crazy like your baby

As a new parent I’ve noticed that our culture has created a world where we take care of babies like crazy people. No? Don’t believe me? Here are my four reasons why. You can make a judgment after.

1.    Back in the day people put their babies in these crazy dangerous contraptions called cribs. People wrapped up their babies in blankets to keep their baby warm and put toys in the crib to help the baby entertain himself when need be. Today, the “crib” is a highly sophisticated place to keep your baby safe.  That includes having nothing in the crib with the baby. The toys: a danger. Even blankets are considered choking-hazards. Simply put, the only thing in the “crib” is the baby. The baby is kept in a safe “crib” or “room” alone with nothing to harm himself. Does that remind you of anything?

2.    Since parents are not allowed to keep anything in the crib with the baby including blankets, the popular alternatives today are cocoon blankets. You know, those blankets that you wrap around your baby to keep him warm. The blankets that have excessive amounts of Velcro to keep your baby from getting his arms out of the blanket. In adult terms, this “blanket” is simply called a straight jacket.

3.    In a recent NPR story many parents today are going to their pediatrician to demand drugs for their babies reflux “problems”. The story stated that parents wanted similar drugs that helped adult reflex for their babies. It concluded with the advice from a doctor to parents, suggesting that they not depend on drugs, but first change the baby’s diet. The doctor affirmed that this worked most of the time. The alarming part was in the middle of the story when NPR stated that research on the infant reflux drugs indicated that they didn’t work any better than placebos or sugar pills and in some cases aggravated the problem. In a world where we are increasingly giving people more drugs for their problems, this story substantiates the idea that in some cases we are helping people in the wrong way.

4.    Back in the day… Can I use ‘back in the day’ again? Anyway, back in the day people used to just throw their kids in an open seat in the car and just drive off. Not anymore. Babies have to be put in the back of the car, facing backwards, all locked up and secured. I find it eerily similar to this.