Fleeing disasters with a 3 month old infant

mselephant2015

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A few things I thought of while reading everyone else's comments;

Completely agree with the idea of the baby-carrier/sling. I used to carry my baby in one from 5 months (although you can use them from newborn) and I'd zip her inside my coat to keep her warm. If his uniform had a certain level of protection, that would definitely protect the baby as well. Wouldn't worry about the shaken baby thing.

I do agree with the comment about fathers thinking differently to mothers. Even when put in the situation of being mother and father, a man's brain still doesn't work like a woman's, especially when he's got other things to think about (his job/nose-diving etc). I think it'd be highly likely that he'd either forget the baby bag or only have time to grab it without checking it had everything in (a common problem with a baby! Think you've got a spare vest, think again).

Question; why is there no mum? I'm only thinking from the baby-feeding point of view. Breast-feeding would solve all the bottles and sterilizing issues in one. Or, perhaps, the person watching the baby could be a wet-nurse? Everything else (nappies/the bed/washing the baby/etc) could be solved in other ways but babies that small can only be fed with breast milk or formula milk. A baby from four months can have some purees if the parent wishes, but they still need the milk.

Another thing; babies pick up the emotions of their parents and respond to them as such. Ie; if Dad is super stressed, Baby will be, too, even if she doesn't understand what is going on. So Dad would either need to keep himself calm and under control, or Baby is going to be hysterical. Either a problem or a solution there, whatever you choose. Also, in life and death scenarios, parents become a bit more...I don't want to say animalistic but that's kind of what it is. The baby's safety is the number one priority and the dad will not rest until he is sure she is safe. He would rather die himself than let any harm come to her. It could blind him to the needs of others. He wouldn't be thinking as an officer but as a father and it would trump everything.

Finally, I think your story sounds amazing!
 

Penna

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I haven't read all the replies, but 'holding' a baby is going to seriously hamper him, not only while running, but in everyday life.
He would/should already have some sort of wrap or sling that he uses to hold her to his body while he goes about his day. Babies are happier close to the body, and for things like shopping, running, work, whatever he has to do, his hands are free and the baby is safe against him.
Try talking to some nursing mothers. Peruse motherhood forums and Google Babywearing.
 

VFStorm

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Question; why is there no mum?

This particular scenario is a side-effect of cultural and political tradition. Dad is not human. He's from a culture that traditionally undergoes a medical procedure in early adulthood, obtaining incredibly long life at the cost of immediate sterility amongst other effects.

There are enough cultural tie-ins around this to write its own compendium, but, in a nutshell, they no longer conceive, birth, or rear their offspring as couples. Everything is handled in a lab by their central government, with an eye toward controlled population numbers. They're a hyper-advanced race that oustrips everyone they've ever encountered by miles; they're trying not to crowd out the fledgling people in 'shallow space', or the areas densely populated by learning peoples. The job of 'caretaker' is a highly professional task, akin to what we might think of when the STEM professions are mentioned, rather than a natural pursuit. Dad is military, so he's not a caretaker. There was never a 'mom' in the picture to begin with, unless you count some droppers.

I've been shying away from the daycare/wet-nurse/rando red shirt suggestion for this reason; The ship is full of humans, and I don't think baby would thrive on the milk of another species. Comparable to cow and goat milk being lackluster and potentially dangerous to a young human infant, the forumla he has with him is the only food source he can reliably know is 100% healthy for baby. In the thousands of years that have gone by that they haven't raised their own offspring (unless they're social outcasts), freely available information on parenting has dwindled to scraps. Dad is really winging it, for the most part. He's got some humans around him, like Cap, to try and help out, but he's a different species altogether. Not everything is going to translate well.

It works to my advantage, though! With the reintroduction of Mad Scientist and Lady Engineer, the formula could be created in the wilds with dad pulling the bulk of the weight in scavenging/foraging.

Also, in life and death scenarios, parents become a bit more...I don't want to say animalistic but that's kind of what it is. The baby's safety is the number one priority and the dad will not rest until he is sure she is safe.

Oh, hah, I'm counting on it! :) Thank you for the encouragement.
 
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