Parenting with Sisu Parenting with Sisu
-
- Infanzia e famiglia
The podcast for an international perspective on family life in Finland. Are you a parent living in Finland, an international parent maybe, struggling with finding sufficient information in english, wondering about how things work here? Or are you thinking about moving to Finland, finding your luck in the happiest country in the world? We from the “Parenting with sisu” podcast are international parents living in Finland for many years, raising our kids in an international community. We would like to share our experiences with you, give you tips on where to find info and help and how to network
-
Car Seat Safety
Today Eleonora and Rabea are talking about one topic that we feel is very important, but is very often left out, here in Finland - which is car seat safety.
We will be talking about what the laws and recommendations are here in Finland, why rear facing saves lives and what are the most common myths regarding car seat safety among parents.
CAR SEAT RECOMMENDATIONS
Newborn - 15kg* baby car seat (*until the baby grows out of the seat's maximum limits - weight OR height, whatever comes first)
Toddler 9-25kg* RF seat (*until at least the age of 4)
25kg* - 150cm booster seat (*if changing into a FF car seat before the 25kg or age, at least 5, FF seat with a harness is the safest option)
Before moving to a booster seat, your child should:
Be at least 5 years old.
Meet the weight and height minimums for the booster seat you’re considering.
Be responsible enough to sit properly 100% of the time, even while asleep.
Have a safe belt fit.
SAFETY TESTS
ECE-R44 (European approval standard)
Seats are tested in frontal collisions at 50 km/h and rear collisions at 30 km/h using crash test dummies and measuring instruments designed to see how well the seats protect the test dummies.
ADAC
50% of the emphasis is on collision results and 50% relates to user-friendliness, comfort, instructions for use and installation methods.
This is a worst-case scenario test, that means the poorest result will influence the total score.
Plus Test
The Plus test is an optional test developed for child safety seats released onto the Swedish market. Similar tests are not conducted elsewhere in Europe. The tests are conducted by the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI).
Plus Test has such strict requirements that forward facing child car seats would not be able to comply with the Plus test. The thinking behind the test is that no children sitting in a child car seat which is Plus Test labelled would sustain any serious/life-threatening injuries in a collision.
LINKS
Finnish Road Safety Council
https://www.liikenneturva.fi/en/road-safety/child-car
https://www.liikenneturva.fi/en/road-safety/child-safety-seats-frequently-asked-questions
Scientific part of RF really well explained
https://www.fatherly.com/health-science/physics-rear-facing-car-seats-kids/
Explaining different safety tests
https://www.besafe.com/en/child-car-safety-tests/explaining-tests-and-approvals/
Car seats for the Littles (CSFTL) - great resource regarding overall car seat safety
https://csftl.org/
CSFTL FB group - very helpful community that has several trained car seat professionals (can help with seat installation, choosing the right seat for your family and car, and many more)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/394663900632207
Debunking myths about rear facing
https://csftl.org/rear-facing-car-seat-myths-busted/
Harness or booster seat
https://csftl.org/harness-or-booster/ -
First Foods - When, what and how to make it fun!
Today we are talking about one of the most discussed topics of parenting - introducing solid food.
We will be talking about when to start and why, different feeding options that you can choose from and how eating out with small kids works in Finland.
Links:
Signs of readiness
https://solidstarts.com/starting-solids/readiness/
When to starts, how and with what:
https://www.hel.fi/static/liitteet/sote/perheentuki/imevaisikaisen-ruokaopas-2016-englanti.pdf
Food before one is not just for fun
https://www.childrensnutrition.co.uk/full-blog/criticalnutrients
Baby Led Weaning
https://solidstarts.com/baby-led-weaning/
Science based FB group for BLW and combo feeding
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1505873949509904
Choking hazards (based on age)
https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/infantandtoddlernutrition/foods-and-drinks/choking-hazards.html
Great resources for tackling picky eating (includes great tips for all parents to know)
https://instagram.com/eat2grow.kids.nutrition?igshid=stir5hzaclhf
https://instagram.com/kids.nutritionist?igshid=1p6pxvtf45m8i
https://instagram.com/feedingpickyeaters?igshid=1b7z8l3fhrvd7 -
Father Special
Today we have a very special episode, focusing solely on the fathers’ side of Parenting with Sisu.
Listen to the stories of Ville, a Finn with an expat wife, and Peter, an expat himself, and how they went through their partner's pregnancy, birth, how they have coped in their role of being a father and what it means to be a father in Finland.
LINKS:
Confirmation of paternity
https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/socia-health/family/law/child-welfare-officers/paternity
Paternity allowance
https://www.kela.fi/web/en/paternity-allowance
Postpartum depression and anxiety in fathers
https://postpartum.org/services/dads/signs-of-ppd-anxiety-in-men/
Postpartum help for fathers
https://www.postpartum.net/get-help/help-for-dads/
Family support - Parenthood and parent’s relationship
https://www.hel.fi/sote/perheentuki-en/parenthood-and-parents-relationship/
Expat dads in Finland FB group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/expatdadsfinland/
Expat parents in Finland FB group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/131063933618519 -
Pregnancy stories: Preeclampsia
Today we are going to talk with our guest Mareike, who had preeclampsia with both kids, which is also known as pregnancy poisoning.
A condition which is still not fully discovered and can not be prevented nor be treated as such. The symptoms are amongst others high blood pressure, protein in the urine, pain in the upper stomach, water in the extremities, headache and nausea.
Ultimately it might lead to kidney failure, water in the lungs and other serious issues for the mom.
Besides the symptoms for the mom, the condition also bears risks for the baby since it is often not perfectly supplied with what it needs to grow. -
Postpartum Doula
This week we are talking with postpartum doula Danielle, founder of Mothers Transition, about the mental side of postpartum, about private postpartum services and her tips and tricks for a relaxed and enjoyable time after giving birth.
Amongst other things, we talk about postpartum depression and how it is different from the regular baby blues that many moms experience after birth. If you need help from mental health care, don’t hesitate to reach out to Mieli https://mieli.fi/en or Äimä https://aima.fi/in-english/.
If you want to read more about traumatic childbirth and depression, here are two interesting articles https://mieli.fi/en/home/mental-health/difficult-situations-life/traumatic-childbirth & https://mieli.fi/en/home/mental-health/mental-disorders/depression
If you feel like you need therapeutic help, you can reach out to Compass Psychology https://compasspsychology.fi/therapy/.
If you want to know more about Danielle and her services, you can visit her website: www.motherstransition.com and follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mothers_transition/
Don’t miss to visit the Nest Doula website, we talked about the services they offer from help during pregnancy and birth to postpartum care: www.doulacollective.fi and follow them on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thenestdoulas/.
Last but not least, our special for YOU! The Helsinki resource guide, the extensive list of services in the capital area that everyone has been waiting for. It’s never too late to build your village:
https://www.motherstransition.com/helsinkiresources -
Postpartum in Finland
Today we will be talking about the postpartum journey in Finland - who and where you can get help from and how you can make yourself as comfortable as possible.
Links
Psychologist services by the maternity clinics
https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/administration/administration/services/service-description?id=3214
PPD
https://www.hel.fi/sote/perheentuki-en/pregnancy-and-childbirth/after-childbirth/postpartum-depression/
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
https://www.fresno.ucsf.edu/pediatrics/downloads/edinburghscale.pdf
PPD Help from Äimä
https://aima.fi/in-english/
Really good document
https://www.ouka.fi/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=5bf1ec7e-ecc0-406f-8aa3-5cf71ff0b4b3&groupId=1651612
Therapeutic work for families with infants
https://www.hel.fi/sote/perheentuki-en/0-1-year-olds/services-for-families-with-babies/therapeutic-work-for-families-with-infants
Phone number for free mental health support in English (MIELI-Mental Health Finland): 09 2525 0113
MIELI Finland - Seeking help with mental health problems
https://mieli.fi/en/home/mental-health/seeking-help-mental-health-problems
Birth control options (City of Helsinki)
https://www.hel.fi/sote/perheentuki-en/pregnancy-and-childbirth/after-childbirth/birth-control/
For other cities google ehkäisyneuvola + your city
Home services for families with babies under 1 year of age
https://www.hel.fi/sote/perheentuki-en/0-1-year-olds/services-for-families-with-babies/family-work-and-home-services-for-families-with-children
Social guidance for families with children
https://www.hel.fi/sote/perheentuki-en/0-1-year-olds/services-for-families-with-babies/social-care-work