[IMG alt="When I told my single friends I was pregnant so many begged me, "Please don't let your Instagram and Facebook be taken over with baby pictures." "]http://www.mothering.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/social-media-baby.jpg[/IMG]When I told my single friends I was pregnant so many begged me, "Please don't let your Instagram and Facebook be taken over with baby pictures." I reassured them, "I wasn't going to be that kind of mom."

But sure enough, when our bundle of joy arrived, I was guilty of a newborn filled newsfeed and cute baby hashtags.

I've always been active on social media. It's my guilty pleasure. So when I became a mother, 'sharenting' (when parents post pictures and share anecdotes of their children online) became a part of my mommy routine.

My travel photos turned into baby milestone photos. Girls-night-out selfies turned into mama-and-son selfies. And sexy, romantic getaway shots turned into adorable shots of my husband... cuddling my baby boy.

I tried to mix it up and throw in some foodie, sunset and puppy Instagrams. As a friend's advice played in the back of my mind, "You need to show that you have more in your life than JUST a baby."

But the truth is when you are a new parent, your new addition instantly becomes your entire world. For my husband and I, each milestone was so special, we had to capture it and share it with family and friends.

No scenery or view was as beautiful or adorable as our baby. I no longer had time for delicious picture-worthy dinners or dressy nights' outs. I was too tired and disheveled for selfies. And my daring adventures became everyday life with a baby at home.

My friends and family live on the other side of the world. So Instagram and Facebook is how I keep them up to date on baby's growth and accomplishments, posting a couple times a week.

I know some distant friend from high school or an old work colleague might roll their eyes when they scroll through my baby pictures, but it doesn't matter to me. This is my life. My joy. Just as I posted through my travels, nights out and love story; this was my next chapter. My life is an open book - so I thought.

A year later my social media baby craze has waned, and it has left me wondering, my life may be an open book, but what about my son's young life? I, after all, have the choice if I want to post a certain picture online. My son has no voice (besides his baby gibberish). I cringe to think if my parents would invite old classmates and colleagues over to look through my baby album; how embarrassed would I feel.

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Parents' views of 'sharenting' goes from one end of the spectrum to the other. I don't know what approach is right. Whatever works for your family, I suppose.

I have friends who post photos and videos of their kids a couple times a day. I enjoy seeing their children grow up. It lets me maintain an emotional connection with them when I live abroad.

Those parents routinely posting to Facebook are now the norm. A recent U.S. study found that 63 percent of moms use Facebook; of these, 97 percent said they post pictures of their child; 89 percent post status updates about them, and 46 percent post videos.

I also have friends who have never posted anything about their child and request that others don't post any photos either. I admire these parents' need for their children's privacy and safety. Others have set up an account to just post pictures of their family and keep access tight.

I have my own set of unwritten rules when it comes to posting pictures and statuses. Since becoming a family, I've turned off my location when posting. When we are away on holiday I post pictures when we are back at home. I never post bath pictures, naked or diaper pictures of my son. The last thing I would want is my son to grow up and regret my posts that are forever online.

I try to limit posts to a couple a week. My security and privacy settings are up to date, and I occasionally go through my friends and followers, and delete old acquaintances. I refrain posting pictures of other people's children, but in the past I've broken this rule when the shot is just too cute. Sorry.

My concerns about my son's privacy and security are echoed by most parents. A survey conducted by the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan revealed that 68 percent of parents worried about their child's privacy, and 67 percent worried their children's photos might be reshared. (569 parents of children ages four and younger participated in the survey.)

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Despite the risks, parents have their reasons for sharing online. The same survey found among, "the 56 percent of mothers and 34 percent of fathers who discussed parenting on social media, 72 percent of them said sharing made them feel less alone and nearly as many said sharing helped them worry less and gave them advice from other parents. The most common topics they discussed included kids' sleep, nutrition, discipline, behavior problems and day care and preschool."

A simple click makes it effortless to share photos and information of our children and family, which makes it easy to get carried away with posting. Social media is flooded with images, videos and information of kids - just remember that these posts are forever in the cyber world.

With family, friends and even schools and daycares snapping photos of our little ones, it may be naïve to think that we can keep our children's images completely offline. But we definitely can try to control what is posted and who can see it.