmental benefits that Canada actually banned the sale of baby walkers in 2014. Now if you are wondering if your little one is teething, then make sure you check out this video here where I go through everything you need to know about teething to make that process a little bit easier. Thanks for watching. Remember to click on that free PDF document in the description box below and I will see you next week where I'll share more parenting tips and tricks.