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5 Times You Can Say ‘No’ to Family, Friends & Strangers When It Concerns Your Kids

Baby

It’s sometimes hard to say ‘no’, whether it’s to your own kids or other adults. But do you then just say ‘yes’ for the sake of being polite when your head is telling you to say the opposite? Here are five times it’s more than okay to say ‘no’ to others when it comes to your little ones:

When it comes to food: My baby was seven months old when he was rushed to Emergency for the first time, having broken out in a huge rash. The cause? Adults who thought it would be a good idea to give him cookies, cake, Coke and a lollipop at a birthday party. I was in the process of introducing new foods to him one at a time to rule out allergens (and certainly none had excessive sugar or salt in it), and if anyone had thought to ask me before they fed him processed adult food, I’d have absolutely said no.

When they’ve got a cough or cold: It’s a fact of life that when one family member falls ill, the whole unit eventually catches it and everyone ends up feeling pretty crummy. As it is, around nine colds a year are common for little kids, so parents understandably want to minimise the risks where they can. If a friend or relative who is visibly ill wants to hold or kiss your baby, it’s fine to gently suggest waiting until they feel better, though you may be tempted to perform an exorcism on them instead.

When they want to take a photo of your child: Sometimes passers-by do this without asking. It’s rude and wrong, but they just can’t help themselves – your baby is just so darn cute. If you notice this happening, it’s perfectly okay to firmly and politely tell them to delete the photos of your child as you’re not comfortable with it. It’s all well and good if they just want to show their friends they met a cute kid at the mall, but these days it’s hard to tell where images eventually end up on the internet.

When your child’s safety is at risk: This may sound like a no-brainer, but there’s an instance where some parents may relent – when it comes to using a car seat for bubs. If it’s a short trip, or just one person extra to fit into the car, you may find yourself agreeing to have your baby in your lap ‘just this one time’. But just say no – most crashes happen close to home. Always use a car seat, and for older kids (and yourselves) – a safety belt.

When you’re breastfeeding and want to continue doing so: While the benefits of breastfeeding are becoming better known, there are still some people who won’t hesitate to put pressure on a breastfeeding mother to give her baby formula milk. Breastfeeding is hard enough as it is without external pressure or people telling you your milk isn’t enough, when you know it is. Thank them for their opinion (and silently tell them where to stick it), and say ‘no, I will breastfeed my child for as long as I can’.

Faye Song is a city girl finding her feet in regional Victoria, Australia. A former journalist, she works in marketing and communication. These days, she finds her most demanding and fascinating client to be her little boy.

Image Credit: peace-p.org.

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