To my fellow moms, friends, sisters, daughters:  Please be nice to each other!

Why should we need someone to remind us to do that? Especially in our world of work, family, social, civic, and religious commitments which can seem endless, it is more important than ever to be supportive and tolerant of others’ decisions. We don’t have to always agree with the way that others choose to live, work and play, but as long as they are not harming others, we should be considerate of their right to do so – and think that maybe there’s a logical reason behind their actions.

I am always shocked when I see mothers criticizing other mothers because mom #2 made a choice that seemed wrong to mom #1. Whether we do or don’t get an epidural, whether or for how long we breast feed, whether we go right back to work or take off for a few years, or whether we need help at home or choose to do it all ourselves – these are personal decisions that we all get to make for ourselves. Being in this wonderful club of being a Mom should be a place of welcome and support, not judgment and criticism.

What if I went around making decisions for you? I decide that you will not work outside the home, that you will never use a baby sitter, and that you must eat broccoli with every meal. Those are all perfectly acceptable decisions. But why should I be the one to make them for you? Maybe you love your job, relish date nights, and hate broccoli.  Does that make you a terrible person or negligent parent? NO!!

Bottle Snugglers has so many satisfied (and relieved) customers, but every once in a while we get a comment about how using a feeding time helper is “negligent parenting” or “dangerous behavior” or that it “discourages bonding”. To those writers I ask, have you ever used a pacifier, Bumbo, bouncy seat, swing, baby sling, or baby sitter? And did you consider it lazy parenting, or did you just need a helping hand at some point during your multi-tasking day?

More importantly, did you ever think of how your negative commentary on moms who need a helping hand might make those moms feel? How can you judge someone whom you’ve never met? And what might that person judge you harshly for in another venue?

For the mom who has three kids under four years old – one who just skinned her knee, one who is dangerously close to the cat’s tail, and one in her lap taking a bottle, the ability to get one hand back to help her other children is greatly appreciated. And I dare say she is not neglecting anyone.  Neither is the mom of twins or triplets who, after the novelty wears off, is now home alone with more hungry babies than hands to feed them with. Please think about these situations before you throw out blanket judgments on another mom.

A Bottle Snuggler is a more secure version of propping a bottle under your chin, which we have all had to do at some point - it’s not a baby sitter and should never be used or viewed as such.

Rock on, Mommies!