Babies

There are babies everywhere in this city! I think Chinese babies are so cute and their parents put them in the cutest little outfits. A huge difference in child-rearing between China and the US is the use of diapers. In China, a lot of the babies don’t wear diapers. How do I know this, you ask? Because they wear pants with a split up the backside so you can see all the baby goods just hanging out! I asked our program director about this. She told me the more modern parents (and those with more money) use diapers, but grandparents and poorer people use split-pants method. I asked how parents know when the baby has to go, and she told me that they don’t and “they don’t mind if they get a baby poo on their arm…they can just wash it off.” You see kids going to the bathroom on the streets, especially in planters or in bushes or on trees. My most memorable child-peeing-in-public experience was in the grocery store. I was bagging my groceries when a mother carrying her 3-4 year old ran over to my station, and a worker who was moping the floor quickly pulled a large box out from under my bagging station. The mom held her daughter over the box and the girl peed right in front of me, right next to my groceries, in a BOX no less. Cardboard boxes are not non-permeable. Gotta love China.

Picture: I haven't been able to caputre non-diaper situation with my own camera, but I found this picture on google to give you an idea.