SuZan Klassen

It is good for different generations to consider another point of view. Things can be learned from each other.

It was my turn to help in the church nursery. A baby cried because she needed a diaper change.

As I lifted the baby onto the changing table, the young mother in charge of the nursery rushed to my side. “We have a specific way we do things here.”

I did not mind too much. It had been ten years since I had changed a diaper. A little refresher course would not hurt. But what intrigued me was her attitude.

When I pulled off the heavy wet diaper and reached for a wipe, our conversation went something like this:

“We don’t do it that way any more,” the young mother said. “It’s been proven that wet wipes dry out the skin too much. It doesn’t hurt the baby to go without being wiped when they’ve only wet themselves.”

I paused. “Do you put something on their skin to protect it from the urine?”

“No. Baby powder can get in the lungs. It’s not necessary and besides some children are allergic to the ingredients.”

“I wasn’t thinking of baby powder or lotion.”

How Do You Learn?
Many young women live far away from their mothers or other older relatives. They learn to rely on the latest child-rearing theories, the latest books, and their friends. They think of the way their mothers did it as old-school. They may even think of some things as old wives’ tales.

My mind traveled back to a time when my oldest was an infant. He had a terrible case of diaper rash. He cried pitifully whenever he was wet. Diaper changing was stressful.

I tried letting him air out. He ran around without a diaper as much as possible. You can imagine how well that went. Even after that, his rash did not clear.

His painful rash became so bad that the pediatrician prescribed a special thick lotion. It did not help either.

Something to Learn
Finally I complained to the elderly woman who lived next door. “Put cornstarch on him every time you change his diaper. There’s healing in that!”

It sounded so much like an old wives’ tale in my ears. None of the books said anything about it. None of my friends had ever heard of it. My pediatrician had never mentioned it. But I was desperate.

I took the cornstarch out of my kitchen cupboard, sprinkled it in a bowl and carried it to the nursery. Thereafter I put cornstarch on him every time I changed his diaper. Within hours, his skin looked clearer. By the next morning, the rash was gone.

Best of all my bouncing baby boy was back to his normal bouncy self.

Sometimes it is good for both generations to consider another point of view. There may be things to learn from each other.

What lessons have you learned from a different generation? Tell me about it in the comments below.

Until next time . . . Travel Light,
SuZan

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