parenting

Parents of only children by choice are no strangers to these questions.

But evidence shows there are very few drawbacks to a one-child family, and according to one expert those passing judgement are likely envious because they have "suffered through" raising several children.

Between Canditta Natakuapa and her husband, they have 17 siblings. So deciding to have just the one child was easy for the pair who value work-life balance and giving their son "the best start in life".

But fast-forward to 2017 and you're now responsible for raising a child whose life will revolve around digital technology, and who will have to be tech-smart, tech-savvy, and tech-safe to survive out there in the wild.

So what are some tips to help you along the way?

We asked for your experiences, and expert Joanne Orlando — an analyst and researcher in technology and learning who has worked as an advisor for the Government, for Apple, and for the children's television show Play School — for her best pieces of advice.

The reality star recently found her parenting being questioned online after she shared a photo of her 20-month-old son Saint in his car seat.

Some pointed out that the toddler should be in a rear-facing seat for his safety.

Kardashian posted a video on her site on Thursday, explaining that her son is fine in the forward-facing car seat.

"What people didn't know is that Saint is now the weight and the height requirement to sit forward facing," she said. "Saint actually weighs more than North [her 4-year-old daughter], if that is believable."

Telling a child they can’t sing has life-long implications. But there are ways to reverse it.

Singing is a natural human interaction that transcends cultures, socio-economic groups, ability, gender and education level, but many people are so scarred from their childhood experiences of singing that they won’t sing as adults.

Northwestern University choral music expert Steven Demorest says this comes from a focus on talent rather than skill. “It creates a huge stigma for kids and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy,” he says.

Up to 3 per cent of people are the genetic offspring of someone other than the man they think, according to UNSW Professor Rob Brooks and Swinburne University of Technology Professor Michael Gilding, who have both studied misattributed paternity.

Possible scenarios include mum having multiple sexual partners at the time of the child's conception, undisclosed adoption, medical mistakes, the parents using a sperm donor to conceive or "dad" arriving on the scene when the child is too young to remember.

In some cases, dad may not even realise himself.

But for Sydney-based online safety expert Leonie Smith, it was business as usual.

"I've seen more porn, more drug paraphernalia, more violence, more sick behaviour on Instagram than any other app," Ms Smith said of the platform, which the Royal Society for Public Health report found was more likely to leave users feeling anxious, depressed and lonely than Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter or YouTube.

A new study, titled No Need To Make Babies Cry, challenges the view that controlled crying is the most effective approach.

Lead researcher Helen Stevens said the study followed 34 babies aged four to 11 months attending a publicly run residential family care centre in Melbourne

Families attending the centre were doing so because their babies were having trouble settling, she told ABC Radio Melbourne's Rafael Epstein.

"This is the hard end of town."

Responsive vs controlled

But waiting till the pre-teen "sex talk" to start teaching young people about consent is far from ideal.

Sexual consent is the seeking and giving of permission for a sex act. It must be a clear communication of "yes, I want this" and not merely the absence of "no".

The good news is you can start teaching kids about consent from a very young age, without confronting discussions about rape or sexual violation.

For couples with kids, it's not always that black and white.

But is staying for the children gifting them a nuclear family or a sacrifice that does more harm than good?

Relationships Australia counsellor Fiona Bennett says couples with children often try harder to save their relationship than those without.

"They can feel it's in the best interest for the children in terms of security, stability and good time with both parents," Ms Bennett says.

And the messages about media and tech start almost from the moment they're born: TV will rot your kid's brain! Video games are evil! Kids don't know how to have conversations anymore!

It all boils down to the idea that too much media and tech will ruin your kid -- or make them fat, dumb, and mean.

But obviously that's an oversimplification. The truth is more complicated -- and a lot less scary.

Here we break down the scariest media and tech rumors and give you some solid research and simple, no-stress advice.