Posted by: Diana
Children in Spain - 10/29/00 11:03 PM
A few weeks ago, in MM’s chatroom, I was asked about what it was like to have children while living in Spain. To avoid boring the others in the chatroom, I thought I’d “talk” about it on the message board, and that way perhaps others can add to the topic.
Spain is a GREAT place to have kids! I’m really glad mine were born there and spent their early years there (1987-1996). Here are some aspects having to do with it.
Medical care: Spain has modern medical facilities and dedicated doctors. Sure, there are a few quacks, but they’re everywhere. With very few exceptions, the doctors I met in Madrid were professional, knowledgeable, and much more approachable than most doctors in the US. There are fewer “layers” of receptionists, nurses, etc. to get through before seeing the doctor. Sometimes the doctor is the only one in the office. I used both private medical insurance (both Sanitas and Assisa, which work just like an HMO) and the Seguridad Social doctors. I felt comfortable with both. You do need to know Spanish, however. There are few doctors that are comfortable speaking English, although I believe the vast majority have studied in English. Vaccinations and regular check-ups are considered very important in Spain.
You can take your kids to the emergency room without feeling like a criminal, even if it’s not a life-or-death emergency. Any problem we had was treated with interest, concern, respect, professionalism, and a dose of good-natured humor.
You can’t beat the maternity leave! 16 weeks at full pay, and you can split the time with the other parent. Prenatal classes were part of the package with Sanitas, and the post natal care was excellent.
All babies follow the same eating schedule once they start solid foods. Cereal with formula milk at 8am, meat/fish/egg with vegetables and a starch (pureed) at noon, pureed fruit at 4pm, and cereal with milk again at 8pm. They eat the same delicious food the adults eat in pureed form at an early age. All the guarderias (day care centers) follow this schedule, and the food is freshly made every day. You can, of course, buy “potitos” (jars of baby food) at the farmacias, where you can buy everything you’d need or want (except clothes) for your baby. They also weigh babies on a baby scale in farmacias.
Children are loved to pieces in Spain, although in a different way than in the US. You don’t normally see high chairs in restaurants, or kids’s menus. Don’t worry - I’ve found waiters to be very helpful finding something to “boost” a child, and they’re great at recommending kid-friendly food, which the cook will make even if it’s not on the menu. I’ve never noticed nasty looks for bringing my kids anywhere at all. Children, as part of families, are accepted everywhere. (Yes, kids go to bars for their meriendas, too, though I saw it more in pueblos than in the big cities.) Kids eat a LOT of candy in Spain. They’re fussed over, they’re told not to run, because they’ll fall and get hurt. They’re spoiled by their relatives. They’re adorable. There are parks and playgrounds everywhere, and they go there to play with other children. They are loud. They “chillar,” which I can’t translate well, but it’s close to screech. They have fun. They’re sociable. They’re taken outside to be in the fresh air every day. They dress in kids’ clothes, not just small adult clothes. They dress well. (Babies are downright formal. Even the bibs are beautiful.) They wear shoes that are made especially for little feet, and don’t always look like adult shoes. They are SAFE. I can’t stress that enough. No one will hurt a child in Spain. They are considered precious.
I can ramble on and on about this topic, but it’s time to quit! I hope this helps those of you who may have been wondering, and maybe more people can add info. I can go into more depth about any of this as well.
Diana
Spain is a GREAT place to have kids! I’m really glad mine were born there and spent their early years there (1987-1996). Here are some aspects having to do with it.
Medical care: Spain has modern medical facilities and dedicated doctors. Sure, there are a few quacks, but they’re everywhere. With very few exceptions, the doctors I met in Madrid were professional, knowledgeable, and much more approachable than most doctors in the US. There are fewer “layers” of receptionists, nurses, etc. to get through before seeing the doctor. Sometimes the doctor is the only one in the office. I used both private medical insurance (both Sanitas and Assisa, which work just like an HMO) and the Seguridad Social doctors. I felt comfortable with both. You do need to know Spanish, however. There are few doctors that are comfortable speaking English, although I believe the vast majority have studied in English. Vaccinations and regular check-ups are considered very important in Spain.
You can take your kids to the emergency room without feeling like a criminal, even if it’s not a life-or-death emergency. Any problem we had was treated with interest, concern, respect, professionalism, and a dose of good-natured humor.
You can’t beat the maternity leave! 16 weeks at full pay, and you can split the time with the other parent. Prenatal classes were part of the package with Sanitas, and the post natal care was excellent.
All babies follow the same eating schedule once they start solid foods. Cereal with formula milk at 8am, meat/fish/egg with vegetables and a starch (pureed) at noon, pureed fruit at 4pm, and cereal with milk again at 8pm. They eat the same delicious food the adults eat in pureed form at an early age. All the guarderias (day care centers) follow this schedule, and the food is freshly made every day. You can, of course, buy “potitos” (jars of baby food) at the farmacias, where you can buy everything you’d need or want (except clothes) for your baby. They also weigh babies on a baby scale in farmacias.
Children are loved to pieces in Spain, although in a different way than in the US. You don’t normally see high chairs in restaurants, or kids’s menus. Don’t worry - I’ve found waiters to be very helpful finding something to “boost” a child, and they’re great at recommending kid-friendly food, which the cook will make even if it’s not on the menu. I’ve never noticed nasty looks for bringing my kids anywhere at all. Children, as part of families, are accepted everywhere. (Yes, kids go to bars for their meriendas, too, though I saw it more in pueblos than in the big cities.) Kids eat a LOT of candy in Spain. They’re fussed over, they’re told not to run, because they’ll fall and get hurt. They’re spoiled by their relatives. They’re adorable. There are parks and playgrounds everywhere, and they go there to play with other children. They are loud. They “chillar,” which I can’t translate well, but it’s close to screech. They have fun. They’re sociable. They’re taken outside to be in the fresh air every day. They dress in kids’ clothes, not just small adult clothes. They dress well. (Babies are downright formal. Even the bibs are beautiful.) They wear shoes that are made especially for little feet, and don’t always look like adult shoes. They are SAFE. I can’t stress that enough. No one will hurt a child in Spain. They are considered precious.
I can ramble on and on about this topic, but it’s time to quit! I hope this helps those of you who may have been wondering, and maybe more people can add info. I can go into more depth about any of this as well.
Diana