Toto, I don't think we're in Canada anymore
It is indeed a different world here. This I have always known, but now that I'm looking through the mommy-to-be lens, I'm seeing it in another way.
A few observations:
1. Strangers here more readily comment on my pregnancy. Thank heavens, no stranger belly-rub yet (God help the unknown person who tries to pat my belly!), but no end of people have asked me about our baby, my pregnancy, etc.
2. Lots of strollers, but very few carriers. (Quite different from Vancouver, where carriers and slings seem commonplace.) At Quincy Market, I saw one umbrella stroller in use, with a pre-schooler balanced on the rear cross-bars of the frame. Scary!!
3. Scariest of all: On Thursday, I popped into a mall near Newbury Street, in desperate search of a loo. Werner called on my cell, so I sat down to talk with him. As we chatted, I saw a man (wearing an empty carrier backpack) walking along. Some paces behind him was a bare-footed baby in a baby walker. I was agog. Baby walkers have been banned in Canada for I don't know how many years (and in my family since I was a baby and tripped in mine; my grandfather immediately took it away and stuffed it in the attic, never to be seen again). And this baby was barefoot!! Those tender little 8-month old feet padding along the tiled floor of the mall.... {shudder} After we hung up, the man came to me and asked when our baby was due, etc., and then pointed to the walker and said, "You've got to get one of these, they're the greatest!" I pointed out that I'm Canadian and that they're illegal in Canada, to which he responded that they're illegal in the States too (not according to Baby Bargains, the authors of which advocate a ban), but can be found on eBay and so I should look for one. His trailing baby started playing too vigorously with the items for sale at a cart, and the father was finally approached by the retailer; I made my escape.
A few observations:
1. Strangers here more readily comment on my pregnancy. Thank heavens, no stranger belly-rub yet (God help the unknown person who tries to pat my belly!), but no end of people have asked me about our baby, my pregnancy, etc.
2. Lots of strollers, but very few carriers. (Quite different from Vancouver, where carriers and slings seem commonplace.) At Quincy Market, I saw one umbrella stroller in use, with a pre-schooler balanced on the rear cross-bars of the frame. Scary!!
3. Scariest of all: On Thursday, I popped into a mall near Newbury Street, in desperate search of a loo. Werner called on my cell, so I sat down to talk with him. As we chatted, I saw a man (wearing an empty carrier backpack) walking along. Some paces behind him was a bare-footed baby in a baby walker. I was agog. Baby walkers have been banned in Canada for I don't know how many years (and in my family since I was a baby and tripped in mine; my grandfather immediately took it away and stuffed it in the attic, never to be seen again). And this baby was barefoot!! Those tender little 8-month old feet padding along the tiled floor of the mall.... {shudder} After we hung up, the man came to me and asked when our baby was due, etc., and then pointed to the walker and said, "You've got to get one of these, they're the greatest!" I pointed out that I'm Canadian and that they're illegal in Canada, to which he responded that they're illegal in the States too (not according to Baby Bargains, the authors of which advocate a ban), but can be found on eBay and so I should look for one. His trailing baby started playing too vigorously with the items for sale at a cart, and the father was finally approached by the retailer; I made my escape.
posted by Melanie A at 8:45 a.m.
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