Raising baby: Modern Vs. Old School

My husband's parents immigrated here from Poland. They're awesome, for the record, but I've got to say they're a bit traditional (nice way of saying really old-fashioned.) Mom-in-law has baby-sitted Charlotte more than once. We've had a battle of wills-or lets call it a differing opinion-regarding what Charlotte can and can't eat and drink. She suggested I give Charlotte cereal right away, just weeks after she was born. I chose to keep Charlotte away from solids until she hit the four month mark. My mummy-in-law keeps recommending tea now. I'm against it, having of course read the books and read the websites screaming that this is a no-no (caffeine, hidden sugars, diuretic.) Her response is that her doctor actually recommended she give tea to my hubby when he was an infant. Never mind that this was well over thirty years ago, and perhaps baby care has changed. Being a new mommy, I try my best to stick with modern advice. Sometimes I wonder, though, if the advice isn't any more than the newest fad. A few years from now, tea might be back in. Anyhoo, I'm just wondering if anyone uses old-fashioned methods for taking care of baby that was passed down from their mom or grandma that actually works better than the "new way."