Our Babies, Ourselves

sleep with the baby and sleep lightly or sleep alone and worry about the baby

Ethnopediatric research suggests that crying is not just a way for the baby to get food, or to get a diaper changed, and certainly not a way to annoy adults. It is an evolved adaptation, a signal by the infant that something is out of balance

American mothers, on the other hand, are convinced that verbal stimulation is the only way to bring up a smart, successful child in a society that favors independence and self-reliance.

Because human infants are so dependent, their parents must invest heavily in raising each infant; and they must form an intimate relationship with an infant who has few ways to communicate his or her needs

all parents want the best for their children—but clearly cultures disagree about exactly what that “best” might be

Perhaps the most startling finding of ethnopediatrics so far is the fact that parenting styles in Western culture—those rules we hold so dear—are not necessarily best for our babies.

Because the human child is so dependent, and so slow to mature, parents have years in which to make endless choices and decisions about how to bring up their children.

Every adult carries a suitcase of personal and cultural baggage that determines how he or she will parent.

Just because a relationship has been encouraged and selected for by natural selection does not mean it works effortlessly.

All cultures are concerned with children, not only because children are vulnerable but also because they are a society’s investment in the future