WOMEN'S news & views Bringing Up A Child In Switzerland

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30536, 3 September 1964, Page 2

WOMEN'S news & views

Bringing Up A Child In Switzerland

[Specially written [or "The Press" by RACHEL McALPINK]

GENEVA.

The children of Geneva have a great deal in common with those of New Zealand; but their upbringing varies in many details. The vast majority enter the world with their parents co-operating dutifully in the French natural childbirth method. It is simply assumed by every gynaecologist that his patients and their husbands will undergo instruction, just as any G.P. assumes that a patient who is pregnant will immediately transfer to a gynaecologist.

In my case, the doctor made an appointment for me with one of Geneva’s most famous gynaecologists and refused to see me again. Thanks to all this expert care, the birth of my son was a very pleasant event, followed by six days in a three-star clinic complete with red wine at meals (strongly recommended, in moderation, by the doctors for building up one’s strength).

The newborn baby is a centre of attention in Geneva as anywhere. He is overwhelmed by a mass of gifts—often from the most remote acquaintances. He wears, instead of a nightgown, a singlet and little sweater which fastens at the back, and up to six layers of nappies of various types. When he goes out for a walk, he is even more thoroughly enveloped, and unless he is peeping over the conventional eiderdown, seven or eight soliticous women are going to inquire accusingly “But isn’t he cold?” even if the sun is blazing.

His progress is followed by a pediatrician who will supervise his diet, examine him regularly, give him his vaccinations and so on. Babies from two to 10 months or so often wear a very useful garment, knitted in orlon or wool. It consists of long crawlers and sleeveless sweater combined and buttoned over the shoulders, and is worn over a shirt or vest All toddlers wear specially shaped boots which support the ankles. The use of paper nappies is very common in Geneva, and disposes of about 50 per cent of a mother’s work, in my opinion. Feeding Detail Babies are fed in much the aame manner as in New Zealand, except for one detail. Almost without exception, bottle-fed babies drink quite a thick mixture of milk and a special cereal cooked together, right from the start. Most overseas visitors are impressed by the quality and prettiness of children’s clothes in Geneva. Little girls look delightful in their dresses that are

several inches shorter than those worn in New Zealand, barely covering their frilly panties. The majority of dresses for little girls are low-waisted or A-shaped, so that given a generous hem they last longer. Their special charm is hard to define, but it lies partly in the allimportant details of applique work, buttons, bindings and bows, and partly in colour schemes which rival the grown-up fashion world for novelty and sophistication. Miniature Men

Little boys in their best are also miniature replicas of their elders, complete with suits, shirts and ties from about one year old. Children of both sexes wear pinafores at school and at play, a practical idea common throughout much of Europe. Quite a number of boys are to be seen in lederhosen, sturdy leather trousers which are a boon to busy mothers as they are virtually impossible to wear out and never need washing—or rather, they can’t be washed, however badly they may need it Little Polyglot Swiss children are natural polyglots, and it is commonplace for children to be fluent in two or more languages, one which they speak at home and one at school. If they live in a district such as ours, where there are many foreigners, they probably speak English as well as French and Swiss-German. Many a Genevese five-year-old can put to shame the efforts of the average tourist. As far as the character of the Genevese children is con-

cerned, it is as difficult' and as dangerous to generalise as for any group of people. But their environment does have some influence on their development. In Christchurch, most children live in a house with a garden and lawn and are free to shout and run all day long if they wish. In Geneva, however, the majority of children live in apartments in which any excessive noise will annoy their parents and disturb other residents. Consequently, the children whom we know here are on the whole more restrained, more polite, yet more relaxed and natural in the company of adults—in short, they are more mature than our more boisterous offspring. Less Fun Often I have seen toddlers solemnly shaking hands with babies, and children of school age do it automatically as they meet or part after school—where they work hard for long hours. Certainly these children are more agreeable company for adults, but I think that possibly they absorb too early and unquestioningly their parents’ bourgeois values, and miss some of the fun of childhood into the bargain.