Online advice takes parenting to a new level
Print Edition
NEW mother Meng Dongxue follows 17 public accounts on messaging and networking service WeChat, and they are all about raising babies.
“Hundreds of strangers are helping me raise my little girl,” said Meng, 26, mother of 5-month-old Xuegao.
Public accounts allow individuals or organizations to broadcast text and video messages to subscribers.
Meng is among tens of millions of new mothers in China.
Last year saw the most births this century, 18.46 million, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
Not satisfied with merely providing adequate food and clothing for Xuegao, the top concern when Meng’s parents raised her, Meng is focused on scientific parenting and education.
To ensure her baby has the best parenting available, Meng pays special attention to the source of advice, and chooses to follow public accounts created by pediatricians and psychologists.
“I don’t want to be an old-style mom, and some of my parents’ experiences are already outdated,” she said.
A recent disagreement arose between Meng and her parents about a pillow. Both her parents and parents-in-law think Xuegao should sleep with a pillow, but Meng insists she should not have a pillow until she learns how to sit.
“A prominent pediatrician posted an article, saying babies feel uncomfortable on pillows when their spine is not well-developed,” said Meng. “It’s scientific and convincing.”
The new parenting style of young mothers like Meng has given rise to WeChat groups related to everything from breastfeeding and baby food to health, catering mostly to young parents used to getting their information online.
Nianiashuo, an account Meng follows, has attracted nearly 20,000 followers since it was created in 2015. Run by Zhou Jieren, mother of a 2-year-old boy, Nianiashuo posts three articles a week about Zhou’s personal experiences.
Working as an entrepreneur at a biomedical company with a husband who is a pediatrician, the couple tries to provide scientific parenting tips for new parents.
“We are overwhelmed by parenting information on the Internet, but the quality of advice can be misleading sometimes,” said Zhou.
Feng Hua, the 29-year-old mother of a 6-month-old girl, follows 10 public accounts.
“I joined three WeChat groups, with a total of 300 moms sharing experiences,” she said.
Through social media, word of mouth hits an entirely new level.
Almost all the mothers in Feng’s groups bought the same brands of baby sling and diapers. Feng also bought English and cartoon books according to recommendations from mothers.
“I receive hundreds of messages every day from moms who share the same concerns about raising kids, and most importantly I can always seek help,” said Feng. “Their answers are like a panacea for all my problems.”
WeChat launched public accounts in 2012, and had about 889 million monthly active users by the end of 2016.
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