Everyone's heard an old wives tale or two when it comes to health, but a new study suggests it's worth having a chat about it if your kids spend time in their grandparents' care.
Many grandparents practice outdated health and parenting myths that could potentially pose serious risks to young children, according to illuminating new research by a US pediatrician.
Dr. Andrew Adesman, MD focused his research on the particular difficulties facing grandparents solely raising their offspring's children.
In the decades since grandparents raised their own children, certain parenting practices and health beliefs have evolved - catching some grandparents unaware.
The study revealed that 44 percent of the 636 grandparents who completed a detailed questionnaire mistakenly believed that "ice baths are a good way to bring down a very high fever." In fact, ice baths pose a hypothermia risk.
Perhaps more notably, nearly one-quarter of these grandparents did not know that "infants should be put to sleep on their back, not on their stomach or side" - a major risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Research showed that nearly one-third reported having a medical problem that interfered with their ability to care for their grandchild. Additionally, many said that choosing to parent their grandchild had negatively affected their own emotional (40.3 percent) or physical (32.4 percent) health.
"When grandparents step up to the plate, it can be wonderful for grandchildren but can also pose challenges in terms of lifestyle, finances and mental and physical health to a somewhat older or elderly cohort," said Dr. Adesman.
"In their questionnaires, a fairly large sample size of grandparents felt they were doing a good job but acknowledged they didn't have the support they often needed and that their role could be alienating in terms of their own peer group."
