Being a new parent can be tough, which is why they sometimes need the unsolicited advice from strangers. Remember that one time you held a baby? Next time you see a stranger with a toddler in tow, be a noble citizen, and share your valuable advice with them before they have a chance to get away:
“Your baby is crying. You should feed it.” – Having never been a parent before, it’s likely your stranger has no idea that their baby is crying, let alone how to stop it. So when that anxious mom with her sobbing infant lines up behind you at the Whole Foods checkout, inform her of the wetness seeping from her child’s eyes, and let her know that it should probably eat something. She’ll be so grateful for your sage advice, she’ll completely forget you called her daughter an “it.”
“Your baby should be outside/inside” – Babies should generally spend time both indoors and out, and most new parents don’t know that they are doing too much of one or the other. Does it look like it could it use some fresh air? Tell them! Will it melt if exposed to direct sunlight in the parking lot of the grocery store? TELL THEM! Inside or out, those new parents will be overwhelmed with gratitude for your help.
“You should have bought her domain name by now.” – New parents are constantly overlooking some of the more significant aspects of child rearing, like getting their child’s domain name locked down as early as possible. When you see that young, hurried couple struggling with car seats and sleep deprivation, advise them to stop what they’re doing and claim that coveted .com address before a better set of parents beats them to it. Politely remind them that they should be putting their kids first—they may not know that yet.
“You should dress your baby like a boy so I know it’s a boy.” – There will come a time when you accidentally call a stranger’s child by the wrong gender because that negligent mother dressed it up in gender-neutral attire. Advise that oblivious new parent of the crystal-clear gender norms they so flagrantly overlooked. And dressing boys in yellow is just silly!
New parents everywhere are waiting anxiously for help from the world’s unsung heroes – strangers with advice for raising their tiny babies. Regardless of whether or not you’ve had any in the first place, get out there and give those moms and dads you’ve never met a helping hand!
