This is Kaidangku
Only when walking through the park - after having been shopping for baby pants at this very local kids shop - things made suddenly more sense.
Pants for babies of all ages were actually being sold with the seam completely open, back to front, very strange.
One hour later I saw the ‘split pant’ in action, a baby in the park, still pretty wobbly on its feet, suddenly squatting down a little and peeing right there, on the path, in the middle of the park, through its ‘split’ pants. So this is what those are for, no need for pampers at all, just a big whole right down the middle to do No 1 and No 2s whenever they want to?
They are called Kaidangku [literally ‘open-crotch pants’], the traditional Chinese answer to pampers and toilet training babies, and they have been around for decades.
The pants split down the middle - in front and back - to make it easy for toddlers to squat down and relieve themselves. Babies that can’t walk yet are being held by their parents in a squatting position anytime they need to pee or poo.
Being a happy disposable-style-nappy-user it seems ridiculous if not impossible to think of doing it the traditional Chinese way. Just thinking about the practicalities of having your baby in the car seat, stroller, bed, on your lab… how do they manage?
Cultural differences always go both ways, the older Chinese generations that grew up with ‘Kaidangku’ certainly don’t think much of the disposable nappy.
While we wonder how cold those little baby bottoms must get in a cold Beijing winter, they wonder how horrible in must be to sit in a soggy nappy with no air reaching the little bum, developing bad nappy rash.
You can hear the new and more wealthy Chinese generations call them old fashioned, unhygienic, unhealthy or even uncivilized, where still many others call them a valuable tradition, a comfortable and less wasteful option, and simply the only right way to go.
So let’s not judge, Kaidangku certainly is the most environmental friendly solution one can think of. I don’t want to even start counting the amount of diapers we are using throughout the young life of our little ones.
It’s one of those things, which is just part of experiencing cultural differences… after all these little baby bottoms are a quiet reminder of the culture we are living in, certainly something easily forgotten when walking along between Beijing’s futuristic skyscrapers, western cars passing by and fancy looking girls in boots and tight jeans chatting to their mates on the phone while rushing to a business lunch at the Italian place around the corner.
Only when walking through the park - after having been shopping for baby pants at this very local kids shop - things made suddenly more sense.
Pants for babies of all ages were actually being sold with the seam completely open, back to front, very strange.
One hour later I saw the ‘split pant’ in action, a baby in the park, still pretty wobbly on its feet, suddenly squatting down a little and peeing right there, on the path, in the middle of the park, through its ‘split’ pants. So this is what those are for, no need for pampers at all, just a big whole right down the middle to do No 1 and No 2s whenever they want to?
They are called Kaidangku [literally ‘open-crotch pants’], the traditional Chinese answer to pampers and toilet training babies, and they have been around for decades.
The pants split down the middle - in front and back - to make it easy for toddlers to squat down and relieve themselves. Babies that can’t walk yet are being held by their parents in a squatting position anytime they need to pee or poo.
Being a happy disposable-style-nappy-user it seems ridiculous if not impossible to think of doing it the traditional Chinese way. Just thinking about the practicalities of having your baby in the car seat, stroller, bed, on your lab… how do they manage?
Cultural differences always go both ways, the older Chinese generations that grew up with ‘Kaidangku’ certainly don’t think much of the disposable nappy.
While we wonder how cold those little baby bottoms must get in a cold Beijing winter, they wonder how horrible in must be to sit in a soggy nappy with no air reaching the little bum, developing bad nappy rash.
You can hear the new and more wealthy Chinese generations call them old fashioned, unhygienic, unhealthy or even uncivilized, where still many others call them a valuable tradition, a comfortable and less wasteful option, and simply the only right way to go.
So let’s not judge, Kaidangku certainly is the most environmental friendly solution one can think of. I don’t want to even start counting the amount of diapers we are using throughout the young life of our little ones.
It’s one of those things, which is just part of experiencing cultural differences… after all these little baby bottoms are a quiet reminder of the culture we are living in, certainly something easily forgotten when walking along between Beijing’s futuristic skyscrapers, western cars passing by and fancy looking girls in boots and tight jeans chatting to their mates on the phone while rushing to a business lunch at the Italian place around the corner.
‘Kaidangku’ is slowly disappearing though, in the big cities anyways, and more and more Chinese are welcoming disposable diapers into their lives. Is it convenience winning after all or is it simply that more and more people can afford to make that choice financially nowadays? Maybe a mix of both.
Visitors from all over the world are fascinated by the bizarre and often cute sight of bare baby bottoms, struggling to get a good shot for their photo album.
.
It’s just one of those traditions that make us smile and it is for that reason sad to know it will disappear forever one day very soon. We might not even find any bare baby bottoms wobbling through the park by the time the Olympics will be coming to Beijing next year.
Good bye Kaidangku…
Visitors from all over the world are fascinated by the bizarre and often cute sight of bare baby bottoms, struggling to get a good shot for their photo album.
.
It’s just one of those traditions that make us smile and it is for that reason sad to know it will disappear forever one day very soon. We might not even find any bare baby bottoms wobbling through the park by the time the Olympics will be coming to Beijing next year.
Good bye Kaidangku…
1 comment:
your blog is very nice...........
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