Pediatricians Are Calling Out The Biggest Health “Lies” Parents Should Stop Believing

A while back, we wrote a post where pediatricians revealed the health “lies” for kids that parents should stop believing. In the comments, more medical professionals who work with children revealed the health misconceptions and mistakes parents should be aware of, and it’s eye-opening. Here’s what they had to say:

1.“Peds RN here. Your child needs a yearly well-check — even if they seem fine and have no issues. It’s important to monitor their growth and development (mental and physical). I know of a case where a 15-year-old girl had her first well-check in five years, and she had a severe case of scoliosis, leading to a delayed diagnosis and treatment plan.”

—Anonymous, 41, Tennessee

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2.“Stop threatening your child with shots if they are behaving badly. I’ve seen this too many times. Along with parents who are afraid of needles, freaking the kid out by saying, ‘it’s the worst thing ever,’ causes the child to have intense anxiety before anything even happens. The child needs you to be brave for them, not make it worse.”

—Anonymous, 43, Indiana

3.“If your child is receiving any therapy (occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, etc.), there is nothing ‘wrong.’ You’re giving them the best chance in school, social activities, etc., to be a thriving member of the public. There isn’t anything shameful.”

“Also, FIGHT FOR YOUR KID!!! If you think something isn’t quite right, fight for your kiddo — seek therapy, advice, or assistance. You’re not doing anything wrong if you ask for help.”

—Anonymous, 31

4.“Children develop at different ages. My first walked at 18 months, my second, at a year. Others, at different ages. Be aware of age ranges and gently help your children with games, for instance, but don’t push. Check with your nurse or doctor if things just feel wrong.”

—Anonymous, 69, USA

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5.“Behavior problems are not a sign of autism alone. Behavior problems can be a sign of poor parenting, communication deficits, or other underlying issues. Communication deficits can be a sign of autism…but they can also be a sign of other disorders that are not ASD. Always get differential diagnoses from reliable research practitioners with tests and assessments.”

—Anonymous

6.“Please do not skip out on the vitamin K shot. It’s used to prevent spontaneous brain bleeds. Because babies’ livers are still developing, there isn’t enough vitamin K in their systems yet to make clotting factors. Most kids will admittedly do just fine either way, but when it does happen, it’s catastrophic and causes irreversible brain damage. It can be done with basically no risk and all the benefits.”

—Anonymous, 32, California

7.“TV is not going to teach your child — you need to. Sit and play with them. Take them outside to explore. It’s not up to YouTube to teach them the ABCs or 123. Read to them. It’s much healthier for literacy and speech development.”

—Anonymous, 34, USA

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8.“Children learn to speak by listening to others. Speak like an adult. ‘How is my little one?’ Not ‘Ooo, haw is muh widdle biddy one?’ Imagine speaking like that as an adult.”

—Anonymous, 69, USA

9.“Healthy teeth are essential for a healthy body!!! Teach your kids good oral hygiene early: brushing, flossing, etc. Bacteria from cavities can cause all kinds of health issues; your mouth is the biggest gateway to your body.”

—miniasteroid47

10.“I’m a healthcare provider with over 25 years of experience. If your kid has a fever, treat it with Tylenol or Motrin earlier. Don’t wait until the kid is burning up to bring him to me, ‘so you could see they had a fever.'”

—Anonymous, 62

And finally…

11.“Pediatric hematologist/oncologist here. Excessive milk absolutely can cause extreme anemia due to impaired iron absorption and decreased varied nutritional intake. If anemia is acute (occurs quickly, like from blood loss), children typically become symptomatic (fatigue, pallor, tachycardia, etc.) around Hb 8–9. If anemia is a subacute or chronic (such as nutritional anemias, aplastic anemia, some leukemias, etc.), the body has time to compensate; therefore, the symptoms of anemia typically don’t show up until Hb falls below 6–7. I have seen quite a few toddlers with iron deficiency anemia with a Hb of 2–4. They can survive because their body have compensated to an extent, but not for long.”

“These children don’t physically appear as sick as they truly are, and this level of anemia is very much an emergency that requires either a blood transfusion or an iron infusion, depending on the clinical situation. The average 1-year-old should not drink more than about 24 ounces of cows’ or non-dairy milk per day (NOT to be confused with formula or breast milk, though — neither of those will result in a severe nutritional anemia unless there is a secondary underlying illness).”

—radeggplant844

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Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Fellow pediatricians and medical professionals, what are other health “lies” and mistakes more parents should know? Tell us in the comments, or use this anonymous form below.

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