15 Parenting debates guaranteed to start a catfight

Meow! At some point or another, we’ve all been in or witnessed a catfight between two moms and one thing we can all agree on is that cats have nothing on mothers when it comes to getting fierce — especially when it comes to these hot topics in parenting.

Let’s jump into this list breasts first, shall we? There is no better way — or maybe no worse way? — to start a heated mommy debate than with discussions over breastfeeding. Considering this particular topic can cover so many debates — including breastfeeding vs. formula feeding, breastfeeding in public and how long moms choose to breastfeed — you can see why it’s at the top of our catfight list. And while it seems as though a woman and her breasts and what she chooses to do or not to do with them (when it comes to her child), should be off-limits for other people to discuss, somehow, they’ve become public debating property.

Redshirting, as it is commonly referred to, is when parents choose to hold their kids back a year from starting kindergarten. Oftentimes, there is a solid reason for this choice, but there are also parents who use this method to give their kids a leg-up on the others, academically, athletically and socially. The topic of redshirting can often lead to a lot of red-faced moms who feel passionately about when kids should start school, particularly if they’ve had to make this choice for their own child.

It’s been a hot topic in the land of parenting for as long as we’ve been parents (and probably long before!) and we’re guessing that this is one hotly-debated that’s going to stick around — vaccinations. With medical backing on both sides of the issue and parents who feel passionately both for and against vaccinating, there often doesn’t seem to be a solid answer for moms about how to vaccinate, when to vaccinate and whether to vaccinate at all. The way to win in a vaccination argument? Use a pediatrician that you trust and make the choice that’s right for your family.

As soon as your kids start to tiptoe their way into being teenagers, you’ll realize that the catfight-worthy debates take things up a notch. One of the hottest debates? Whether teenagers should be able to drink alcohol at home, with parent supervision. This is a topic that parents of teens are not only debating amongst themselves, but with their teenagers as well! Start thinking about this now, parents of little ones — it won’t be long before you’ll need to draw the line in the margarita salt about where you stand with your own teen.

The mommy wars have taken flight over this safety topic — which is safer? Car seat on the plane? Or double up in one seat with your lap baby? We all can guess why some parents feel like having a car seat on the plane is the safest option for our littlest ones. After all, you are traveling at high speeds, thousands of feet in the air. On the other hand, have you seen those ticket prices lately? Ouch. Be prepared to defend yourself on car seats verses no car seats the next time you fly with your baby — there’s nothing like a mid-air mommy debate to pass the time on a long flight!

It seems that parents tend to hold on tightly to their opinions about co-sleeping — they’re either all for it, or adamantly against it — which often comes from their own experiences with their own children. Somewhere along the line, with the intervention of medical studies that claim co-sleeping is unsafe and can even lead to SIDS, it became a catfight and it’s held solid there ever since. Parents who feel strongly about the benefits of co-sleeping aren’t backing down on this one, making it a worthy debate to dip your paw into.

Sometimes, a catfight with another mom happens without anyone even noticing. No scratching, no biting, no high-pitched yelps that make you want to rip your eyes out. These are the one-upping disagreements that some moms are experts at starting — the subtle “my kid is better than your kid” digs that get moms going, big time. There’s nothing worse than having another mom brag about their own child at the expense of yours and when it comes from a mom who is also a friend, those passive-aggressive cat scratches can leave deep scars.

The battles between working moms and stay-at-home moms go deep, as does the bitterness between the two camps. Even moms who are the best of friends can be divided on this topic and it has been known to start a good old fashioned debate from time to time. While we feel like we are slowing inching towards a place where moms — no matter what their working-status may be — can come together and bond about just being moms, there is still some ground to cover before this heated topic is behind us.

In the past couple of years, the food that we feed our kids has become one of the hottest new topics between moms. It’s sparked some serious arguments between moms who are passionate about feeding their kids a specific way and moms who are a bit more lax. One thing we know for sure is that this catfight is sticking around as it has become a hot topic nationwide and within our own government. Our best advice for this hot topic of discussion? Educate yourself, starting with what exactly GMOs are and why you should even care.

If you have a little boy, that really is the question and, it’s one of the first questions you’ll have to answer as a new parent. While it seems as if the argument over circumcision is starting to come to a head, with more and more parents in the U.S. choosing to leave their sons intact, this is another debate that will get moms fired up quickly as moms who feel strongly, on both sides of the debate, often have very strong opinions.

We can probably all agree that there is no single way to discipline all children. After all, every child is so different and has their own needs when it comes to learning the ropes of life. This brings us to the next topic that can lead to a mommy catfight… time-outs. Some parents swear by them and some swear that they do more harm than good. Parents who stand by time-outs say that if you use them consistently and with intention, they are productive. On the other hand, parents who reject time-outs as a discipline method claim that isolating your children for making bad choices can be harmful as they develop. Yikes, sounds like we need our own time-out to figure out this hot debate!

The facts are that some parents are just more lenient about car seats, and particularly what kind of car seat or booster seat their kids are using and at what age. And, for every lenient car seat user, there is a mom who insists on 5-point harnesses for kids as long as physically possible and adamantly advocates high-back boosters. While you won’t be able to win this debate — no matter which side you’re on — the best way to ensure that your child is always safe with family members and friends who might lean a different way than you do is to make sure your feelings about car seat safety are clear.

Motherhood can bring many tears and this hotly-debated topic is all about crying. The “cry it out” debate often has moms on opposing sides battling — do you let your baby cry herself to sleep when it’s time for bed? Or, do you respond to her bedtime cries using a different method? Considering most parents who are trying to implement the cry it out method are also likely exhausted from having a little one who won’t sleep, this catfight should be approached with kitten paws.

Oftentimes, we don’t have a choice about how far apart our kids are spaced in age, but for those who are planning their family, how far apart or how close to have their children, in proximity to each other, can lead to some mama catfights that can also turn quite personal. Some parents certainly have reasons to have their babies back-to-back, while others think it’s best to give more time between each child. We contend to there being very valid reasons on both sides… and everywhere in between. Caught up in this debate? Remember that eventually, there will come a point where the difference in your childrens’ ages — no matter how close or far apart — won’t matter much.

We are so fortunate to live in a world where we have choices about how and where we give birth — from our very own homes to birthing centers to hospitals and seemingly countless options in between. However, the luxury of having this choice seems to get lost in the Land of Moms sometimes, sparking fierce arguments about which way to give birth is the best way. When talking about home birth vs. hospital birth, these conversations should be premised with a lot of “for me” statements and “in my experience” disclaimers, to make sure you don’t offend another mom who had a different birth story than you.

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