Written By: Jeni Gentry, Crescent Moon Advanced Clinical Intern
Should I be doing this? Is this normal? Where do we go to find out if this really is normal?
We’ve all been there. You’re scrolling through Instagram when you see a photo of a chest freezer full of breastmilk, or a video of a recently postpartum mom doing squats next to her stroller, or a post of a counter full of homemade baby food.
One step that can help us determine where to go for answers is determining if the issue is based on parental preferences or best practices in caring for children. Here are some examples:
Parental preferences (Up to you and your partner):
- Breastfeeding or formula feeding
- Purees or babyled weaning
- Contact napping or sleeping in bassinet
- Type of physical activity for healthy movement
Best practices (Often determined by medical professional):
- Breastmilk storage guidelines
- Formula preparation guidelines
- Safe introductions of complementary foods
- Safe sleep strategies
- Safe time to introduce healthy movement postpartum
Ok! You’ve determined what type of concern you have, now what? Where do you go for help?
Trusted sources for Best Practices
- The CDC has lots of information on infants and is updated based on current research: https://www.cdc.gov/parents/infants
- The American Academy of Pediatrics has great resources on infant safety and best practices: https://www.aap.org/
- Pediatrician
- OBGYN
- Pelvic floor therapist
- Lactation Consultant
Trusted sources for Parental Preferences
- Your gut! You know your baby best!
- Your partner
- Friends/family
- Parent support groups
