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Baby Transport​—African and North American Ways

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN NIGERIA

THERE are a variety of ways that people throughout the world transport babies. The North American and African ways offer quite a contrast.

On these different continents, economic conditions vary dramatically. So we would expect that methods of transport would vary dramatically too. First, let us see how people in North America often handle the matter.

The North American Way

In the United States and many other parts of the world, four-​wheeled baby strollers or prams are a common method. And the trend in recent years has been to make them easier to use, more stylish, and more comfortable for the baby. Many have plush cushioning, washable pads, and elevated seats.

Strollers offer children a welcome repose, a change of pace, a rest for sore feet. For a sleepy youngster, a stroller can be like a bed on wheels. Often the motion of a moving stroller soothes and calms a tired and irritable child.

Strollers can make life easier for parents too. One parent said: “It’s easier than carrying a child everywhere.” A child may be easy to carry when small, but it is a different story when he or she begins to double or triple in weight. Moreover, parents enjoy knowing that their child is safe and secure in a stroller that they are able to control.

In the United States, care is taken to make strollers safe. They are designed with a wide base and a low center of gravity so that they cannot be easily toppled. Brakes must be strong and in a position where they cannot be disengaged by a child in the stroller. Latches are installed to prevent the accidental folding of the stroller. Care is taken to eliminate any “pinch points”​—areas that can pinch tiny fingers. Seat belts give added protection.

Strollers may range in price from over $20 to some eight or ten times that much. One luxury model that retails for about $300 features an extra-​large basket, a plush interior, a weather-​resistant exterior, multidirectional wheel movement, and a fast-​fold, lightweight frame. A specially designed “joggers stroller,” which allows mom or dad to wheel the baby while jogging, sells for some $380.

The African Way

In Africa, as well as in many lands of Asia, most mothers carry babies on their backs, just as their mothers did and their mothers before them. “Baby-​backing,” as many Africans call it, could hardly be less expensive or more convenient. The only equipment needed is a strong, rectangular piece of cloth called a wrapper. In a simple, safe maneuver, mother bends over, positions her baby on her back, and then wraps and ties the cloth around both of them.

Do babies ever fall while being tied in place? This almost never happens. When tying on an infant, mother gives support with one hand while she secures the wrapper with the other. Concerning older youngsters, a Nigerian woman named Blessing said: “Babies don’t resist; they hold on tight. They love to be on their mother’s back. At times they cry to be there. But if the baby does struggle, the mother can pin one or both of its arms to her side with her upper arms until she gets the wrapper in place.”

To give support to the neck of very young babies, mothers use a second piece of cloth, which they tie in the same way as the main wrapper. Added support for young or sleeping babies is achieved by covering the child’s arms with the wrapper. Older children enjoy having their arms free.

How long do African mothers carry their youngsters on their back? In times past some ethnic groups, such as the Yoruba of Nigeria, backed their babies for up to three years. Nowadays a baby gets a free ride for about two years, unless in the meantime mother gives birth to another baby to take his or her place.

Comfortably tied to mother’s back, baby can go wherever mother goes​—up and down steps, over rough terrain, and in and out of vehicles. But apart from being a practical and inexpensive means of transport, baby-​backing meets important emotional needs, such as comfort. A crying baby is put on mother’s back; baby goes to sleep, and mother goes on with her work.

Transferring a sleeping baby from back to bed requires gentleness, since many babies do not like to be disturbed. To do this, mother carefully lies down on her side and gently unties the wrapper, which now becomes a blanket. Sometimes, to simulate the security of the back, she will prop a pillow in front of the baby.

Baby-​backing has other benefits. It enables mother to keep in touch with her baby’s needs. If the child is lethargic, agitated, feverish, or wet, she will feel it. Baby-​backing can bring long-​term benefits also. The book Growth and Development states: “Close physical proximity in babyhood creates a secure and loving bond between mother and baby, forming the basis for interpersonal relationships in later years. An important factor in this bonding is believed to be the fact that a child held so close can easily detect the rhythm of the mother’s heartbeat, just as he or she did when still in the mother’s womb.”

Babies love the close contact baby-​backing provides. In Africa you don’t have to look far to see happy children on mothers’ backs. Some doze peacefully. Others play with their mother’s hair, ears, or necklace. Still others join in with contented sounds as the mother softly sings to the rhythm of her footsteps.

Yes, the African way of transporting babies is usually much different from the North American way. But each is suited to its culture and accomplishes its purpose.