different practices in different countries

[codswallop]

My confessional booths abput sterilisation and microwaves have made me realise how different things are done abroad..

Is it true that the "Europeans" never warm milk or wind? This is what I have been told..

Any other different things>

in Nantes you have to kiss 4 times but in Lyon it's only twice. I really like seeing men kiss hello too (not that they all do)

i just found them troussers really funny

eeew! at elimination communication.

Talk of Continuum Concept has reminded me: I was tempted recently to read Do Not Disturb by Deborah Jackson. It has been on my bookshelf for a long time thanks to a recommendation a few years ago but I'd ditched it very early on (having read very little) as 'preaching to the converted'.

However, I found on reading it with the benefit of hindsight, that although I went along with a lot of it, there was a lot I didn't agree with. I suspect I could find this with most of the parenting books I have read.

This is a great thread - just like to add that I have given birth in both france and the UK and that France (my first child)was about a zillion times better for ante-natal care and the birth (induction and loads of intervention) was fantastic and they did everything they could for it not to hurt (it didn;t and I'm a total wimp) but the post-natal care/breatsfeeding advice was non-existent - you basically leave hospital and you're totally on your own! The birth in the Uk was very badly handled (middle of the night, understaffed hospital, wouldn't accept I was in labour until very late on etc etc) but the post-natal care was superb!

Also the French seem a lot more laid-back about things like eating solids, giving up the bottle but they're so much less into junk food (you'd never find nuggets in a French school) that the kids seem to end up eating a much more adult diet by the time they're five even if they still have a bottle at night!

Okay, I'm with you now, Jimjams. I was aware of that sort of thing re cc (not Controlled Crying, lol!!) from reading about it on the web. I thought you were referring specifically to elimination communication and cc.

WWW, . EC must be a lot easier when you live outdoors almost all the time and the temps never fall below 80deg. I wouldn't fancy doing it with fitted carpets and soft furnishings!!

I've never quite worked the nappy thing out. Outside in the summer they do just seem to know when the baby is going to go and pull down knickers etc so they go in the street, and no-one minds. But in winter it is seriously cold here, and babies wear huge thick snowsuits, and no-one would dream of exposing a bare bum, so do they arrive home all soggy inside? I've never worked it out. And indoors there are usually lots of rugs, so what do they do about accidents? Just can't work it out. Aparrently in the village, from a very early age they are scolded for wetting themselves and praised for going outside and squatting, as a result they seem to do it ok by about 12-18 months. Not sure I'd want to that, seems a bit heavy handed. BTW Suedonim, when I was in malang, I was holding a baby who wet me and everyone was very apologetic, maybe i should have read the signals better! Malang was nice, lots of students, very laid back. I was primary school teacher in a International school.

at my daughter's state school, they started with a salad, had a fish/meat course,then a cheese course, then a dessert or a fruit.

LOL at being peed on, Steppemum! That's exactly the thought I had when I was given the baby to hold - what signals am I supposed to be looking for??? I decided the best signal was to give her back to her uncle. She was cute, though.

Malang sounds lovely - I didn't realise there were any international schools outside of Jakarta, Bogor and Bali. We're hoping to go to Yogya next month, to see the sights. That city seems to have a vast student population, too.

I had ds in New Zealand, never had a baby in the UK so not sure what the differences really are, but some things I found interesting.
Even though all cheese has to be made with pasturised milk by law, you are still told not to eat it. Alcohol in pregancy (and whilst bfing) is frowned on, though I have been out with friends who hold a baby on the boob with their left hand and hold a stubby in their right.
My midwife was the same one each time and appointments never under 1 hour. She made them in the evening so dh could come to.
Hospital I birthed at had antenatal swimming for free in a physiotherapy pool.
My midwife stayed with me for the whole active labour and birth (6 hours), I was welcome to bring my whole family (didn't though!)I had no pain relief - but that's apparently not that usual for a 1st.
I got to discover the sex of the baby myself and baby was immediately put to breast.
My husband was allowed to stay the first night in hospital, which was brilliant.
I have only seen 2 babies with dummies in 5 months.
At 4 months you get a leaflet sponsored by the NZ beef and lamb industry telling you to give your child meat by 6 months or you will have a baby who is iron deficient.
We have different nappies for boys and girls.
Shopping Centres have parents rooms, some have a big toilet and a little toilet in the same cubicle, which looks cute. Tandem peeing. They also have a microwave with a sign saying they don't recommend you warm bottles with it. So why have it there at all!?
Sure there is more, but that's all I can think of for now.

Bobthebaby ... I was told by my midwife today that I could eat soft cheese ... because it is made with pasteurised milk ... so obviously it depends on the individual m/w!
Where are you in NZ again? I am in Auckland and do see quite a lot of dummies ... maybe it is a geographical thing!
I like the big loo and little loo thing too ... DS and I go for a 'Team wee'!

Ghosty: I obviously got the wrong midwife - all that soft cheese missed for nothing! Probably can't see the dummies for all the blankets in the pushchairs down here - I'll see if there's more come summer. Love the team wee!

Japan! Missed where else there's no gas and air for birth, but when I had ds in picturesque Toyota City (yes, there really is such a place and yes, it's just like you imagine it) I was told that Japanese women don't have pain relief, just a couple of aspirins after all was over. I had to be really foreign and pushy to get gas and air. Most of my Japanese Mum friends over there had never heard of an epidural. Enemas beforehand are de rigeur... splat! One nice thing was monthly ultrasounds and we got to take home a video of them all.I must have been at a reasonable hospital as a couple of friends who went to other places told me they gave birth in a big room with at least one other Mum doing the same and the doctor running from one to the other...! A special moment, eh. I'm not sure about in the UK but when I started breastfeeding I was first shown a position where I had to balance poor little DS upright on my lap with the back of his neck in a deathgrip and apply his mouth forcibly to the nipple...I soon had to abandon that as his red outraged screaming face had me in tears. As soon as I got him home he seemed to catch on tho...

One thing is that Japan is apparently the only country on earth where they don't vaccinate against measles until 12 months... and Patrick caught measles at 11 months...we got lots of really revoltingly spotty photos of him to blackmail him with later tho. The other thing is that he used to (fingers crossed) get severe asthma attacks everytime he had a cold, and every single time he was in hospital (9 times), also with the measles, he had a drip put in his hand to keep him hydrated - they do this with every kid, whatever age or illness. This got him so distressed with not being able to move around etc that I got really angry...and when he had to go into hospital here with a bad attack, and they had to give him a drip with asthma drugs, they found his veins were so messed up there(at 1.6 yrs) that they had to put it in his foot.

Sorry, just got angry all over again!! Ah, England, my England...but I did have a brilliant midwife.

Is glad to be home

I live is Australia and generally find most things the same as UK or at least similar. Don't know if you have this but we get a cash payment if babies have had all immunisations at around 18 months (from gov) - they still have another shot at 2? or whatever it is. We get about $200Au. Which is the equivelant of about 2 pounds!!! well...not quite

£2!!!!! What is the point???

AU $ 200 is actually nearer the 60 pounds mark isn't it Cathncait????? Sounds like a bit of a bonus to me. If I got NZ$200 for immunisations I would be delighted

Sorry - of course yes it is about 60 pounds...was just having a dig at the value of the Aussie dollar ...should remeber sarcasm is not the best type of humor in writing! needless to say dd is getting all her needles no problem!

Message withdrawn

FatGaijin, that can't be true about Japan being the only country not to vaccinate against measles before 12 months, surely? MMR isn't given here until 13 months or so, and I thought that was common practice? Awful for your ds with the drips, poor you.

Fatgiajin- dont they just use drips all the time in Japan anyway! Didn't realise they started with babys. I remember going to the hospital for a sore throat (the GP equivalent is is the hospital in Japan) and after providing my wee sample through the hatch I had to insist on not having a drip. Left with a huge pile of medications (indluding some very strange looking green tea).

Did your baby have to reach a certain weight before you were allowed to demand feed? My friend's (another gaijin) description of her life in hospital post birth was very bizarre.

have returned from self imposed exile to tell you that dh's cousin in Finland had a baby girl this am. AND in finland they dont tell anyone the name before the baptism. Really! Anyone.!

Yes Coddy - I work with a finnish girl and her sister had a baby a couple of months ago, we were all like 'Oooh, what are they calling her?' And she was like 'well I don't know yet - I will find out when she is baptised' So for 2 months no one knew what to call this child - Crazy!

She brings the most delicious Finnish chocolate back with her though!

did she have a vowel laden name too?

Not sure how to spell it, but it's pronounced Vee Vee. So yes, a few vowells in there I guess.

Very good friend of mine has married a Japanese woman and they are expecting twins in feb!! all delighted as she is 40+ and they thought it wa s impossible.

How do they do things then?

they live inParis