When in-laws cross the line

at first it is hard to be assertative but after awhile you will learn to speak your mind. this is not going to go away..learn to fight your battles withouth going to a all out war..people should respect your role as the mother ..after all you and your husband are the parents and if you don't become a little more assertative the family will continue to ignore your wishes..don't be wishy washy when it comes to the well being of your family..good luck..it just part of life..but if you just stand by and live your life in quiet desperation you will grown a lot of hate and resentment in your life and sooner or later all this anger will come out in a not so pleasant way...i know from experience

I'm not sure why he wouldn't want her to have cereal but is ok with the baby biscuit? The doctor's do say to wait till 6 months for cereals but I have and know several ppl who have started babies out on cereal at 3-4 months...it really depends on the baby. As for the in-laws, you probably should have said something and included the father in it. Something along the lines of "We've decided not to feed our baby foods at this age". I also would jump his butt for the double standards. "COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS" **AT PEACE WITHIN** ~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~

Hi restlesslimbs. I know exactly what you mean. We used to live with our in-laws and there are some family members of my husband's, actually not blood related that also live within the same house. And this family member kept feeding my infant then, some things I do not approve of. When I declined and declared that I wasn't in favor, they would do it again, actually to do it on purpose. I wouldn't want to explain any further the kind of person this is, because I know she couldn't get along with others as well. She would feed my infant chocolate cake and when my baby goes back to me she develops this red, splotchy marks on my baby's face because of what she has eaten, and it just annoyed the heck out of me. She was just an infant for crying out loud and at this stage she shouldn't be fed food that contain things that could develop as allergies. Gosh, there were even some more things these people did. But I wouldn't elaborate on it, for it's been past already. I solved my problem by moving out of my in laws and got ourselves our own home!

I am not sure what you mean by drinking milk exclusively - if it's cows milk then we're already in trouble - :) Basically my Mum did the same & i just asked her not to do it, i said that i would raise my daughter the way i wanted to & would appreciate it if others would respect my way of doing things & not go against my wishes - she understood & things worked out pretty well. A lot of people start infants on cereals in their bottle before 6 months (i believe you can start at 4 months) because when 6 months rolls around, your child should be starting solids real - mushy stuff, porridge, veggies etc - anything pureed! I would have a look for a baby porridge & put it in your child's bottle to thicken the milk & that will help her to get used to a different texture. All parents are different but yeah, so many people told me (i read it as well) that infants can be started on solids no earlier than 4 months but no later than 6 - so compromise with your hubby & try cereal (just a spoon or 2) in her bottle before you try feeding her from a spoon! Good luck but you guys need to compromise with each other - you cant let 1 parent have more of a say with the baby than the other.

I am a very mild and laid back person but when it comes to my children...i do have another side. In the case of the biscuits, I would have reacted very strongly. Your baby is only 5 months old!! It is absurd for anyone to just feed her anything at all without consulting you first as to what she can and can't have yet! I am a mom of 4 and I would have grandchildren. I would never even have felt comfortable to introduce a new food to my own grandchild at that age without first consulting his mom(my daughter) as to what he is able to have. It was really your husband's place t o stand up to his aunt but since he didn't, if i were you, I would say something to her in a polite way before the next time arises.

In-laws will be in-laws and most of the time,they will give unsolicited advice that will blow your mind and make your relationship with your husband incomfortable especially when it comes to kids or children. When i gave birth, my mom in law advised me not to pick up my baby when she cries, and it was the worst advise. My daughter kept on crying the whole night and her advise kept reminding me not to picked up the baby. And finally i decided to dump her advise and pick up and cooed my baby to sleep. Afeterwhich I've decided whatever she says, I'll say yes infront of her but ignored her advise if it doesnt help. So far I'm happy what my daughter turned up to but sometimes I still get pissed off by her comments, but I just ignored it and let it pass by just to avoid any conflicts with my husband. Now she's telling me my daughter is thin and should eat more. Its a daily battle with my daughter just to have her eat, and wouldnt buldge just so people want a fat kid, I'm happy with the way she is, she's not that skinny and she's healthy though she doesnt eat alot. If you can handle it,keep it to yourself and if the in-laws really stepped on something that's an issue, talk to someone else for some advise before discussing it with your husband. He may defend his side of the family and may cause a big conflict on your part.

I would have just removed the child from his vicinity. If he can't respect your wishes or your home, the baby doesn't need to be near him during feeding time. When it comes to your baby and how you want to handle it in your home, don't back down! If it's going to cause a rift, then it's goign to cause a rift. They will get over it or they just won't come over.