There are many misconceptions associated with the bringing up of children. Remember the following, lest you should be caught up in them:

1. Vitamins are quite safe and necessary at all times of the year. The belief that vitamins are harmful in the hot season is altogether wrong.
2. Eating of sugar does not give rise to worms. Worms are produced by food contaminated by the eggs of the worms either by flies or by the hands of people having worms. So cover all food form flies. Infected persons should not be allowed to handle food for others.
3. Allow the child a fairly liberal diet during fever. Inadequate diet during fever can do a lot of harm. Fever burns body tissues, and so a liberal diet is essential. Unless otherwise advised by a doctor, give a full diet.
4. Give the baby a bath or a sponge during illness. It is regrettable that often babies are left dirty for days together on the erroneous plea that a bath or a sponge would do them harm.
5. Avoid over-clothing the child. Some parents over-cloth their children, doing more harm than good.
6. Bananas and sweet limes are not harmful. In some parts of India people believe that bananas and sweet limes produce cold. Cold is the result of an infection.
7. Eggs are beneficial. A six-month old baby can digest a whole egg daily. Give the egg with milk or separately. (quarter-boiled).
8. Teething and convulsions. The belief that teething producers convulsion is wrong. Look for other causes for the baby's condition. Consult a doctor if necessary.
9. Avoid squeezing the enlarged breasts of a new born baby. De to certain substances that the baby receives from the mother's blood before birth, a few babies may get breast enlargement and the formation of a little milk - "witch's milk".
10. A new-born female may occasionally have vaginal bleeding in the first few days. This is again due to the transfer of certain substances before birth from the mother's blood to the baby. This is again a harmless condition requiring no treatment.
11. Breeze from the fan cannot produce a cold. A cold is either due to an infection or an allergy. Most babies sleep well under a fan in hot weather. There is no objection in putting on the fan when a child runs fever. The cooling of the room will help to lower the child's body temperature to normal.
12. Most people believe milk curds can produce cold. This again is a fallacy. All the milk taken by the baby is converted to curds by the acid stomach juice during digestion. Hence giving of curds helps digestion. In diarrhoea, babies can usually tolerate curds better then milk.
13. Never boil fruit juices as boiling destroys their vitamin C content.
14. During an attack of diarrhoea, mothers, in their attempt to stop liquid stools, may cut down fluid intake of the baby. This is highly dangerous as loss of fluids must be balanced by the intake. Therefore always give plenty of fluids during diarrhoea so as to prevent dehydration. Fruit juices replace potassium which is lost is the diarrhoea stool and therefore fruit juices may be given.