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[floryalquimia]

why are soldiers carrying their babies while they spar and fight ?

there should be a nursery building and a corresponding job, something like "day care". there should be dwarves that specialize in taking care of babies.

[Footkerchief]

It IS kind of preposterous that the military mothers carry their infants around, but I like it.  However, nurseries would certainly make sense for other races at least (i.e. humans and elves).  Perhaps you could create a nursery zone, kind of like a meeting area, in which people with the "Infant Care" labor would gather all the babies and try to prevent them from crawling away.  Or something.

[Mephansteras]

Dwarves seem a bit more family centric to me. Maybe having family members (or close friends if there are no family members) taking care of babies for mothers that are on duty? The mother can take the child back when she's off duty.

[Memestream]

While DF dwarves seem to deviate a littlefrom the norm, I would argue that dwarves are classically 'clan oriented,' and feel that it would make perfect sense for them to be raised in a communal environment.

EDIT: It would also allow for social skills to be applied in much better manner, might also tie together a lot of the unimplemented toys as well. Dwarves with good social skills would make better nannies and it could influence the attitude of the children perhaps...

[Foa]

I accept it, now it'll be easier to get those fucking snacthers, and if civilian weapons are implemented, then, those ass-hatters will be shanked and civilians will get stronger, and better at protecting the inner sanctuary!

[Neonivek]

The Nursery should never become a replacement for actual Child care.

Forget Nursery... why can't the father's take care of them?

[Foa]

The Nursery should never become a replacement for actual Child care.

Forget Nursery... why can't the father's take care of them?

They are either at war, or are in the magma forges, maybe even sparring.

[Neonivek]

The Nursery should never become a replacement for actual Child care.

Forget Nursery... why can't the father's take care of them?

They are either at war, or are in the magma forges, maybe even sparring.

Well then poor child will just have to be carried off into war. Like Xena and Batman do.

[Silverionmox]

The concept of a nursery is somewhat alien to the 1400 atmosphere. Mothers carrying their children around, or putting them into the care of grandparents or extended family is the norm. Those would do some work around the house or will hang out at a meeting hall, in game terms. Nurseries are a sign of an increasingly alienated & modern society, not really something for our passionate dwarves.

[Neonivek]

If the mother couldn't have kept her career or find someone to take care of her child... chances are she would abandon her child or send it off to an orphanage / Church

Mind you that... Orphanages would be notoriously bad at taking care of babies during this time as they didn't make a connection between taking care of the baby and its future development. (There is a reason why a lot of people disliked Orphans)

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

But these are dwarves.
They won't care if their baby gets cared for by dead cats or gets thrown down a well as long as they get what they want.

[SirHoneyBadger]

1: Is it possible that female dwarfs have pouches?

2: I want a dwarf baby to occasionally smack a goblin with it's toy hammer.

[Memestream]

The concept of a nursery is somewhat alien to the 1400 atmosphere. Mothers carrying their children around, or putting them into the care of grandparents or extended family is the norm. Those would do some work around the house or will hang out at a meeting hall, in game terms. Nurseries are a sign of an increasingly alienated & modern society, not really something for our passionate dwarves.

I think that some people would argue the need for the nurseries in the modern era came along with women's egalitarian movements. I don't know that I would be one of them, but it seems sensible to me that if women work(much less serve front-line military duty), the demand for something like child care would arise.

It's my understanding that collective parenting goes back to the era of tribalism regarding human development. The presence of the nuclear family structure itself beyond a few centuries is quite disputed itself even. I personally don't agree with the assertion that nurseries are inherently modern. As far as I know, it was very common for neighbors to help each other out on a regular basis and help each other with various mundanities when the time called for it. It only seems to me that in the highly structured life of the dwarves, the need to instill a sense of community and an ethic of 'groupthink' would be very valuable, and nurseries certainly help that.

[Neonivek]

I think that some people would argue the need for the nurseries in the modern era came along with women's egalitarian movements.

Somewhat unrelated...

But apperantly studies that tried to prove that babies need their mothers actually came under dirrect opposition.

It also wasn't that long ago (Which puts in during the Modern Era) that people discovered that if you don't love a baby that it really could spontaniously die.

Now I am not going to say that people in the past are stupid... because the only reason we can even pretend to say that is because we already have everything they had to learn themselves. However childcare services probably would have been seen as unneeded because they may not see taking care of a child beyond feeding as very important... In fact... Ignoring your child's cries is probably good for character in their minds.

Though Controvercial I have a solution

Baby Swaddle!

Basically the Mother will bind the Child's Arms and legs very tight so it cannot move... and then wear the baby on her back.
-Note: REAL PRACTICE!!!

Along with this the mother could pour salt onto her baby to try to strengthen its skin so it won't get injured in battle perhaps.
-Note: REAL PRACTICE!!!

[Silverionmox]

The presence of the nuclear family structure itself beyond a few centuries is quite disputed itself even. I personally don't agree with the assertion that nurseries are inherently modern. As far as I know, it was very common for neighbors to help each other out on a regular basis and help each other with various mundanities when the time called for it. It only seems to me that in the highly structured life of the dwarves, the need to instill a sense of community and an ethic of 'groupthink' would be very valuable, and nurseries certainly help that.

Of course, neighbours & extended family did take care of each other's children, as a personal favour. The difference with a nursery is that the children are given to a person to keep an eye on them and that person just does whatever he does otherwise, interrupting that work briefly as needed for wiping snot, tying shoelaces etc. In a nursery, children are brought to a specific place, with a professional paid caretaker who doesn't do other things than taking care of the children. The latter is too modern for my taste in the game; YMMV.

In practice, it's conceivable for female soldiers or smiths to drop off their child at a relative or at the meeting hall before hammering away. Weavers, cooks etc. would have their young children tag along, or in a backpack, possibly swaddled up, as Neonivek mentioned.