As a race, we human beings tend to be quite opinionated, some more than others. It seems as if we have an opinion on pretty much anything and everything.

Often, these opinions are about something that doesn’t affect you directly like politics and immigration. But sometimes, this unwanted advice hits a little closer to home especially if it’s about how to look after your baby.

If you’re around someone that keeps on giving you unsolicited parenting advice here are some effective ways to deal with them:

If it’s bad advice, ignore it.

We all know people who seem to have an opinion on everything and always tell you what you should and should not be doing. But if you’re around a person that’s giving you bad advice about how to look after your newborn, just ignore it. It’s not worth explaining to some people about how and why they’re wrong as they don’t tend to listen anyways. So the best advice here is to ignore it and do what works for you.

Don’t be afraid to listen to what people have to say.

If people do have advice about parenting or an opinion about your own parenting skills, don’t be afraid to listen to what they have to say. Some of the time they could be right and the advice could be valid. You may not have asked for it, but they will have given it anyways, and it could maybe help make your life easier as well.

Be polite.

If a person is giving you unsolicited advice, it can be easy to lose your temper and snap at them especially if you’re tired due to a lack of sleep. But this type of negativity is no good for anybody and will only make matters worse so always be polite and respectful. Explain that you’re grateful for the advice, but what you’re doing at the moment is working pretty fine for you and your baby.

Remove yourself from negative influences.

If there are people who keeps on handing out bad advice, and badger you, making you feel uncomfortable, stay away from them, even if it’s just on a temporary basis. We have friends and family members that we love, but sometimes they can be guilty of these offences. So taking a short break from them or distancing yourself from them for a while could be best for both parties.