The Challenge of Parenting Decisions

Parenting is full of difficult decisions. As parents, we all want to do what is best for our baby. We want to follow all the recommendations and do what all the best experts say we should be doing. We are terrified of messing things up or doing something wrong. But what happens when the recommendations just aren’t working for your family?

Sometimes what is best for your family doesn’t match with what major medical organizations or public health recommendations suggest is best. Because there are many factors that go into what is best for any given family, one size recommendations will never work for everyone, and that is ok. There’s almost always another perspective or additional factors that you may wish to consider.

This is when, as parents, we have the difficult job of balancing research and intuition.

What does the research say?

Is the research behind the recommendation/expert opinion as overwhelming as the recommendation would like you to think?

How will this work for your family?

What does your gut say? We so undervalue following our instincts and intuition in our society, that it can take practice for parents to trust their gut.

If you’ve weighed the risks and benefits within the context of your own unique situation, and checked in with what your instincts are telling you, then you should feel confident that your decision is the best for you. If others question it or don’t understand, that’s ok. They aren’t living your life after-all.