At my recent visit to our pediatrician for my sons 9 month well baby, I ended up walking away confused and somewhat concerned. With the pediatrician we currently have, I seem to walk on eggshells. It’s been this way since my first was born, being a first time mom and having all those first time mom worries didn’t help. But I have always been seeking her approval so I’ve tried to follow everything she has told me to a tee.

While this is hard to do, I’ve tried. When she said to not give my son certain foods until he was such and such an age, I didn’t. Color me floored when she told me that I could give him strawberries at his 9 month check up. This was a surprise to me because she was so strong on my first son not having any strawberries until he was over a year.

So what changed? I wasn’t given a reason as to why there was this change, just that it had. These changing standards are confusing to any parent, not just a new parent.

So what has the knowledge of changing standards taught me? Well, it’s that I take what the doctor says as guidelines, guidelines that can be followed either loosely or to the letter. The fact is that the medical profession is constantly learning about our babies, what effects them and why. While it is confusing, it’s important to remember to listen to the doctor, as they have the most current information available!