‘But why?’ 5 modern parenting trends Boomers don’t understand

A lot has changed since Baby Boomers became parents for the first time. Now that their Millennial children are starting families of their own, there are a few parenting trends that have them asking “but why do it that way?”

Here are 5 trends Boomers aren’t so sure about.

1. Sleeping bags

They take the guesswork out of making sure your baby is warm enough at night, and remove the stress surrounding blankets covering little faces, so sleeping bags are a win-win for tons of Millennial parents. But for Grammy, it’s a “straight jacket”, (her words, not mine). She wants to buy my baby blankets – and lots of them.

Of course, the safe sleep guidelines have been updated since I was a baby, and things have changed for the better. We’ve compromised and agreed she can buy him his first doona when the time comes. 

Read sleeping bag reviews.

2. Sleep, sleep, sleep

We Millennial mums are obsessed with sleep, myself included. I want lots of it (for both my baby and me), and I don’t care if I have to stick to a sleep routine to get it. I’m a working mum, and it makes it very hard to do that with no sleep. (Although it’s actually quite amazing what the human brain can accomplish on two hours of sleep!)

Let’s not forget the sleep-inducing products. I’ve tried the Baby Shusher, I’ve got the Glow Dreaming lamp, and I recently bought something called a Sleep Sheep – I got the one with the sensor, so when my baby starts to cry in the middle of the night, it turns on and starts playing my chosen sound.

While Grammy is impressed with some of my gadgets, she says they aren’t necessary (to be honest, she’s probably right). 

3. Unique baby names

When I told my parents my baby name list, there was one name they absolutely couldn’t get on board with. It turns out that lots of grandparents take issue with chosen baby names. In fact, a survey of 2000 grandparents found that 8% of them don’t actually like their grandchild’s name, but say they do to keep the peace.

While my chosen name wasn’t an unusual baby name like Crumpet or Melon, when my parents Googled its meaning, the results said it meant to vomit all over the place. They were worried about kids at school teasing him. In the end, we went with a different name. But really, are you going to love your grandkid any less, Grammy?

4. So much information

A big pro for Millennial mums is the amount of information now available online, covering pretty much every aspect of being a parent. More research into all things raising a child has meant lots of advice around feeding and sleeping has changed. There are also loads of experts out there who now offer their services online, from lactation support to sleep consultations on Facetime to baby food meal delivery services! Anything to make a mum’s life easier, right?

Well, no, according to Boomers. “We just used to make do. There’s too much information out there,” they say. But for information-hungry mums like me, the advice and support is very welcome.

5. Getting rid of the dummy

These days, giving your baby a dummy can be a bit controversial: people either love them or hate them. Personally, the dummy was a godsend for my son. Until it wasn’t. He was waking every two hours overnight. I would get up and put the dummy back in, and he would go back to sleep. This went on for months. The dummy had to go, but Grammy was mortified. “Oh no, you can’t do that! He’s too little,” she argued. I’m not sure if it’s every Boomer, but this was one was adamant he still needed it.

I did it anyway. It took approximately one day and he didn’t want it anymore, and now he sleeps fine without it. 

Sorry Grammy, sometimes this Millennial mum knows best.