Our babies, ourselves

by Meredith F. Small

"In the winter of 1995, in a dimly lit room in Atlanta, Georgia, I witnessed a birth. Not the birth of a baby, but of a new science, ethnopediatrics." Thus begins Dr. Meredith F. Small's new book on the study of parents and infants across cultures and the way different caretaking styles affect the health, well-being, and survival of infants. Each culture, and often each family, offers advice and directives on the right and wrong way to raise and care for infants, from feeding, interaction, and emotional support to mandating what is normal in terms of infant sleeping, crying, and more. Yet scientists are finding that what we are taught is the right way to parent our children is often based on nothing more than cultural tradition - and may even run counter to a baby's biological needs. Written for parents and science lovers alike, Our Babies, Ourselves shows what makes us bring up our kids the way we doand what is actually best for babies.