Our parents, parents parents, VS todays experts... who do we listen to?

I listen to half and half I try tO tell my parent times has change and there are different meds out and chemicals that makes situations different

I, personally, listen to the experts and their medically/scientifically backed evidence, over what grandma did to my mom. But, there does come a point when you just have to make a decision based on your OWN instincts. Kwim? Its a fine line we all walk as mothers.

I listen to my mommy instinct. I parent naturally and how I feel is best. I usually go against how my mom & grandparents raised their kids. I am very naturalistic

as an OB nurse... the reason they say back to sleep is because it is actually more likely for an infant to choke on their stomach because the trachea is in front of the esophagus and by sleeping on the tummy due to gravity the spit up will come up the esophagus and down the trachea causing the infant to choke. The benefit of tummy sleeping is that babies sleep for longer periods of time because they feel more secure. In all honesty.... I do whats best based on individual babies. Not all infants are the same, some ways are better for one than the other. Moms know best, you have to learn to take the information your given and form your own opinions of whats best for your baby.

I'd say I listen to my mother's intuition.  My mother certainly doesn't know everything, and neither do "the experts".  I do like to consult research/articles/etc before making a decision.  Some of it has merit.

Yesterday, my mother asked me how long I'm going to nurse Adam, and I didn't want to answer because I knew how my parents would respond. They are judgmental and don't know much about breastfeeding, so why would I want to have that conversation with them?  What I did say is a lot of organizations recommend breastfeeding a child for 2 years.  My dad just shook his head and said, "No".  I love my dad, but why would I take advice about breastfeeding from a man?  My mom didn't breastfeed us for long, so she's no help either.  The best person I found to talk to about this is my dad's sister.

So, I would say find someone who is well-versed in a topic, has experience, or is open to discussing it with you like an adult.

I hear what everyone has to say, and then I listen to my gut and my baby (for instance, with back vs belly sleeping - she hated being on her belly and never would have slept in that position). Even experts disagree about some (well, most) things, so we can't rely solely on what other people are saying and need to make our own decisions. 

A little of both. My grandparents fought to bf, my mom bf both my sister and I, and they're very supportive of me bfing. Actually, my mom has said "I don't want to step on your toes so let me know if I ever am. You're the mom so you know best." I am lucky lol
I do know people who think they know best. Sometimes telling them that they didn't do anything wrong can help. Some moms feel that if you don't do as they did, their choices were inferior and they're not "good moms."

Quoting alreadydidthis:

I listen to half and half I try tO tell my parent times has change and there are different meds out and chemicals that makes situations different

i do this two.

imo i use common sense in raising my kids, a scientist can't tell me my children fits into their molds and old person can't tell me they know it all

It depends on what it is. My mother and grandmother have a lot of experience with kids, but I, like my mother, research obsessively. When it comes to research, I only use what has substantial findings to back it up. I also listen to their opinions (I'm blessed with a mother who only gives her opinion when it is wanted and doesn't push the issue, my grandmother does enough in that department) as they have helped significantly in many instances. My grandmother, however, works on a lot of outdated information and doesn't like to take a hint when I tell her "It's taken care of, let me do my job.". In the end, my mother's instinct wins out every time if I actually listen to it.