Before baby, you were a Facebooking, Instagramming, texting fool, sharing everything from your perfect pasta dish to your hella-good manicure. Now, looking at your little bundle of joy, you may be wondering: Is it safe to post pictures of baby? What's OK to share and what's TMI? What are the easiest tech tools to preserve those precious moments, without broadcasting to the world? These tips can help.
Safely share photos of baby online. You may never have given privacy settings a thought. But if you're posting pics of baby, you may want to think through the impact and potential trajectory of what you post. Maybe you have followers struggling with fertility who aren't ready to share your joy. Maybe you're connected to people you barely know -- friends of friends of friends -- and there's no guarantee that those people will have your family's best interests at heart. Stories about people's kids' photos falling into the wrong hands -- for example, stock-photography brokers looking for baby pics to sell or Internet trolls misusing images -- are a growing risk.
You basically have two options to share safely. You can enable stricter privacy settings on the social media services you're already using, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat (including investigating whether Facebook's Scrapbook is right for your family). These services have the advantage of an existing, built-in audience, but there's a greater possibility of photos being viewed (or copied, or downloaded) by people you don't know. Or, you can sign up for a more secure, password-protected photo-sharing service such as Flickr, Photobucket, or Famipix. These let you be pickier about what you share with whom. But these sites sometimes charge a fee for premium services such as extra storage and prints.
9 social media red flags parents should know about
Distinguish between friendly advice and real facts. As a new parent, you may be vulnerable, worried, or overwhelmed, and social media offers a lifeline. Just don't believe anything people tell you without verifying it with a professional. (No, WebMD doesn't count.) Anything that has major importance -- feeding, health and safety, money, education -- is not to be toyed with. Anything with minimal consequences, such as when to put baby in shoes or the best time to clip her nails (when she's asleep), is OK to experiment with.
Avoid "over-sharenting." What's over-sharenting? Pictures of poop, constant updates on every smile, gurgle, and hallmark of intelligence, reports on what a naturally gifted mom you are. Other parents understand the urge to brag about every little thing, but social media is a give and take. Be thoughtful about what you're sharing, why, and with whom. And make sure to comment, like, or otherwise interact with what friends and family post to keep it, you know, social.
Approach baby's "digital footprint" mindfully. Some parents create social media profiles under their kids' names when they're babies with the idea that they'll turn them over to the kids when they're ready. It can be fun for relatives to get an update "from baby." But there are some risks to creating what's called a "digital footprint" for your baby. Here are some things to consider:
Bottom line: If you decide to create a profile, make sure you include only minimal information, use strict privacy settings, and avoid any photos that are potentially embarrassing.
What is a virtual world, and is it OK for your young kid?
Cope with feelings -- jealousy, anger, sadness -- from viewing friends' Facebook pages. You're not alone. The highly curated photos and posts from friends whose lives seem more fulfilling have been shown to make people feel sad, jealous, and angry.
It may help if you connect with others who really "get" you. Create separate groups for your online pals: Put your close friends -- the ones who post their joys as well as their trials -- in one group. Add the ones who tend to present a perfect image to a different group, and only look at them when you're feeling up to it. You also can connect with the growing anti-perfection movement. Real Simple's public Instagram profile, #womenirl, shares photos from people's real (messy) lives.
The bottom line is that the impact of social media isn't fully understood, and it can trigger all sorts of responses. New parents are emotionally vulnerable because they're tired, unsure, and perhaps suffering from postpartum depression. If you feel crappy more than you feel good, and sharing photos from your life doesn't make you feel better, talk to a professional about what you're going through.
10 ways tech makes life easier for new parents
Find real, meaningful online support. There are some really supportive online groups with active, engaged members.
Hey, dads need support, too! With the rising number of stay-at-home dads, online resources geared toward fathers have ballooned. Fatherly, National At-Home Dad Network, and New Dads Survival Guide all have supportive communities for new fathers.
Preserve memories digitally. By the time your baby is 3, you will have recorded approximately 1 billion hours of video, taken 300,000 photos, and thought of 1,000 things you wish you could say to her when she grows up. Fortunately, there are easy ways to collect all these memories into one, easily accessible location.