Three little differences between Switzerland and the States

Since living in Zurich, I've been surprised by these three little differences between the States and Switzerland. 

Babies lie flat.

While pregnant, and nursing your newborn in the hospital, and visiting the pediatrician, something you're told again and again here is that "babies lie flat." Every pram or stroller is configured to be a lie-flat rolling bassinet for the first six months, and then it turns into a sitting stroller after that. It's something that is taken very seriously for the health of the baby's spine and the movement of their internal organs to their proper places after being curled up so long in the womb. It is a steadfast rule here and very important. Yet in the States, babies never lie flat! I saw baby after baby curled up in a car seat, or slumped into a stroller before they could sit while visiting home and I wonder why that is!?

Every child has rain gear.

Here's Coco in her massive rain gear. I bought it to last several years because it was expensive! Normally, I buy expensive items in the States and have my mom bring them to me when she visits. ;) But, after some looking, I realized rain gear for kids in the States is pretty uncommon. It was expensive there, too. That had me scratching my head. Plenty of Americans live in urban environments and need rain gear, surely. But it's just not a thing. You will not encounter a Swiss kid who doesn't have rain gear. They have at least two sets - one is kept at school or daycare and one is for at home. They go out everyday! I have to say, it's really nice having rain gear. When we arrive at a friend's house for lunch and strip it all off, Coco is warm and dry underneath. So where is the rain gear in America? Are people really in their cars that much?! 

Two duvets.

When we arrived at our first apartment in Adliswil (that our Swiss employer had set up for us), we chuckled at the two duvets on the bed. "Weird!" we said to ourselves with a little eye roll. Wrong. Having two duvets is the best thing ever. No more fighting over the covers. No more waking up freezing in the middle of the night while J is snug as a bug in a rug cocooned in our duvet. It's rad! I just need to find an attractive way to make the bed. And Coco is left out. For a while, I tried to cover her with mine, but now the Zizzz is the solution! We will never go back to one duvet. (And we ditched the ridiculously fussy top sheet long ago.) 

Did your baby lie flat? Does your child wear rain gear on a regular basis? Would you switch to two twin duvets in lieu of one big one? Tell me in the comments below. :) xo 

(Pretty photo of Zurich dusted in snow from here.)