electric mist

their minds are so open, their brains have fallen out

One of the weird things about being a mom of older kids about the time a lot of other women my age are having kids or seeing theirs into grade school is to note the huge shifts in what the culture believes is "good" for the baby. In my mom's day, bottle feeding was the new big thing, and giving a kid solid food early was encouraged. When mine came along, breastfeeding was just starting to be back in "vogue" with the pediatricians (here) and my mom and dad were absolutely certain I was going to starve the boys to death if I didn't supplement their feedings with cereal or some baby food. (I was adamant and knew that I was obviously correct when the boys were healthy and fine. I found out years later that my mom and dad secretly began feeding the kids solid food as early as two months. Jake had jambalaya by three months. Spicey jambalaya. I would have freaked, but the kid had slept regularly, eaten regularly, and for the most part, was a healthy baby. Go figure.)

Every generation of babies comes with new books, new "musts," new things to heap upon brand new mom's heads to make them feel like they don't quite know what they're doing or may in some way damage their child beyond repair, and as a mom of older kids who not only survived, but thrived, in spite of the fact that I was utterly clueless, I'm here to say it's mostly bullshit. If something works for you, great. If it doesn't, then stop. There are a million different ways to raise a healthy child and as long as you're trying to learn about the important things like health risks / viruses or developmental issues if you suspect your child may have one, you're pretty much okay.

So, when I see something like this out there, it makes me roll my eyes so hard, my head hurts. This site believes that parents shouldn't diaper their babies (at all), and they believe their method of carting around something for the baby to pee "naturally" into (like a bowl cupped under their bottom) is, "a gentle, compassionate, and practical way to care for a baby's elimination needs from infancy."

I, personally, want to know what crack they're on, because man, they got a bad batch. They describe it as an ancient practice, but really... who wants to go backward? I like electricity, and grocery stores, and cars, and the internet. The notion that I really ought to be "in tune" with when my infant needs to pee in order to be a good / gentle / compassionate parent? Good grief. Their brains have fallen out and rolled into the abyss. Someone direct them to a cave so they can gently let their baby pee on anything it wants to and they can hose the place down when it's grown.

Posted by toni at April 30, 2004 02:55 PM