Are pediatricians really this stupid? Has yours ever given you advice you knew was wrong?

One person on here said her ped told her to give a two-month-old water with honey in it, another said hers told her to retract her newborn's foreskin (which does nothing helpful at all and is a main cause for infections - comes attached for a reason, people). Geez, I'm scared to trust doctors at all now. If they don't know some of the basics, how are they going to know the tough stuff?





Has your pediatrician ever given you advice you knew was just flat out wrong?Are pediatricians really this stupid? Has yours ever given you advice you knew was wrong?
Doctors can definitely be wrong. It may be inproper training, or letting old wives remedies replace things they think are too trivial for medical attention..





if you ever feel they have made an incorrect judgement, trust your gut.. you will often know what is best for your baby.Consider finding a new doctor, or at least getting a second opinion.Are pediatricians really this stupid? Has yours ever given you advice you knew was wrong?
thats why i got a cute doctor...at least he's good to LOOK at!
my pediatrician has told me to retract my son's foreskin and put vasilene there, as well as wipe a washcloth over the area during bathing, but that's because he's getting circumcised at 1 year old (they though there was something wrong with his urethra when he was born, but they were wrong, and we had to wait now). That sounds completely retarded!! Honey is so bad for babies. My friend's ped. has told them to switch formulas EVERY COUPLE DAYS since she has digestive issues. SO dumb. I can't believe these people are in practice!
Yes! One time I went to my pediatrician when my son was 2 weeks old and I told him he was vomitting like the exorcist! He said, ';No he is not, it is just a little spit-up.'; So, I took his word on it. I went through atleast 10-12 bibs a day and 3 outfits a day and I did so much laundry b/c he threw up so much. He would throw up so hard it would hit and splatter the wall! I went to the doctor again and told him the same thing. He said the same old same old! I was so ticked off, b/c my son was losing so much weight! He wasn't developed right! So I went on the internet to look up spitting up and found out my son had severe acid reflux! So, I called my insurance company and asked if I could switch my doctors. Then I made an appointment with my new doctor. My new doctor listened very well and prescribed me medication and gave me samples of a particular formula. I was so happy with my new doctor and he was actually very mad and disappointed at my previous doctor. He said he was filing a complaint against him. My son started doing wonderfully and now I have a 5 month old baby and she has mild reflux and is doing wonder also!
Mine told me that if my milk didn't come in by day two that the baby would starve
yes, our former pediatrician told me that allergens couldn't pass through breastmilk and that if i breastfed for 6 mos, that was ';good enough';. needless to say, we switched peds.





a lot of docs think it's okay to retract the foreskin and you're absolutely correct, it's not okay to do that.
I have to point out that SweetPea's answer is awesome.





Don't forget the risible breastfeeding advice; loads of women on here end up with nursing totally sabotaged by pediatricians.





But. Re. ';If they don't know some of the basics, how are they going to know the tough stuff?'; -- ah, but. They are supposed to be experts in the tough stuff, and not the basics. Only a fool would mistake them for experts in baby care and feeding and, well, 'basics.' I am blown away by how many people will take parenting advice from doctors.





You know, too, that a fair whack of 'my doctor said blah blah' on Yahoo! Answers is just because it sounds better than the truth, which is that a neighbour told them (cereal in the bottle for better sleep, Ferberizing is harmless, you don't need to nurse that long, etc)...
those sound like old home remedies from some old lady down in the south
My doctor hasn't, but my friend's doctor has...and I personally think her doctor is insane. He gives her the craziest advice (that she follows!)...things like giving her 2 month old bottles with formula in it (I asked my doctor and was told it's a choking hazard)...giving a baby who is sick Gatoraide instead of Pedialyte...those are the first two things that come to mind, but she's tried to pass his advice on to me and I just listen and then shake my head later because I think he's a nut. Oh...and also telling her it was okay for her to smoke and drink during her second pregnancy...he told her to mix beer with clamato juice to help with her heartburn. Can you believe that??





Edit: To those who are saying that you HAVE to pull the foreskin back on an un-circumsized penis...that is NOT true. You're NOT supposed to pull it back on a baby until he's like 3 years old...you don't need to pull it back to clean it, all it needs is soap and water in the bath to clean it. Pulling it back from when he's newborn can cause infections, which is why the parent of a little boy is told NOT to pull it back. Anyone who's been told differently is wrong. Just like with a little girl, you're not supposed to spread her labia when she's little because it can cause infections.
The Drs. are humans?????????????


no to much to advice?
i think sometimes people dint listen to their docs or over exaggerate .
u can say that fews are there. when my son was ailing with stomach ache , i went to many and one well known asked me immediately after entering his room. where u r living? i was bit surprised . i told my adsress, then he murmured , of that may be far . i did not understand that time, but later on after examination of my kid, he said u have to admit u r child in hospiital for couple of days as we to conduct some test to ascertain the problem . i said i will talk with my brother and shall let u know. my brother denied to do that and he advised me other doctor who just given the medicine of 5 days and my kid got perfectly cured. later on i came to know that he was very notarious and always misguide the patients to made money by advising them to admit in hospital.
no... my doctor is reallly really good, he gives me advice, panflits, websites on stuff to look out for. its probably not the doctors but the hospitals who hire them. i have kaiser
my family doctor told us to give our kid honey water too.


except, she ended up in the hospital.


kids can't handle honey yet,


which is why they aren't supposed to have honey nut cheerios until after the age of 2 1/2
not personally, but I know of some people who have had some experiences. I actually work with someone who recently lost her uncle about a year ago. He actually bled out, his MD is known for being a ';pill pusher';, over medicated the guy some of the meds he was taking for different problems he was having counter acted each other and he ended up dying. He was young too, early 50's. about the foreskin thing, my sons aren't circumsized either and the paperwork I was given says to retract the skin a little bit, but not until it starts to do that on its own. If you keep it clean there won't be any infection, that's why showers and baths were invented. my hubby has never had an infection
Some people are crazy and the doctors can be too. I love it when people get all bent out of shape about Circumcision it makes no difference if you are or are not its a personal choice. No you don't pull the skin back on an infant. And you don't give honey until age 2. Read any parenting book and you would find this out. Yep doctors give bad advice all the time so make sure you ask lots of questions.
I think for the most part most pediatricians know what they are talking about - BUT I know when our doc has told us to do something or suggested something that didn't add up, I always questioned them right then, and there.


The y can be very helpful and full of knowledge but you know your baby better than they do. When that mother's instinct kicks in, you can't ignore it.


As a parent, you are your baby's voice and advocate - if you don't agree or question their advice, tell them so!


If you still don't like how your doc handles things, switch to a new one.
Mine hasn't but i have heard it all the time here and elsewhere. I strongly believe that you have to take all the information ( what your Dr says, what your own research has said, what other people say + your mommy instinct ) and make choices from that. No one should just trust their Dr blindly.





ugg I can't believe some people actually think you have to pull back the foreskin on a uncircumcised baby.
My pediatrician is awesome. But I have had a neurologist try telling me that my daughter was severly mentally and physically disabled when she was a few months old after having seizures at birth. I proved him wrong, even after he yelled at me for refusing to take her to physical therapy. I knew nothing was wrong, and I was right. She's always been advanced for her age in every way and she's a perfectly happy, healthy 3 year old. Even her pediatrician said she was fine. I don't always trust doctors, and I fully believe in getting second or even third opinions if neccasary.
well i would love to know what makes you soooo right. what med school did you go to?


i mean really, who is your source? wikipidea?? PLEASE--i truely hope its not the internet b/c if it is your a horrible ignorant person
you gotta retract the foreskin to clean it on an uncircumsised penis. if you don't he can get an infection.
are you saying circumcision is wrong? because in the long run it actually prevents infections and promotes cleanliness
what the hell are you talking about?! some people get circumsised at later ages because of the infection they get from the presence of the foreskin.. it has been PROVEN to be a healthy procedue.





';comes attached for a reason';.. that's dense.
Excuse me, but what you are stating is hearsay. You don't know that these doctors actually said anything of the sort, or that the people stating these things necessarily understood what their physicians were saying. For all you know they are either outright lying or misunderstood what was told them.