Going off the 'only on HB' thread, what parenting idea is very common in your area but rare in other areas?
In the Seattle area, I think cloth diapers and baby wearing is pretty common. Not that everyone does it but I think it's not unheard of.
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Spanking. We're kind of bizarre for not.
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@Applesandbananas: Yes, in the south, a "swat on the but" is very common.
By my second child, BLW was more popular but it wasn't earlier on. Same with BWing (except with a group of crunchy moms).
Breastfeeding is widely attempted but I think most stop by 3-6 months. I was rare to go past a year.
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Team green - I would say about half the parents I know do it at least once.
Want to at least try to go med free- not everyone does but again I think probably half the moms I know wanted to at least try for it.
"Fancy" strollers- living in the city where people walk everywhere and we get bad weather, I think these are more a necessity than luxury in many ways.
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@Foodnerd81: in our childbirth classes at the hospital, there were about a dozen couples, and we were the only TG! But I think in the US, the majority of people find out, regardless of geography? I'd be interested in hearing where other countries fall in that regard.
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In my particular town/friend group:
-nannies are super, super common. Equally or more common than daycare.
-elaborate birthdays are very common
-professional photography for every milestone
-brand name everything: stroller, diaper bag, just anything you can think of. In my local mom's group, questions are usually phrased, "What is the BEST_________?" Rather than say, "Where can I get a cheap _______?"
-sleep consultants
-potty training consultants (not kidding)
-moms going to spin class and barre classes on the regular
-classes every "semester" for kids. Multiple classes.I live in yuppie central in the north east.
Previously, when I lived in Texas, my friends with kids almost all did in-home daycares to save $$, didn't have name brand anything, all registered at Target, did not care about the latest parenting fads, kids did not go to classes until they were much older, etc. Did not care about car seats--probably never read up on car seats, and just went to Target/Walmart/Babies R Us and picked one with a cute print and cupholders.
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Spanking for sure. And giving kids lots of sugar. No joke, one time my aunt was fussing at my cousin (about 2yo at the time) because she wanted more broccoli instead of cake. (It was someone's birthday, so maybe she thought feelings would be hurt???)
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I really can't think of anything that is more common where I live (Atlanta suburbs) than other areas of the country. We definitely have a little bit of everything when it comes to parenting choices.
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Swaddling is NOT a common practice here. In the hospital, they gave us a teeny tiny comforter-like blanket in the bassinet. I think the idea is slowly gaining ground though.
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Babies sleep outside in the stroller while the parents have coffee inside (the stroller is visible through the window).
Boys can dress up in dresses without anyone making a fuss.
Fathers take paternity leave for an extended period of time. It's fairly common.
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@Foodnerd81: Even in the outer burbs of Boston I see tons of "fancy" strollers. Sure there's plenty of Gracos and whatever, but I also see a ton of UB, B-Ready, City Select, Mountain Buggy, etc.
I'm not sure I can think of much else. I do see a fair amount of baby wearing, and all my friends have some sort of party for each birthday. Most people seem to BF for a year as well.
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@Foodnerd81: @ShootingStar: I agree, the first thing I thought of was fancy strollers! Baby wearing is also huge around here.
We don't do this, but I know alot of families that are vegetarian, even the kids. Our daycare serves food and they have a vegetarian option.
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@catlady: Oh yeah, I know a ton of vegetarian/vegan people. I think the daycare things is probably because of the high population of Indian immigrants in this area. But I know a lot of people in general that don't eat meat.
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@catlady: that's so cool!
We're definitely on the crunchier side of things here. I'd say 50% of my friends have had natural births. Everyone breastfeeds, I never see formula.
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Baby wearing, cloth diapering, BF in public are all super common here. Tons of vegans and vegetarians. Also lots of SAHDs and mainly dads in the evening at the park.
@SugarplumsMom: I love that, I wish that was the case here. DH gets no time off for baby
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Not in my area, but in my local group of friends: 3+ kids, breastfeeding, SAHMs, babywearing under about 8 months.
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Baby showers after the baby is born comes to my mind. Still are some showers before but rarely.
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@Anagram: all of the things you mentioned ring true for me as well. Even the Barre/Spin classes
We are in the Northeast as well.
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My neighbor is extremely crunchy, so I think I've heard about everything relating to parenting. She is the rarity in our area though.
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Red shirting boys for school (holding back) even when they are old enough to go is pretty popular in the northeast.
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I live in NorCal so EBF, natural childbirth, AP/gentle parenting, CD, cosleeping, baby wearing, lots of classes for kids from infancy, BLW, Montessori or even better, Waldorf educations, organic everything, a fair amount of anti-vaccine, raw dairy, wooden toys, no plastic, only glass or stainless anything - all very common. As are doulas, placenta encapsulation, LLL, LC consultations, etc. All of this is often (but not always) overlaid with pretty wealthy people, and so you definitely also get the pricey organic clothing, woven wraps, nannies, primo baby strollers, personal trainers for mom, etc.
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@Anagram: None of my close friends with kids do things like barre/spin, special consultants or brand-focused purchasing. It's hard to tune that stuff out, but it's possible, I promise!
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@ElbieKay: haha...lucky you! Maybe just my group of mom friends--I mean, we are friends for a reason, they are great--but each friend does at least half of that list. We were talking about a mom's night out, and I said I'm dying for one--picturing some wine or food. And it's a Friday night spin class!
But I signed up anyway because I want to see them, haha.
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@gingerbebe: everything you said- very similar here!
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@lamariniere: yes, we were the only ones swaddling. But then babywearing is super common here, a lot of babywearing companies originate from here (Didymos, Storchenwiege, Hopediz, Kokadi but also backpack style carriers like Deuter, Vaude which I have all seen in the US too).
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@Anagram: I do think there is a higher concentration of that stuff in our town. NYC obviously has plenty of it, but there are plenty of down-to-earth people too.
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I live in SoCal and from what I've seen the following have gained popularity recently: BW, BF, cloth diapering, really fit moms and co-sleeping. We practice BLW, BF and BW but I definitely do not fit with the fit moms and co-sleeping ones!
ETA: Also, eating more "healthy," organic and natural foods.
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I should also add that having more than 2 kids is SUPER SUPER unusual in my area, I'd guess because 1) cost of living 2) cost of daycare. I only know two people who have more than 2 kids of my local friends. One of them lives in a 3 bedroom/1200 sq ft apartment (family of 5!). And the other is super, super super mind-bogglingly wealthy
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@JoJoGirl: Oh yeah, in NorCal the new status symbol among my super wealthy friensd is having 3 kids because it means you can afford them all! I have one friend who lives in Silicon Valley, SAH, has a full-time nanny, a gorgeous house, takes lots of vacations, and has her school age kids in $30K a year preschool and pre-K, which was pretty incredible by anyone's standard, but then she had a 3rd child and then not long after two more went with a 3rd too. Crazy!
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I also live in Norcal so a lot of the high end and "natural" everything is really common.
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I think NYC has a mix of everything so I'm not sure there's something that is very common here that is rare--we've got it all! The only thing I can think of is that no one would blink an eye if a couple was having a baby and not planning to move from their 1-br apartment just yet.
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@Anagram: All of this rings true for our area as well. In particular I agree with the "what is the BEST X" not "what is the CHEAPEST X" assessment.
Also, everyone around here circumcises their boys. I didn't even know there was a debate to be had until I joined HB.
We are in the Northeast as well.
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