Old Wives Tales

Do you preach that some of these tales are fact???

Wearing shoes will help a baby learn to walk sooner.
False. Just the opposite is true in this case. Keeping a baby barefoot can help strengthen his or her foot muscles and help the child learn to walk earlier. A toddler who is walking, though, needs comfortable shoes that fit well — they shouldn't be rigid. Shoes should conform to the shape of a child's feet and provide a little extra room for growth.

An infant walker will help a baby learn to walk sooner.
False. Babies who spend their active hours in walkers may learn to sit, crawl, and walk later than children who have to learn these skills on their own if they want to get around. Sitting in an infant walker, with its wide tray and small leg openings, blocks the visual feedback so important to a baby learning muscle coordination. More important, baby walkers are dangerous. Nearly 14,000 injuries are treated in emergency rooms every year as a result of walkers. And 34 children have died since 1973 because of baby walkers. Stairway falls in walkers can be especially severe. In a policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended a ban on the manufacture and sale of mobile infant walkers in the United States.

Cats can steal the air from a baby's mouth.
False. This tale goes back hundreds of years to a time when cats were associated with witchcraft and evil spirits. Cat-lovers, rest easy — it's anatomically impossible for a cat or other animal to suffocate a baby by sealing the baby's mouth with its own. Even so, cats and other pets should be supervised around small children and introduced to a baby gradually. You should also keep cats (just as you should keep other pets and items such as blankets and plush toys) out of your baby's crib or bassinet.

Thumb sucking causes buck teeth.
True ... and false. Thumb sucking often begins before birth and generally continues until age 5. If a child stops around the ages of 4 to 5, no harm will be done to the jaws and teeth. However, parents should discourage thumb sucking after the age of 4, when the gums, jaw, and permanent teeth begin their most significant growth. Therefore, after this age it's possible for thumb, finger, or pacifier sucking to contribute to buck teeth.

*It is a myth that holding your hands above your head will strangle or wrap the baby’s umbilical cord around his or her neck.

*It is a myth that if a pregnant woman has heartburn that her baby will have a head full of hair.

*It is a myth that a mother who delivers a child with one or more birthmarks consumed too much of any given food or drink during her pregnancy.