[fleul]

Hello all. I am posting for a friend who has adopted from Guatemala, but does not belong to the forum. Her question is:

Do any of you remember hearing of a custom that Guatemalans do not let their children touch the ground (crawl or walk) until they are older (around 2ish)? Or anything like that?

If anyone has any information on this, can you please let me know? Thank you!

Linda

[mayaprincess]

I am Guatemalan and have never heard this.

[Devora]

It's not a custom. It's a matter of practicality in many homes. Our son's foster family is probably what would be considered lower-middle class. The foster father has a steady construction job. Their children go to school. They own their home. However, the home is very modest -- bare cinder block walls, tin roof, bare concrete floor (but they have electricity and running water).

Our son was allowed to lie and crawl on the beds, but not on the floor. It made sense -- it was bare concrete. It would be cold and very hard. Not exactly friendly for a child crawling or rolling around. This type of flooring is very common among foster families. (Poorer families often have dirt floors. Wealthy families will have homes like what we're used to, only usually smaller.) Additionally, there is more concern about pinworms (which often enter through the feet) in Guatemala than most of us experience here in the US (although we have them here, too). So that's another reason not to have children on the floors until they are older (and also a reason why foster families tend to be insistent about having shoes on the children, even when they are babies).

So it's not so much custom in the sense of a cultural practice as a practical issue.

[katfishy3]

Our foster mom allows our baby to crawl.

[PackGirl]

I agree with Devora.
It just isnt practical to have a baby crawling around on concrete, dirt, or rough tile floors. Also, in the case of the foster mom of our oldest, their house was 3 stories (3 small stories...no mansion)...with stairs everywhere.
Also... after spending time with all of our foster families, they all have familiy living in their home... so there are people around...and they just hold the babies. Even at a huge family party, there was NOT a baby or toddler in site that was not in someones arms. It seems as natural to carry the child as it is just as natural here to put them in a car seat to carry them around...

jmho

[SKL]

I have heard of this, but my 12mo was cruising and crawling like anything at pickup, so she must have been allowed on the floor. That said, her foster family took pics of her at home and she wasn't on the floor in any of them. My 9mo may never have been placed on the floor to play. She couldn't crawl or scoot or sit herself up at pickup. I guess it's an individual thing like so many parenting choices.

[CEB]

I think its a practical issue - depending on the living situation of the family. Our foster family was probably middle class - when we developed the pictures they took with the disposable cameras we left them, there were many pictures of DS on their floor, crawling and attempting to stand while holding onto furniture (which had to have been taken between 6 month visit trip when we gave them the disposables and 8.5 month pick up when we got them back) and we could see they had nice floors in their apartment. DS had very good muscle development and was walking within 6-7 weeks of coming home.

[akasohappy]

I seen photos of our daughter crawling on the floor and cruising next to furniture. Kate walked at 10.5 months old.
Our fm's home was modest with a tile floor.
Honestly I thought the shoe thing was simply if you could afford them than put them on.
Maybe that is not why, but what I thought.

[guatparents2be]

I'll add too that in the indigenous population mothers (or older sisters) wear the babies in slings (cargadoras) a great deal of the time. not sure when this stops, but it probably has to do with how many other kids are around to watch the baby, the culture, and whether or not her work can be done with the baby under foot. the safest place for babies is on mama (or another person...)

[DPline]

I do think it is a combination of practicality and custom. And the living conditions of the family. After seeing pictures of my daughter's foster family's home - cinder blocks, cement floor and seemingly one room - I can sure understand not putting children on the floor for safety reasons. As well as having shoes on them at all times. I do have pictures of her outside in a courtyard in a walker but no pictures of her on the floor in the house. Only on the bed, in the crib, etc.

Personally I think culture plays a part as well. My impression is they have a tendency to 'baby' babies (carrying, bottles, etc.) much more while we in the US tend to push toward the next milestone. (Just a generalization! I realize that this does not apply to all Americans or all Guatemalans.)