Why it may be time to cut out the baby brags
| Published date | 15 June 2022 |
Dr Ben- "Being a new parent can be very challenging, but we shouldn't treat parenting as a competition," warns clinical psychologist Dr Genevieve von Lob, author of Happy Parent, Happy Child. "Don't listen to baby bragging - it will only make you doubt yourself. Focus instead on finding supportive mums and dads who can share the highs and lows of parenting."
It's worth remembering that parents are sometimes unaware of how their bragging can appear to other people, says psychologist and family therapist Dr Kalanit Ben-Ari. However, she points out the response might also reflect how the listener is feeling, as the claims could also be interpreted as understandable pride and/or a reaction to social media pressure to produce the perfect baby.
"We can interpret a statement from a parent in many ways," she explains. "Experiencing a parent's sharing of something as 'baby bragging' might be more about us than it is about them."
" And parenting expert Tifany Norris, aka The Mummy Concierge,
Kalanit ari adds: "We can all relate to knowing a baby bragger who just loves sharing any slight update on their child's development. But it's important not to compare your little one to anyone else. Every child's progress and development path is unique, so although many of us like to boast about our newborn's progression, remember that others may not be having the same experience and it can cause anxiety among new parents."
He'S Proud sometimes
These are the top 10 annoying baby brags identified in the poll of new parents by smart baby monitor brand Cubo Ai - and our experts' thoughts on each.
1. My baby sleeps through the night It's no surprise that this is the most annoying brag (50 % of those polled reported it irked them!), says Tiffany, who points out that sleep, or lack of it, is one of the most stressful things new parents have to deal with.
""his sort of statement could be really damaging if heard by a mother whose baby might not be sleeping through the night," she says. "Try not to compare - every baby is different."
Dr von Lob points out that it's biologically normal for babies genIuS...
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