The so-called Experts

Have you heard the latest?
Apparently mothers who successfully manage to get their babies onto a routine are more likely to end up with a child with a lower IQ. Someone has actually done a study on this and it's shown that grumpy babies who don't want to feed regularly and wake up at odd hours are more likely to be the next generation of brain surgeons and rocket scientists.

http://www.bounty.com/news/feeding-schedules-linked-with-iq?WT.ac=rhn_news_link1

So that's me failed again. I started putting Joseph on a routine at six weeks and by eight weeks he was quite settled in it. I only managed to breast feed for six weeks and then switched to formula, he wont drink pure water so he has weak squash, I leave him for a day a week to go out to work and yesterday I let him have some chips.
According to the experts by the time he reaches school age he'll be so damaged he'll be in special needs.
The real irony of this? There was a link to this story from a page all about coping with "Mum guilt".  I also received an email today from the folks at Bounty telling me that at 68 weeks (about 15 and a half months) it's a good time to start thinking about potty training.
Potty training? He's not talking yet! He can say "Mummy", "Daddy" and "No" and he understands the difference between socks and feet. How on earth do you start potty training a child at this age? How is he supposed to communicate with me to say when he needs it?
Oh, I probably should have taken the experts advice and taught him baby signing from when he was a day old.
It's crazy. Everyone I know with little ones didn't start with the potty until about two years old, but no doubt Bounty probably have some statistic somewhere to say that children who are forced to potty train earlier are more likely to go to university or something like that.  It reminds me very much of my brief attempt to try baby lead weaning. All that happened was that Joseph threw the food about and didn't eat anything. He was happy with puréed food to start with and according to the experts that means he has a higher chance of being obese in later life.
Failed again.

However.....
Joseph can understand what his socks are and where they go. He does understand the word, he just can't say it yet. He can get all eight shapes into his sorter in less than five minutes, he can stack six wooden blocks in a pile (on top of a bottle cap, as well!) and he can open the box Granny uses to keep his duplo in, it's one of those plastic jobs with the four clips on the sides.
Not bad going for a fifteen month old so I think I'll stop reading all these pointless studies from the so-called experts. I wonder how many of them have their own children.