Parents, be warned: Some common child-rearing moves could end up hurting your kids in the long run.
Although humans have been raising their young since the beginning of time, the best way to do it is still largely subjective depending on culture and preferences.
While parents aim to set up their children for a successful life, pediatricians and childcare experts say that some mistakes could inadvertently cause the opposite effect.
There are popular misconceptions about taking care of children that could affect their long-term health — and even cut into their life expectancy, experts say.
Here are four mistakes parents make that could be shortening their kids’ lives, according to pediatricians.
Front-facing car seats
Although it is popular to put children in front-facing car seats once they meets the height and weight requirements on their car seats, doctors say that rear-facing car seats are the better option to protect your kid in the event of a car crash.
“Rear-facing is dramatically safer, and children should remain rear-facing as long as their car seat allows,” Dr. Amanda Furr told the New York Post. “Depending on the child and seat, this is typically until ages 2 to 4, and sometimes longer.
“A toddler’s spine is still developing, and a forward-facing crash places enormous stress on those fragile structures,” she said.
Skipping vaccines
Amid the swarms of discourse surrounding vaccines — whether it stem from misinformation on the internet or skepticism from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — pediatricians have urged parents to not make the mistake of skipping routine shots.
Prescribed vaccination schedules are especially important while children are young, because it helps to teach their immune systems to fight off diseases — and stops illnesses like measles or whooping cough from becoming deadly.
Skipping or delaying vaccinations can carry severe consequences and even prove to be fatal, doctors have warned.
Benjamin Lopman, PhD, an epidemiologist at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, told Healthline: “If vaccine coverage goes down, it increases everyone’s risk, not just the kids who missed the vaccine.”
Unmonitored social media use
Although it is becoming more and more common for parents to pass their kids a tech device to keep them entertained, experts warn that bad habits with social media can start at a young age.
Furr told the Post: “Heavy social media use is associated with disrupted sleep, social comparison, cyberbullying and reduced time spent in activities that build resilience and healthy self-perception.”
Doctors encourage parents to have conversations with their children about social media and to try to keep iPads and phones out of their rooms at night in order to create healthier relationships with technology.
Feeding them ultra-processed foods
Experts have warned that feeding children ultra-processed foods can set them up for a “lifetime of obesity,” as UPFs have been linked to long-term health damage.
“In the more than 20 years I’ve been a doctor we’ve seen a tremendous increase in obesity and related conditions like high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar in kids,” said Penn Laird II, M.D., Pediatric Cardiologist at Children’s Health Dallas in a post on the hospital’s website. “And the majority of those kids are eating a diet that’s high in ultra-processed foods.”
The early years of a child’s life can establish food preferences and nutritional patterns, so it is important to set up healthy habits for children instead of creating a reliance on sugary juices and fatty snacks.
UPFs have been linked to high risks of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer and obesity, all of which can lead to health problems that lead to an early death.
“Kids don’t usually have heart attacks or strokes,” said Laird. “But some kids are now on track to develop serious heart problems much earlier than in the past – in their 30s and 40s.”