lbs versus kgs.... I just don't get why everyone is still giving their babies' weights as lbs...??

[bergentulip]

... because I have never once been told my baby's own weight in anything but kgs, and have no idea what anyone is on about. This was in the UK, and as far as I am aware has been using the metric system for quite some time.

And the same goes for bottles of milk. Always in fluid ozs. I don't get it.

I don't think it is a generational thing, as everyone seems to use the imperial measurements on MN, but I have not a clue what everyone is going on about, and have to constantly check a measurement converter on 'tinternet!

So, someone, please explain this to me. What's the aversion to kgs, grams and litres/ ml ?

I'm exactly the same as DanJarMouse except I'm 26. I grew up using imperial, bought a quarter of sweets etc. Somewhere along the line school tried to teach me metric and now its just a nasty mess. I have still never got my head around temperatures.
I find the measring things using the body really does help. My I know my handspan is about 8 inches which is useful when out and about. I've since realised that its also approx 20 cms.

Ooh, I didn't know about the handspan but you are quite right, Bronze, mine is 8". That will come in very handy.

I think I might be a mix (never sure what is metric or imperial)

Weight = lbs and oz
Liquid = pints
Sweets = quarters
Speed = miles per hour

that's all imperial, Elf. You are a teeny weeny bit confused, aren't you?

As a general rule of thumb I use imperial at home and metric at work.

I learned metric at school but my parents, the lady in the sweet shop and the butcher/grocer etc didn't have a clue what I was on about so I learned imperial outside school - when I was growing up in the 70's/80's people in everyday life worked in imperial so that's what I used day to day.

DD's generation will probably cast off imperial measures for weight, height etc I would imagine - as fewer people use imperial in everyday life it will slowly pass out of use but it will take a couple of generations.

Can you imagine the cost of changing roadsigns from miles to km? That's the reason we still have miles for longer distances in the UK imo.

Of course edam. Similarly I'm being flippant and not nit-picky.

Well, I may have learnt metric at school, but I spent far more time weighing things in lbs and oz at home with my mother, helping her in the kitchen. We also had weighing scales at home in stones and pounds, so I learnt to understand a person's weight using that system. And we can still buy milk in pints, so that makes a lot of sense to me - I find buying milk in litres bloody irritating, because the bottles tend to be a bit smaller than the 2pt and 4pt ones, so we run out sooner (we've got a rather small fridge, so that little bit more in a bottle is very helpful). I also know how many pints of blood the average person is supposed to have in their body - anyone know the equivalent in litres??? And of course, I far prefer miles per hour and miles for car journeys, because that's what our road signs and mileometers say, and prefer feet and inches for peoples' height, because our height measurer on the wall at home was in feet and inches. Oh, and I hate not being able to get a quarter of sweets any more - it was such a sensible amount to visualise in the nice old fashioned paper bag. And of course I prefer babies being weighed in llbs and oz because I know how much I weighed when I was born in lbs and oz. 7lbs is a pretty normal weight, 6lb small and neat, 5lb or less is tiny... And anything over 8.5lbs and I'm glad it wasn't me giving birth to it. Easy.

However, I measure temperature in degrees centigrade, because we've been told that measurement for years on TV as part of the weather forecast. I also measure small distances in centimetres, because we did quite a bit of small measurement work at school... ie distances no longer than the length of a standard ruler.... And I will now use the metric measurements for cooking - but have to use the weighing scales to do this, as I cannot visualise what the amounts are in the same way I can visualise what a quarter of a pound is like (or indeed, a quarter of a pint).

In other words, I think most people over the age of 30 (or possibly a bit younger) will have been immersed in the imperial system at home for quite some time, even if not at school, so don't expect us to change when we don't have to. I expect our children will be conversant in metric - so why not wait until then, rather than bully the rest of us into unnecessary changes in our way of thinking?

Soup Dragon, sorry, been off in RL for a few hrs, but wanted to come back to the point of us being in Europe.

I agree, we are all different, but being part of Europe does not stop a country being that country, and holding on to its own culture.

Maybe no individuals say "we are going on holiday to Europe",... but I have certainly seen far too many times, on ads, or in the paper, things like "now with branches opening in Europe"... or "England does this, bla bla bla, whilst on the other hand in Europe...."

Argh! Drives me mad. But it's just a pet peeve and I guess I just have to ignore it. It's just factually INCORRECT, whatever people's opinions are on the EU.

My original op was just really wondering why on earth so many people do still measure everything in the old imperial system. It's interesting to me, not suggesting it is wrong!

Imagine if they changed speed limit signs to metric: "But I thought it was 100 miles per hour, your honour!"

I use both as well. Interestingly I know the DC's height in metric only and adult height in imperial.

I cook in either (depends on recipie book) but things like sponge cakes & roasts I do in imperial as I know those having been taught by my mother.

I only know my weight in imperial, but vaguely know the DC's as both but as babies only in imperial, weigh suitcases in kilos

I measure lengths in centimetres, feet, metres or yards and miles so 5cm, 2ft, 100 yards or metres (that is almost the same anyway) and 20 miles.

BTW I am 42

Oh dear, I do get confused.

When I go to the butches, I ask for Slices of ham as I have NO idea how much stuff weighs!

"being part of Europe does not stop a country being that country, and holding on to its own culture."

There's your answer then. It's because the imperial measurements are part of our culture

Touche Soupdragon !

But, again, nothing wrong with using it, just interesting that people in their 20s and 30s still use the Imperial System, when I would think that it's been long enough for the general use of things like lbs and ozs and inches and feet to get less and less.
But, it's still going strong!- and confusing the hell out of me!

I asked my dd to get me 2 pints of milk from the shop - she brought me home 2 liters bless I forgot it would be sold in liters in the shop. The milkman delivers in pint bottles.

they use it because they are the cultural British measurements! All the speed limits are imperial and distances are imperial... it is, as you said cultural. It really is that simple.

I think.

because it is RIGHT.

I always ask for my children's weights in proper numbers

i use a mix, was taught metric at school. I use metric for length, centigrade for temp, but imperial for most weights and long travelling (ie I have no idea about feet n inches - apart from height - I know a swimming pool is approx 25m, but I travel in miles...)

I'm a teacher. Today Y8 were measuring stuff in inches and in cm's They were just happily switching between them working stuff out.

I'm not a maths teacher!But when I asked them they said they did metric in Maths lessons, but "just knew" about inches, and often measured things in inches, and weighed themselves in lbs and stones!

So are we metric or imperial? This was the future generation I was talking to today!

I don't see Imperial measurements as being part of our culture though - at least, not to the exclusion of metric.

But we don't really exclude, we mix n match

I think we mix and match as well.

Am sure ds (14) told me that they did maths in metric and imperial measuremnts.

I can do cm and m,
I can do grams and oz
I can do pints and litres

Cannot do km or kg. Haven't a clue how much they are