I’m an American living in Germany. In day care kids here use real utensils and brush their teeth before nap. [Video]

I’m an American parent who has had three children go through day care in Germany, and it’s been quite fascinating to observe how day care — called “Krippe” in German — works here.

As one might imagine, there are a number of significant differences between German daycares and American daycares. Some of the reasons are due to varied systems, like how parental leave functions in both countries and some are more cultural in nature.

My kids were older when they started day care in Germany

Germany offers paid parental leave, which is most typically taken by mothers. That was the case for me as well — I had anywhere from one to two years of parental leave with each of my kids. I enjoyed the time at home with them, and it made things like breastfeeding less stressful.

Unlike in the US, where many infants start day care as young as …