I want to know if there are any answers to parenting’s big questions.
- What topics of conversation are there, aside from spew and poo?
- How long can your baby scream for before you can expect a knock on your door from the police?
- What is the legal limit of poo that you can dispose of via the garbage?
- Exactly how unpleasant was life as a parent before nappies were invented?
- What is the line between jiggling a baby to sleep and unhealthily shaking a baby?
- Is lack of sleep a valid defence against loss of humour?
I can help with some of these.
1. You can also talk about sleep. It will become a hot topic.
2. Probably a very very long time. Unless your neighbours have never had children. Most people understand. If they claim their children never cried they are either lying or aliens sent to make normal parents feel bad.
3. Actually, nil. All poo should be shaken off the nappy and flushed into the loo. Disposing of poo in the garbage is naughty.
4. Probably not that bad, I’m sure people were using cloth equivalents.
5. Good question. Instinct rules on this one.
6. Goodness me, yes. Of course.
I came across this link that references a City of Perth bylaw suggesting poo disposal there is illegal. http://www.modernclothnappies.org/facts.htm
No references for whether it’s illegal anywhere else though.
And then there was this link about what was used in rural China instead of nappies (either cloth or disposable)
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/disposable-nappies-a-looming-environmental-threat-477750.html
which was “split pants”. Not so sure that it works in countries that frown on public poo / open sewers.