5 Tips for Smart Google-ing through Mom Life

5 Tips for Smart Google-ing through Mom Life

Once upon a time, there was a princess who had twelve teeth, loved to scream and laugh or growl and chuckle at the same time, stuck stickers everywhere including mama’s nose & legs and slept like a log through the night.

Then she turned eighteen months old and everything changed.

Okay maybe not everything but that last bit? The sleeping like a log bit? Yeah. That one. Changed.

Night after night of waking up screaming or jerking herself to keep from going to sleep the second her eyes would shut, right down to skipping the daytime nap altogether a few days a week at an average. Here’s the much dreaded eighteen month deadly sleep regression. We are still not out of the woods as I type this while a baby wriggling in her sleep is clamping on to my boob for dear life but here’s the (wonderful) thing that being literate and having an internet access gives you.

The lack of an excuse to fall for

– evil eye surrounds my child

– someone has spoiled her by rocking her to sleep

– she’s sick (unless you can gauge localised pain somewhere in her body or she has a fever/ congestion that you can spot)

– she needs to have a bigger meal at night (or worse, formula or alternative milk with cereal in it)

– there’s something WRONG with the child

– it’s too cold, she needs more clothes

A quick search with your child’s age and unusual behaviour will lead you to figuring out if it is something routine or unique. In case of latter being true you can continue to dig or take appropriate action, taking child to the doctor et al.

Just like you would’ve searched for a symptom through pregnancy with the number of weeks and symptom in the search field. Oh well. Or not.

1. The Most Suitable Words

It’s very important to choose the right keywords to use Google in order to reach the most relevant information. So think of them wisely and see what combination of words brings you to the best

2. Tone of the Search Phrase

Do not try to answer your own question. It’ll only bring up biased opinions in the search. (e.g. Effect on hair by use of hair dye instead of Will my hair really go grey if I use too much hair dye?)

3. Be specific

Try to be as specific as possible. (Instead of child sleep issues search for 18 mo sleep issues)

4. Choosing Medium

Once you have the result choose the tabs on top wisely. Choosing All for a general search but images or videos for something more visual in nature for instance if you’re looking to check/ research a rash or a visible condition your child is going through, images are more suitable. Or if you want to learn how to use a certain gadget, a video is more suitable.

5. Skip the top Advertising posts.

So the top most links showing up in your search might not be the closest to your keywords but they’re paid content to show up where they do. In some cases they ARE actually the best fit but usually I would scroll down and check the un sponsored ones before going for these. So scroll and check first.

These are teeny tiny tips that help a more fruitful Google search that hopefully will be less likely to send you sobbing uncontrollably and uselessly end of life-apologising to douches around you with your head in your hands at Acidity from Aloo Gobhi (Potatoes cooked with cauliflower) mistaken as Oesophageal Cancer.

Yes. Please be careful and don’t bow before idiots. Even if you’re dying. Which you’re not if Google told you so. In which case return to the top of this post and commence reading.