I have a beautiful little granddaughter at last and I know that my son and daughter in law are doing an excellent job and I try never to say, "I did it like that when I had mine (in Switzerland)" I was just really interested, how it's done today in Switzerland. Do you still give babies Fennel tea , or boiled water, or do you strictly only give milk (breast or formula). Do you not start weaning them until "strictly" 6 months , so no solids, no water until 6 months. What is your experience with a "bumbo" seat? (I hope I spelled it right!). Thanks.
Well, I have to say opinions and beliefs about parenting, and the advice-giving hasn't improved over the generations...
As a mum of three, and a carer of small children -
Fennel tea- I see it a lot, but I wouldn't recommend or do it myself. (but I am not swiss)
Breastfeeding only to 6 months is the guideline which is supported by all major government health organisations these days...
Bumbo seat, I'm not a fan...I think it just stops kids from moving around, but not necessarily any worse than a bassinet, swing, high chair, cot, pram, sling, pouch, bounder, or papoose...and probably not quite so bad as putting your child in a 'walker'...
And of course, there is still an enormous gap between what is medically/psychogically healthy for a child, and what happens as cultural practice... or what parents or grandparents 'believe' about how a child should be cared for or raised...
Well my wife is Swiss and it wasn't so long ago. We did make fennel tea now and again. Our kids got plenty of breast milk, in fact my youngest daughter was still going to the milk bar at 3 years old. No idea what a bumbo seat is
I don't like the bumbo thing, it fixes a child on one spot. I bet the second it wears off the child will want out, some kids dislike being constrained. No fennel tea, did nothing for us, liquids diminish the breast milk demand, after 6mo maybe but it is too strong of an herb, me thinks. I had a great help with colic, gripe water worked (too much, had to space it well, so the little guts would learn how to work on their own). I love curious grandmas, btw, wish ours were interested...
I will only comment on the breastfeeding part of your question.
Regardless of whether this is usual for Switzerland or not, if your daughter in law breastfeeds and you stay with them for a while, your support can make a lot of difference. The best practice with breastfeeding is that the baby should not get any other liquid, especially during the first 3 months when breastfeeding is being established. If there are any problems, you can held them to get in touch with their local La Leche League or a lactation consultant. Whatever you do, do not suggest tea, water, formula and weaning and you will be doing them all a great favour.
Fennel tea is used here quite a lot, but I only used it on occassion for upset stomaches, irritability, or to calm reflux. The strict 6 months only on breastmilk is not upheld in my opinion, my pediatrician recommended solids earlier, around 4 months or when seemed ready, and definitely tea and water before as well. Breastfeeding is encouraged overall for as long as possible, with trained midwifes in hospitial and thereafter to help with this. Bumbo seat, sorry no clue.
Hmmm 'I' am, drinking the Fennel tea, didn't realise you could give the baby it? I am drinking it to help with the colic/wind issues my baby has along with Stilltea
From my own experience, with my daughter who is now nearly 3 years, we used formula and occasionally a little warm water but only if she was constipated. It would only be a few millilitres but would help her greatly. Never gave her any teas but that is probably because we are from the UK and it's not something I had heard of until moving here!
I had so much conflicting advice about weaning. On one hand, I was supposed to wait until she was at least 6 months before her first taste of anything but formula and on the other, one doctor was surprised I hadn't started weaning at 4 months as that was how it was done in his day! In the end I decided to wait and see what she wanted, and at 5 1/2 months I gave her a little baby porridge as she didn't seem satisfied with milk alone anymore. She was never overly impressed with baby porridge and I moved straight on to purees and then very quickly soft sticks of fruit and veg as that is what she preferred.
We did have a Bumbo seat for her, but she was never a great fan. It was easy if we travelled to someone's house who didn't have a high chair though.
I also have a nearly 4 month old son, and again he is formula fed. I will be waiting to see what he wants to do in relation to weaning. I am in no major rush to start the process and will be led by him and his own development. The Bumbo is still here and I will try it from time to time to see what he prefers!
I think you are right though not to say "We did it like this...". I can tell you first hand how annoying that is, especially with the first child. I think its probably best just to give your experiences if you are asked!
What helped me better with a colicky baby was to stay off fresh bread, since that used to give my baby colick, that was better than a fennel (elimination diet - no beans, no parsley, mint, leaks, cabbage, onions, garlic, fresh bread, ton of oat meals, quark, etc). I am on the same page as ljm with liquids vs bm, since any liquids or early solids (before 6mo) will bring early weaning for some. Docs suggest solids at 4mo since that is the norm for ff babes, they often have it mixed up. If one bf, solids after 6mo, slow initiation.
Even after seeing the pic I still don't know what a bumbo seat is At least I never saw that.
Here, when you give birth at the hospital the nurses immediately bring you big thermos of fennel tea, as it's supposed to encourage lactation. I drank tons of it, and I breastfed for two years, so at least it didn't hurt me
Fennel tea is also supposed to help with colics for the babys. Personnaly, I didn't like the idea of giving my baby anything else but my milk, and he never had a bottle anyway. But it's still commonly done here!
Bumbo looks humbug. Kid who's sitting muscles aren't ready shouldn't be sat. Kid who's sitting muscles are ready to sit will use them to balance. The bumbo thing might be ok for a few days when the child is trying to figure out balance and not tip itself over, but children are usually supervised, aren't they when they are learning to sit, the boppy pillow will do fine, won't it. I don't really know anyone who has it, but seems to be big in the US, judging by my old birth board.
Midwives gave my son fenel tea in the hospital. My daughter wouldn't drink it.
Bumbo seats are great for a while but the soon learn how to tip them or get out of them by lifting their legs out. We used one from 4-6 months when my daughter had a head-shaping helmet and couldn't yet sit by herself. We just needed to keep her off her head and we took it everywhere. The bumbo encourages a good sitting position (legs above bottom) and are great for those first foods since it is easy to wipe clean.
Both my kids started taking our food at 4 months so we started then. Their doctor agreed that it was time to start and the time co-incided with a weight drop, so the doctor said they needed more food (cereal) on top of breastfeeding.
My 14 month old had formula milk and started weaning around 5 months as she started daycare. She never has tea of any kind unless she is at Nana's in the UK when she gets her milky tea like Nana drinks I can't stop my mum giving it her and for two weeks out of the year it's hardly worth arguing with her. She also got given chocolate the last time she went to stay!!
Now she eats everything that I eat minus the salt. She still has a bottle of formula milk at bedtime but she seems to be drinking less and less of it.
I too don't like the Bumbo thing. My munchkin sat by herself pretty early and was crawling around by 5 months so the seat would have been pointless. She did go in a baby walker though and really liked it. I know there are a lot of people who don't like them though but each to their own. It doesn't seem to have hurt my daughter and I think it developed her walking somewhat. She was fully able to walk unsupported from 10 months old.
we did/are doing the same as others have already posted - exclusive breastfeeding for approx. 6 months, no water or tea or other liquids before then. When he was ready (I think it was a week or two before 6 months when he stole a roast potato from my plate and gummed it), we started baby led weaning (not common here at all.. most of my information on blw came from the book by the same name and babycentre.co.uk forums). That meant he was dependent on nursing for longer until his solid intake slowly increased. Now he loves his food and still nurses morning and night.
Again no bumbo seat... We did use one of these however to help support him when he started to want to sit up more, as a safety net incase he fell back, and it was a great investment - even at 18months he still loves it and bounces in and out and now enjoys identifying and making the sounds of the animals on it too.
It's funny, my child has always loved white tea. Ton of milk, just a tad of regular tea, it just tasted really good to her, so I didn't stress over it. I think she started her british tradition when she was about 1,5. She now makes it in her little china tea set for little kids, it's hilarious. Her pinkie's down, thankgod..
my son loves taking big swigs from my milky cuppa yorkshire tea, was quite shocked the first time he did it and didn't really know if he should be drinking it with all the tannins and caffeine it contains. Now I make up some rooibus tea for him with milk in - looks and tastes very similar but without all the bad stuff - he loves it.
Tea is healthy. I think it is healthier than it is bad with the tanine, etc. I have yet to see my kid wired on tea or sugar, the only thing that was bad was me having a litre of coke one day when I forgot myself while nursing. That was enough for a whole night of circus. Coke is bad.