“AITA For Not Letting My MIL Babysit My Daughter?” (2024)

Most moms try their best when it comes to raising their little ones, hoping that the decisions they make will lead to one healthy and happy baby.

This mom, for instance, decided that she wants her child to be breastfed exclusively. Yet, her mother-in-law went against her wishes, because of a reason quite a few netizens found absurd at best. Be that as it may, the woman’s husband chose to side with his mother.

Scroll down to find the full story below, where you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with a registered dietitian-nutritionist, specializing in lifecycle nutrition, Jane Burrell, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions.

Women do not always see eye to eye with mothers-in-law when it comes to raising children

Image credits: Oană Andrei (not the actual image)

This woman couldn’t believe her MIL’s reason for choosing formula over breast milk

Image credits: nd3000 (not the actual image)

Image credits: [deleted]

No two kids are the same, so what works for one might not work for the other

No two moms or babies are the same, so it’s clear that what works for one might not work for the other. For instance, if Susan’s toddler couldn’t be happier eating their veggies—a rare case in the toddler world—Anna Marie’s little one might scream bloody murder just at the sight of broccoli alone.

The mom in the story decided that what’s best for her child is being breastfed; and she likely had her reasons, as do the mothers who opt for formulas instead. But her mother-in-law’s reason for refusing to give breast milk to her grandchild didn’t seem to be based on anything other than a bizarre belief.

In a recent interview with Bored Panda, registered dietitian-nutritionist, Jane Burrell noted that both breastmilk and infant formula are viable options for feeding a baby. “But breast milk has a few components that make it the best choice,” she suggested.

“Breast milk is nutritionally balanced for an infant and provides nutrients in the most absorbable or usable forms,” the expert pointed out. “It contains enzymes that help the infant digest the lipids and proteins in an efficient way. It has bioactive compounds, like immunoglobulins that cannot be added to formula that enhance an infant’s immunity and reduce their risk of bacterial or viral illnesses.

“It also contains specialized proteins that help an infant absorb vitamins and minerals that support healthy growth and development. Breastfed infants also have lower rates of chronic illness or auto-immune conditions throughout their life and may be protective against food allergies and healthier body weights.”

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual image)

Breast milk contains numerous benefits, making it healthy for the baby and is not ‘dirty’ as the MIL believes

Despite all of the benefits that breast milk has, the OP’s mother-in-law deemed it dirty; and while that might not be a common one, there are many myths surrounding breastfeeding, which are simply not true. On their official website, UNICEF Parenting busted quite a few of them, such as that you should always wash your nipples before breastfeeding or that you should only eat plain food during that period. Have you heard that exercise will affect the taste of your milk? Well, that’s also proven not to be true.

“Breastfeeding practices have changed throughout history with the lowest rates in the 1970s when infant formulas were marketed as more nutritious, safer, and convenient. Public health and nutrition research has demonstrated the opposite is true,” Burrell told Bored Panda, discussing the possible reasons for why and how incorrect myths are born.

“In the case of the mother-in-law, time and social norms may be impacting her beliefs about formula feeding,” the expert continued, adding that her views may be related to the social norms when she had her own children. “As noted above, breastfeeding is associated with better overall health and lower rates of infection and illness and is therefore not a ‘dirty’ food, but a magnificent orchestration of nature that is life sustaining and health promoting.”

The reason children hate certain foods likely lies in the natural chemistry of their mouths

For those choosing to breastfeed their little stork-delivered wonder, it might be unclear when exactly to stop doing that, as… surprise surprise – that, too, tends to differ with each child; not all of them are equally eager to start snacking on solid foods.

But when they do, some foods prove to be way tastier than others (the aforementioned broccoli is a common butt of the joke for a reason). And it shows; it’s pretty evident that kids’ faces are great indicators of what they do and do not like.

Researchers have found that an answer to why that is arguably lies in the natural chemistry of the human mouth. Newsweek reports that a team of Australian researchers found that certain bacteria that live inside a child’s mouth, called the “oral microbiome”, affect the chemical reactions determining what certain vegetables taste like.

According to the lead author of the study, Damian Frank, chewing broccoli, for instance, exposes chemical compounds to bacteria, which produce sulfur compounds. The latter can then build up in kids’ mouths and impact their perception of flavor, as the more sulfur compounds are found in their mouths, the more they reportedly hate said food.

Image credits: AMSW Photography -Alisha Smith Watkins (not the actual image)

Fellow redditors didn’t think that the OP was a jerk, but they did criticize her husband and her mother-in-law

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