I miss the good old days of relying on doctors for medical advice. Over the last year, since I became a mother, I've turned to my trusted parenting partner, Claude, more than my helpful and involved husband. To be honest, it's been longer than that because I am also guilty of uploading my pregnancy scans on the platform to find out if my deep desire of having a daughter would be fulfilled (It was).
I became a new mom with zero knowledge of parenting, and now, in hindsight, I think round-the-clock AI advice added more to my worry solely because, despite giving me the correct advice, it also, without fail, told me what the worst-case scenario could be. Since she was born, I have quizzed AI about my daughter’s growth, her height, weight, milestones, solid intake, and pretty much everything else. When she was around 6 months old, I was unable to continue exclusively breastfeeding her, and that took a toll on my mental health.
What should have been a two-line reassurance turned into me reading about nutrition gaps and attachment theory at 2 a.m., because every "she'll be fine" came alongside an AI warning: "But here's what to monitor." And when she was around 7 months old, I asked why my daughter had not peed all night. AI said it was probably nothing, just her bladder maturing enough to hold more. The problem was it also warned me that the same could also be the result of severe dehydration.
The swing saga was its own special chapter. My daughter only naps in her rocking cradle during the day, so when we started planning a trip without one, I asked AI what I should do. It gave me perfectly reasonable options: babywearing, a reclined stroller, easing off the swing days before travel.
But it also, very responsibly, mentioned that some babies who rely heavily on motion to sleep can struggle to self-soothe later, and that it's worth keeping an eye on. Now I was worried about that, on top of the actual packing. Then there was the pinching phase.
At 11 months, out of nowhere, she picked up the habit of pinching me, her dad, and just about anyone within arm's reach. I turned to AI, expecting a quick "yes, totally normal, don't worry." Instead, I got that wrapped around a checklist of things to watch for: was it happening alongside biting or hitting, was it a response to frustration, could it be an early sign of a sensory issue I should flag to her pediatrician? That night I went to bed searching “pinching among babies” and “behavioral red flags” at the same time.
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