diaper rash

the NYT ran an op-ed today highlighting the differences in how american and asian babies are potty-trained. there is even a support group for people determined to do it. the jist is that you can train your child to not need diapers after they are only three weeks old. i have no idea why i'm so interested in this - maybe because i thought those little asian kids with their butts hanging out of their pants were cute - but from an environmental and efficiency standpoint i'm glad to see people (adults) weening themselves off the diapers. the author makes the point that western culture attempts to make the baby independent earlier by use of cribs, strollers, and jump seats, whereas the diaper phenomenon seems contradictory to that aim. in asia, the kids are attached to their parents: they sleep with them, they are carried until they are too heavy to be, and basically just touched more. and you know what? all the kids i saw were sooooo well behaved. i think that we can and should investigate how we raise our children. and i think we should take lessons from those cultures that have methods that work. there's too many screaming brats around.