3 days ago
MAHA, social media further complicating parenthood
(NewsNation) — New parents have always sought advice about whether to sleep train or use formula, but the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement has raised even more questions.
Initiatives backed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have filled social media feeds with polarizing topics, including questions about raw milk, unmedicated childbirth, ultraprocessed foods and vaccinations.
A national poll by C.S. Mott Children's Hospital found four out of five parents with young children — from newborn to 4 years old — use social media to discuss their concerns about a range of parenting topics.
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Holistic pediatrician Dr. Ana Maria Temple told NewsNation that parents can honor their own values and make sound choices — if they're able to filter out the filler they find online.
Rather than following thousands of Facebook, Instagram and TikTok pages and driving 'yourself insane,' Temple recommends going 'back to finding a provider with clinical expertise that can sit and work with you.'
But the divisiveness on these topics goes beyond social media — it's happening on the soccer field over post-game snacks, at kids' parties over the birthday treats served and even at schools over the cleaning products used in the classroom.
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Temple said to keep an open mind and avoid self-criticism when absorbing all of these different suggestions and views, both online and in person.
One of the MAHA movement's most prominent thought leaders, Moms Across America founder Zen Honeycutt, suggested looking for tried-and-true options from other parents.
'Our moms have tried dozens of different ways to recover our children from their health issues, and they're sharing the ones that work the best,' Honeycutt said. 'And doesn't mean that it'll work for your child, but it's something that our mothers have tried.'
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