connections. The Shinjuku station in
Tokyo alone has over 30 platforms and
13 different lines!
Mayumi, a Japanese mother from
Tokyo, tells of her many friends and
relatives back home whose young
children hop on and off the city trains
daily. And some take it even a little
further. Her friend’s three-year-old son
travels on the Shinkansen ( Japanese
bullet train) by himself from Tokyo to
Kyoto, a distance of over 300 miles, to
visit his grandparents during holidays!
China & Vietnam: Say no to nappies
Pavlov’s famed experiment, which
used specific sounds as a stimulus to
produce certain responses, finds an
interesting use in potty training. From
between birth to three months old,
many parents in Vietnam and China
start holding their baby over the toilet,
making whistling or ‘shushing’ noises
to encourage them to urinate.
In addition to sound conditioning,
‘Elimination Communication’ is
also employed, where parents try to
interpret the early signals and cues the
baby displays, when he or she wants to
poop or pee. When a sign is detected,
the parent or caregiver promptly
whisks the baby off to the designated
potty place, where the whistling
commences as added encouragement.
This training appears successful as
most babies from 12 months onwards
stop using nappies, significantly easing
environmental waste and household
bills. According to Phyllis, mother
of a 20-month-old girl, some of her
relatives in China were shocked that
her daughter was still wearing nappies
at 11 months. Many of their own
children were potty trained and able
to go ‘on-demand’ from as young as
six months old!
France: Tots with taste
It is said that children in France eat
everything their parents eat, from
mussels to olives. There is no such
thing as a special children’s menu
with hot dogs or pizzas to whet those
tiny appetites. If a child refuses to try
something, it is simply taken away
without a fuss. Snacking is not allowed
and the child would generally have to
wait until the next mealtime, even if he
or she goes hungry. The expectation
is that if you try something often
enough, and if you’re hungry enough,
you will grow to like it. Eventually.
Carole, a mother of two from
Paris, says from the age of 12 to 18
months, children start eating the same
food at the dining table, with the
adults. Her son Arthur is particularly
fond of cheese, the more mature, the
better! “What about foie gras,” I ask?
“That's just for special occasions,” she
replies with a smile.
The Netherlands: Sleeping beauties
In the course of my research, I came
March 2015
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