Just For Fun: Old Wives Tales

[Starburst]

We all know that there are hundreds of old wives tales, especially when it comes to parenting/child care. Some may have some truth to them, and some I think are just rumors started by bored and/or overprotective grandmas/mother-in-laws to make life more difficult for a new mom.

When I was the babysitting the other day, I was carrying the baby (14 months) on my hip and the grandmother (who was already micromanaging everything I did that day ) told me "Don't hold the baby like that, she'll get bow-legged" :confused:. I have taken multiple child development classes and they never said anything about that. In one class we did discuss bow-leggedness and they said that there are some studies that support that making a baby try to walk too early (when leg bones are still soft) and even walkers can possibly lead to that condition (or at least make it worst), but never mentioned anything about it being caused by carrying a baby on your hip. She is also from a different time and a different culture; so maybe where she's from they believe that, not sure. I told this to my mom and she said that it was just an old wives tale because everyone in our family holds their babies like that (we have a very hippy family) and none of us are bow-legged.

The only thing I have ever heard before this about it being bad having a baby on your hip, was when I was in middle school and during scoliosis checks the PE teachers told us to try to avoid doing that too much because it can cause misalignment of the spine and overtime can possibly lead to scoliosis. So not because it was bad for the baby, but the person holding the baby.

So I want to know: What are some of old wives tales you have heard of (from daycare parents, other providers, your own friends/family, strangers, outdated parenting books, etc.)? No need to make this into a debate, just what are some OWTs you have heard of that you think or know are/aren't true or that you just think are odd/fun/weird.

[TickleMonster]

Most of the old wives tales I know are more about pregnancy such as if you have heartburn, your baby will have a full head of hair (which ironicly turned out to be true for me when I was pregnant! ) Can't think of any that my parents have said though.

[Unregistered]

Oh the early years with my MIL were fun She honestly believed a great deal of old wives tales. The one that stands out the most was when my babe had her first fever. "You need to give her a COLD bath and rub her down with rubbing alcohol." It was what they did with their kids. It was brutal to explain we just don't do that anymore, ever.

Or Grandmas 'they need to sleep out side every afternoon nap' - even in winter! She could not understand why I was unwilling to put the wee ones outside to nap in January. ummm our Canadian winters are cold! "Our children were all put out, seldom missed a day over the years." She lived much farther north than me too.

[Kelly]

When I told a woman I worked with that my son had gotten into the sugar bowl, she said, "Oh, you can't let him eat sugar plain like that--it gives you worms!"

[CedarCreek]

"Don't make that face, it'll get stuck like that." - I still use this one on my kids

[Leanna]

- Well we've all heard "put the baby to sleep on his tummy because if he spits up on his back he will choke on it."

Some others:
- Don't bring female babies near a woman if she is having her time of the month because the baby will get constipated." (My neighbor to my mother when my sister was a few months old).

- Do not watch horror movies while pregnant because the baby will not develop properly. (Another neighbor)

-Don't bring anything for the baby into the house before s/he is born or you will "curse" the pregnancy. (How silly! I mean what if it is your second or third baby ? )

- TONS of OWTs to predict gender (carry high/carry low, crave salt/crave dairy, etc.)

[craftymissbeth]

When ds first came home from the hospital, my MIL and SIL's all FREAKED OUT when I pulled his bottle out of his mouth while he was still ****ing on it. They said it will cause the soft spot in his head to completely cave in and his skull would collapse

[jenboo]

When ds first came home from the hospital, my MIL and SIL's all FREAKED OUT when I pulled his bottle out of his mouth while he was still ****ing on it. They said it will cause the soft spot in his head to completely cave in and his skull would collapse

::::::

my grandma told my cousin that her baby was ****ing too hard on the bottle and would get down syndrome from it.

She also told my sister that she needed sterile water in the birthing tub (water birth) or the baby was going to get an eye infection. I responded with, you don't use sterile water to bathe your baby in so. ..:confused:

[e.j.]

When ds first came home from the hospital, my MIL and SIL's all FREAKED OUT when I pulled his bottle out of his mouth while he was still ****ing on it. They said it will cause the soft spot in his head to completely cave in and his skull would collapse

I'm cracking up just picturing this!

My great aunt used to say that dunking and rinsing out diapers in the toilet would give you "lily soft hands" and that eating the bread crust on sandwiches would give you curly hair. She also used to tell us that eating sugar or raw potatoes would give us worms.

[e.j.]

Or Grandmas 'they need to sleep out side every afternoon nap' - even in winter! She could not understand why I was unwilling to put the wee ones outside to nap in January. ummm our Canadian winters are cold! "Our children were all put out, seldom missed a day over the years." She lived much farther north than me too.

My father volunteered at his city's historical society and while there, ran across some papers that were written by a woman who had run a preschool out of her home back in the early-mid 1900's. (Can't remember the exact time frame.) She also used to nap the kids outside. She would bundle them all up in their snowsuits and take them out to the porch for a nap. Poor kids! I can't imagine how cold it must have been some days.

[sahm1225]

I use this one -

When a toddler does the downward dog yoga pose, and look at you between their legs, they are asking for a sibling. I have no clue what the reasoning behind it is, but when any of my dcks do it, the mom usually announces pregnancy within a month or so!
My youngest dd (2) just started doing it. My dh says 'push her down' . We of course don't push her down


I've heard the bowlegged comment before. My family still says not to force the child bear weight on their legs until they are ready. I do feel there's truth to that, but that's what I was raised to believe.

[wdmmom]

Eating bread crusts makes your hair curly.

Eating carrots would help you see better.

Don't make faces, it'll get stuck that way.

If a baby's heartbeat is high, you're having a girl. If heartbeat is lower, you're having a boy.

Too much candy will give you worms.

Don't go outside in the winter with wet hair. You'll get sick.

The list goes on.....

[Childminder]

Hiccups means a baby is growing.

Don't paint while pregnant because the umbilical cord will wrap around the child's neck and choke them.

Carry a baby on your lap it's a boy and all over is a girl.

[MarinaVanessa]

Here are some from my family/culture:

Rubbing fresh cow dung on your head during sunrise helps your hair grow out faster (told to my dad as a teen and he tried it, yuck).

Don't let children play barefoot/no sweater, cold makes them sick.

Wet a child behind the ears before letting them in the water or they'll get sick.

Wear something red to prevent the "evil eye" (from when someone is jealous of you)

If you get bad luck it's because someone gave you the "evil eye".

To remove the "evil eye" have someone take a raw egg and rub you with it to "cleanse" away the bad ju-ju. Then take the egg and crack it on the ground and bury it. The amount of white in the egg determines how much bad ju-ju was placed on you. (I've had this done to me before, it was determined that I [at 15 years old] had a lot of bad ju-ju placed on me so I was also whacked with some plants afterwards as well)

Watching a dog poop will give you a stye in your eye.

If someone eyes something you are eating give them a bite, otherwise you'll drop the whole thing (if someone drops food someone always says "Oh someone craved it")

Growing up with my grandmother living with us she would always hide the hairbrushes when company was over and clean our hair brushes and take all the hair off and burn it then wash the ashes down the drain so that no one could ever take it and put a spell on us.

[Bookworm]

From my family (mostly both grandmas):

If a baby is developing faster than "normal", that means they are moving out of the way because you're pregnant.

Don't throw your hair outside because a bird might get it and build a nest and you will get a headache.

If you sweep someone's foot with the broom, they have to spit on it and then you burn it so they won't get bad luck. I have actually seen her do this several times. It's why we were banned from the house when she was cleaning.

You aren't allowed outside for six weeks after birth because you might get pleurisy. This was and still is strictly enforced in my family.

Put cabbage leaves on your swollen breasts to dry up your milk. Yeah, my family is really weird.