Although taking good care of children is not easy, especially for first-time parents, taking care of girls can be even more tasking compared to boys for a few reasons. Grooming is extra important for girls and they need to pay closer attention to their bodies. Some people claim that a girl's skin is more sensitive—compared to a boy's skin—and may require regular moisturizing. A girl’s hair may even require more combing and styling, and she will probably want fashionable clothes and different pairs of shoes for every occasion.
Girls are generally better at reading and picking facial expressions, which is probably the reason they can be more emotional and empathetic than their male counterparts. Therefore, parents of girls should watch the kind of emotions they display in front of their girls. Moms of girls also need to guide them on how to love themselves, how to deal with their physical insecurities, and even dating.
Baby girls are also good at mimicry, meaning they are experts at copying everything they see. This is why you will find girls wearing their mom’s makeup and wobbling in her big shoes. They will also pick up speech faster and tend to mature earlier than boys do. Raising girls is hard work that not even pediatricians will admit at times but with little time, practice, and extensive reading moms are bound to become pros at raising their girls.
20 Baby Girls Are More Prone To Getting Some Infections
Yeast infections are not the first thing one thinks of when they hear a baby or infant, hence the reason most pediatricians choose not to tell moms of girls. Healthline notes that the same uncomfortable infection that can affect adult women can affect little girls, too.
Baby girls are prone to getting yeast infections in their skin folds, neck, and diaper area. Moms sometimes can leave their baby girls with wet diapers on for long periods, which prompt the infection. While it is not dangerous, it can be very uncomfortable. Moms should ensure they dry their baby girl’s skin folds thoroughly and pay special attention to their lady parts.
19 Some Baby Girls Will Get A Visit From Aunty Flo
Moms who have given birth to baby girls will tell a mom to watch out for a few drops of that red stuff in their baby’s diaper. Sometimes, pediatricians choose not to tell moms about this to avoid scaring or worrying them but this is completely normal.
According to parents, this is caused by exposure to mom’s hormones while in the uterus. A mother’s hormones can stimulate the progression within the first week of life causing them to have a mini-period. Eventually, the hormones wear off and it all comes to a stop. The action of it all is usually minimal and should not appear after the first week. Prolonged spotting should be checked out by the pediatrician.
18 Changing A Girl’s Diaper Is More Work Than A Boy's
Pediatricians may choose not to tell moms of girls that changing their baby girls diaper will be more work compared to a boy’s. Changing their diapers will not be as simple as taking the old one out and putting a new one in. Doing this can put the baby at the risk of contracting urinary tract infections.
A girl’s urinary system is not as well protected as a boy’s. Your baby girl will need frequent cleaning and more careful wiping. When wiping a girl, moms should always ensure that they wipe away from their privates. As stated by BabyMed, moms should also change their babies’ diapers immediately to prevent infections, irritations, and leaks.
17 Bubble Baths Are Not Safe For Girls
Some pediatrician may choose not to tell moms of girls that bubble baths are not safe for them. They do this so as not to alarm them. As much as bubble baths are fun and the little girl can splash around, they can also cause Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs).
Some bubble bath products may cause UTIs and pediatricians feel like they are not worth the risk even if the product is baby-friendly. According to About Kids Health, bubble baths can irritate the baby’s skin and jump-start the process of getting UTI. For treatment pediatrician may prescribe antibiotics or request mom to give the child lots of fluids to help clear the infection.
16 Her Girl Parts Will Look Strange At first
Pediatricians choose not to tell moms of girls that their girl parts will look strange at first so as not to scare them. As stated by BabyCenter, some baby girls are born with a swollen private area. This is believed to be because of exposure to mom’s hormones or retention of extra fluids in their bodies.
The swelling is completely normal and harmless. The excess fluid and hormones will be flashed out after a few days and everything will look normal. Their chest might also appear swollen or enlarged due to exposure to maternal hormones, eventually, after the hormones wear off, it will shrink down.
15 Baby Girls Are More Sensitive To Mom's Feelings
As girls grow, they tend to be more emotional than boys are. Pediatricians are well aware that baby girls are better at picking up people’s emotions as compared to baby boys. They may not tell this to moms because the conversation probably never comes up.
According to Scientific Amer., a girl’s innate empathy manifests early because of the differences between girls’ and boys’ brain. That is why when moms burst into tears or laughter, their baby girls always follow suit, even without knowing the cause of mom’s emotions; a baby boy will not do the same. Another study found that baby girls prefer faces to electronic gadgets while the opposite is true for boys.
14 Baby Girls Are More Prone To Catching The Flu When They Start School
Moms often become distressed when their baby girls start catching infections when they start leaving the house. This especially happens when they start mingling with other children in daycares and schools. Pediatricians know this and may choose not to tell mom because it is normal and nothing to worry about.
According to Todays Parent, children will be the first to get any bug going around because their immune systems are still growing. The viruses are easily spreadable because kids, especially the girls, always share toys and food and touch each other while playing. On a positive note, the frequent flu and infections will help them build a stronger immune system.
13 She Will Lag Behind On Spatial Skills
There is absolutely no reason for pediatricians to tell moms of girls that their baby will lag behind on spatial skills as compared to their brothers. Spatial skills which relate to the capacity in which one understands, reasons, and remembers things and objects are largely based on gender
According to ScienceDaily, there is definitely a gender gap in spatial skills and this gap starts at infancy. Studies have shown that a 5-month-old baby boy is able to visualize how an object will appear when rotated while girls of the same age cannot. Not to worry, though, girls have their strongholds as well; they tend to be verbally stronger than boys are.
12 Expensive Diapers Are Not Necessarily Better For Baby Girls
Pediatricians may choose not to tell moms that expensive diapers are not better because, in reality, it is not their place to tell them how to spend their money. According to Parents, sometimes moms buy the expensive kind to make themselves feel like better parents.
Furthermore, since a baby girl's privates are more sensitive and prone to infection compared to her male counterparts, a parent might conclude that she particularly needs the more expensive diaper. However, a more expensive brand or name may not necessarily be the best choice for your baby girl. What matters is that the diapers are absorbent and minimize the chances of getting diaper rash.
11 Too Much Sun Will Affect Your Baby Girl's Skin
A baby girl’s skin is so sensitive and moms should at least shield them from the sun rather than use sunscreen on them during the first few months. Sometimes pediatricians choose not to tell moms this to prevent them from being too overprotective. As much as sunlight is beneficial to the baby, it also increases the chances of future skin problems.
Sunlight is a good source of vitamin D and as pointed out by Skin Cancer, moms should ensure their babies get some sun for at least an hour a day but should avoid the sun between 10 am and 4 pm as it is attributed to common types of skin cancer.
10 Sometimes She Will Cry For No Reason
No pediatrician is going to choose to tell a stressed-out mother of a girl that sometimes, her baby will cry for no apparent reason, but it happens. Sometimes baby girls—and boys to a lesser extent—will cry for no clear reason, and there is nothing mom or even the doctor can do, they just have to wait it out as stated by moms.
Fortunately, mom can offer comfort even without knowing the cause of distress. They can try different methods of soothing the baby until they calm her down. Nevertheless, pediatricians should be in a position to advise on ways of dealing with colic if the crying is persistent.
9 Co-Sleeping Is Not Necessarily Ideal For Baby Girls
Co-sleeping is a controversial topic that pediatricians choose not to talk about with moms since many moms with girls often prefer to sleep with them on the same bed believing that the little ones prefer it that way. While some moms prefer co-sleeping, others are against it. According to Verywellfamily, co-sleeping has many benefits. Babies who co-sleep go to sleep faster, stay asleep for longer and stimulate their mother’s milk production.
Other studies are against it because babies risk of the complications brought about by pillows and blankets and it can lead to sleeping problems as the child gets older. Pediatricians will always be against it simply because it puts the baby at risk, they even recommend using co-sleepers, that way the child is safe and still close to mom.
8 Baby Girl Will Probably Get A Fever
Pediatricians choose not to tell moms of girls that their babies have a high likelihood of developing a fever, especially after receiving vaccinations. This is because fevers are some of the scariest symptoms for moms especially when the little one gets it and she is just a few weeks old.
Moms should make sure their babies get medical attention when they have temperatures of 100.4 degrees and above. According to BabyCenter, for babies younger than three months old, fevers are dangerous and a baby should get medical help as soon as possible. However, after the newborn stage, fevers will just be something moms report to the pediatrician.
7 Mom Will Need To Learn To Give Herself A Break
Moms sometimes overreact when they see certain symptoms in their baby girls and most of these fears are brought about by searching for a diagnosis on the Internet. However, pediatricians may want to tell them to give themselves a break but most of them do not, instead, they listen to them rant about what they think their baby girl is coming down with.
Moms and especially first-time moms freak out over absolutely everything. When their babies get sick, to them, it feels like the end of the world. As stated by parents, moms should not be too hard on themselves. A pacifier that has dropped to the ground will still taste as good to a toddler and have relatively the same germs, so moms should take it easy.
6 Not Every Parenting Trick Will Work With Your Baby Girl
Babies are all unique and more so baby girls, therefore, what works for one mom might not work for another. Pediatricians might want to tell moms that not every parenting trick will work on their baby girl but they choose not to. The reality is that pediatricians are pretty much down for whatever will make a panicky new parent feel better, as stated by Moms.
While moms can get the latest parenting trends from the Internet, not all will work for their child. Siblings can also be very different, as much as they are brought up in the same environment; they each have their own unique behaviors.
5 Alternative Vaccinations Are Pointless
There are numerous debates about whether moms should vaccinate their children or not. Some moms may choose to delay vaccines or opt for alternative vaccinations in an attempt to avoid adverse reactions some kids get. Pediatricians will let mom do what she wants and choose not to tell mom that these alternatives are pointless.
Scientific Amer. points out that there is evidence that immunization prevents childhood diseases and when children are not vaccinated, they are left unprotected and can easily be victims of outbreaks or increase their chances of fever-related seizures. On the other hand, there is no evidence that reveals the benefits of delaying or using alternative vaccinations.
4 Some Skin Irritations Do Not Require A Trip To The Doctor
While pediatricians would love to tell moms of girls that not all skin irritations require a trip to the doctors, they do not. There are moms who will always rush to the pediatrician’s office every time their baby girls get rashes however minor because girls are very sensitive.
Baby girls are born with sensitive skin, even a slight increase in temperature can cause them to get heat rashes. If the rash is not too itchy or making the child uncomfortable, it will clear up on its own. There are creams and lotions moms can purchase to help cleat their babies’ rashes. If all these do not work, then mom can pay the doctor a visit.
3 Calm Down, Angry Mom
Pediatricians may dearly want to tell moms to calm down and sit when they get angry or disappointed in their office, but they do not. They have to hold their tongues and use diplomacy for the sake of the baby girl who is there for her appointment.
Pediatricians find it wise to respond calmly and professionally, and to treat the mother with care. Although according to Moms, some pediatricians agree that it is better to let the mother rant and rave before trying to soothe her. When she calms down, the doctor can express regret for their mishap, let them know that they understand how she feels and offers to assist her.
2 Withholding Information About Baby Girls Is Wrong
Sometimes moms can be forgetful or may sometimes hide crucial information about their baby girls during hospital visits. It can be tempting for pediatricians to want to scold them after they discover they were not being honest but they choose not to.
For example, they may have forgotten to give their child her dosage as instructed which means the child never gets well and when they return to the pediatrician, they do not tell the truth. According to Parents, it might be tempting to scold them, but it is far better to stay calm so as to inspire them to be more honest in the future.
1 A Self-Diagnosis Isn't Accurate For The Most Part
New moms more often than not, turn to the Internet to diagnose their kid’s symptoms. While they may get it right once or twice, most of the time the diagnosis is inaccurate. As stated by parents, pediatricians will not mention that self-diagnosis is not accurate.
What moms do not know is that it is impossible to self-diagnose their children after reading a line or two on the Internet. Instead of listing down what they think might be wrong, an accurate description of symptoms would be more valuable to the doctor. It is best to let the pediatrician do their job and once they make their accurate diagnosis, mom is allowed to go research on it.
Sources: healthline.com, skincancer.org, parents.com, scientificaemr.com, babycenter.com, aboutkidhealth.ca, todaysparent.com,verywellfamily.com, babymed.com, moms.com