Author: Pamela Druckerman

Publisher: Penguin Doubleday

French Children Don’t Throw Food (or Bringing up Bébé in the U.S.) is a lighthearted mix between a memoir and a parenting guide. Pamela Druckerman, an American who moved to Paris with her British husband, observed the way in which French parents discipline, feed and educate their children, in a contrasting way to herself and her American counterparts. As she immersed herself in the parenting culture of Paris, she picked up many tips which she then shares with the reader, including ‘Le Pause’; simply pausing for a very short period before picking your baby up when they cry or wake up, because more often than not, in that short pause, they will soothe themselves back to sleep without the need for disruption.

The usual preconception is that French parents are often very strict. Whilst it is true that a more authoritative style is common, in many aspects of life, Druckerman tells of French parenting culture being a lot more relaxed than the U.S. when it comes to the age your child ‘should’ be reaching their milestones, especially in terms of education. There is a lots of pressure in the U.S. especially, for children to be able to read before starting school, to be involved in multiple sports and activities, and to play in a way that educates them at the same time.

Purchase