Article 'We Young Parents'

I can understand why you were bothered by this article, Kate. I would be too. Have you heard any news from 'Wij jonge ouders' yet?

It immediately reminded me of an experience a colleague had.
Their first baby also had a lot of trouble falling asleep and kept crying.
This broke their hearts, so they went to a pediatrician for advice. The doctor claimed that you really should let the baby cry it out. Since it was their first child, they wanted to be protective and followed this advice for a few months.
In the end, following this advice (which they now still regret and advise everyone against) caused their baby to bang their head against the crib every time they went to sleep – resulting in head injuries!

When they told their story to another pediatrician, that doctor was shocked and immediately said never to apply this 'wisdom'.
If the baby really has such a hard time, there must be something else going on. (They don't feel safe, they don't feel well, they need something, they are bothered by something in the room, have problems possibly with the nanny, daycare, ... you name it.)
By then, this head-banging had become a routine for the baby. It was very difficult to unlearn this.
To give themselves and the baby the rest they needed, they decided to bring him into bed with them. Some people called them crazy (You don't do that! :blink
For them, this was really the best solution. Start in mom and dad's bed and eventually move the baby to their own room when they were asleep.

As a parent, I think you know best what's good for your baby, how your little one is put together.
But when you read such 'advice' in articles and hear it from others, pediatricians, I can understand why you'd start doubting. Especially as a new mom.
Being critical and trusting your maternal instinct is really the message here.
I hope I can do this with our little one and not doubt too much ...

Indeed, those are also things I’d get annoyed by. I mean, your baby really needs that contact with its mother, especially in the first few months.
When it’s just out of the womb, it’s already adjusting to so much, so it really needs lots of contact with you as a mom.
I also believe it’s better to always check and cuddle your baby right away when it cries; that’s also better for its development.
And spoiling a baby is nonsense—you can’t spoil a baby.
That’s only possible at 5 or 6 years old.
But it’s very relatable; I also always get annoyed by articles like this.
And not all children are the same; there’s no one-size-fits-all rule.
Super, Kate, that you shared this with us!
Greetings, Madelene