1.
“I lived in Italy, and now I’m in Albania. Kids are definitely raised differently here. If a restaurant even has a kids’ menu, it’s just smaller portions of adult meals. You don’t see chicken nuggets.”
2.
“I am from India (currently in the USA). Co-sleeping is normal in India (so much so that there is no word for it). Everyone assumes the baby is sleeping with the mother and breastfeeding. We nurse to sleep, and frequent wake-ups are common. Most babies will co-sleep until six or seven years old (minimum). Keeping babies in a separate room is unheard of.”
3.
“Leaving babies to sleep in their strollers is pretty unique to Denmark. Basically, babies sleep a lot, so parents can just leave them in the stroller while they do other things during parental leave. It isn’t uncommon to see strollers parked around town with sleeping babies inside, for example, outside cafes and restaurants. Nap-time is also in the stroller, outside in the fresh air, come summer or winter. It is good for the baby’s health, probably, or something. And the baby keeps warm with their blankets and such, so no worry about that.”
4.
“In Spain, many people let children take a sip of beer or wine during celebrations (at least this was the case when I was small)!”
5.
“Sleep training used to be big around the ’90s in German-speaking countries. My mum and many of her friends used the Ferber method to sleep train their babies. However, it’s very, very frowned upon nowadays. We get told over and over again that it is normal for babies to wake up every two hours or even more frequently and that we aren’t supposed to intervene at all. Also, we are encouraged to nurse to sleep.”
6.
“In the Netherlands, most women never see an actual doctor during pregnancy, birth, and thereafter! We have a system of specialized midwife care instead. The midwives are specially trained healthcare workers that can handle all but the most difficult cases. Home births are common, and even when you decide to deliver in a hospital, this will be supervised by the midwife. Doctors will only be involved in case of emergency.”
7.
“I moved to the Netherlands with my two and four-year-olds. There are far less conservative attitudes toward language (no pearl-clutching over occasional swearing), manners (politeness is paramount but respect only goes so far as it’s earned), nudity (not precious about seeing a naked body or to be naked around family, or even strangers in the right contexts), and eventually sex (rather allow them safety upstairs with their crush that you know well than running around the streets unsupervised with risky strangers and behaviors). Alcohol isn’t taboo (and is legal in their teens), and thus older kids form a healthier relationship with it earlier under supervision.”
8.
“I’m in Japan, where taking hot baths and eating raw sushi is considered safe while pregnant, but you can’t wear open shoes because you need to keep the baby warm! Warm feet, warm womb.”
9.
“I am French (raised in France but have lived abroad). We grow up eating the same food as adults, we are asked to try everything at least once, and learn table manners at school. Lunch time in public schools is a four-course meal (starter, main, cheese or yogurt, dessert) that lasts at least one hour.”
10.
“In Switzerland, we don’t hover and helicopter kids here like American parents. Kids walk to school on their own in elementary school. They can take public transportation on their own, and parents don’t worry. Kids in the US can’t even go outside without their parents anymore. Kids here will disappear for half the day, and the parents are unbothered.”
11.
“My son was older when we moved to Southern Spain, and the big difference is how many kids in their mid-20s live with their parents. Part of it is due to unemployment, but part of it is cultural. Where I’m from in the US, it was expected that a kid would move out at 18 to either go to college or start a job, and wouldn’t move back in unless they ran into significant trouble. To be clear, I think keeping the family connection stronger is important, and the US swings from over-coddling the youth to ‘on your own and responsible for it all’ much too quickly. But this cultural difference stood out quite a bit when we moved a few years ago.”
12.
“In Sweden, Parental leave is very long (in fact, two years is not uncommon), and it’s almost fully paid. It’s common for both parents to split the parental leave equally-ish (but the mother still takes more time).”
13.
“In Korea, mothers typically stay in a joriwon (post-partum care clinic) with their baby for two weeks after giving birth. Most of them are like a blend of a decent hotel plus a care facility with nurses who help look after your baby while you’re still recovering from childbirth. They also have classes for new mothers during the day to teach you the basics of caring for your child. The fancier ones have things like daily massages to help your body recover.”
14.
“I’m in Australia. There is a lot of healthy positivity with the mums in my mum’s group and mum friends. Lots of encouragement and permission to share when things are both hard and good. Everyone seems to say, ‘This worked for us, but every family is different, so no pressure if it doesn’t work for you.’ Lots of support for mums, like no guilt if you need to or choose to use formula. It seems like everyone is careful not to seem like they are judging, which is nice.”
15.
“In France, we don’t use wet wipes. Here, they tell us to use this olive oil-based cream and use soap and water once a day. French people avoid wet wipes whenever possible.”
16.
“In Scandinavia, it’s not uncommon for kids as young as seven to take a bus or walk to go to school by themselves.”
17.
“I live in Japan, and starting solids here is serious business! We are told to count their calorie intake, and each meal must include specific grams of each nutrient they need. Each month has a guideline on the size and texture of common ingredients they NEED to try, and honestly, it’s been really exhausting, so I’ve taken a more laid-back approach…Common starting foods in the West, such as avocado (too fatty) and mango (contains an allergen), are not recommended until after 12 months of age.
18.
“Several things in Brazil stand out to me. People touch your baby all the time. Random strangers will walk up and squeeze their feet, sniff their hair. And people will just hand your kid food. Everything from cakes to a half-eaten ice cream cone.”
19.
“In Japan, sleep training is pretty much unheard of. I recall asking friends/family about it when my son was an infant, and was told that if people heard babies crying for a long period of time, they would call the police for a wellness check! The idea of leaving a baby to cry on purpose is unthinkable.”
20.
“In Finland, nudity is common. The whole family can go to the sauna together. Nudity is not seen as such a shameful thing, but as a natural part of life. Of course, as children grow up, at some point, they usually only want to take a sauna with their own sex with each other. I think in many places seeing my own parents or grandparents naked is not common.”
Do you have something to add? What is a practice or cultural norm around pregnancy, parenting, or childraising that may not be common everywhere?
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