Contrasting Tragedies Of Babywearing -By Kareem Itunu Azeez

The mortality rate of children lost since the adoption of (baby wearing) in this part of Africa might be below 10% but still not a good news, considering its something that is avoidable. A situation whereby a mother knots her child at the front, with either a cloth or a form of wear which suits the mother and the baby while walking around.

Few days ago, while on my journey towards bettering my mode of existence, I came across a young woman, in her late 20s,on a fast trudging bike, with a baby, tied around her back, the way we do it in this part of the world, my notion was that, is she so confident that such journeys are safe, or was she just displaying an uforgiveable sheer of ignorance.

It is true until recently that whatever is been transported into this part of our world, from the western lords are always right, irrespective of how untested it might seems, from ways of life to even nurturing young lives, but how do you argue with those we already regarded as semi gods at some time of our lives, here in Africa and Nigeria.

My point is, the contrasting dangers of the known way we carry young infants here to the new way borrowed from the foreign plains by this uprising young mothers, now carrying the babies like “Monkeys”, more significantly is the way it is been practice here nonchalantly.

As a Yoruba boy who has seen how children are attended to among my tribesmen, it is a taboo to baby wear as I will term this new discovering, back then the Yoruba race always provide enough superstitions about the evil that awaits those whose babies falls off their back, little wonder mothers often knot their wrappers even stronger than, the chains of our slave masters. Anyway who is that woman that would want to walk the markets of Lagos or anywhere nakedly for the sins of carelessness, among the very strong superstitious believes that remains till current times.

Nothing is actually safe as we live life, this universal truth has also travelled down the lane of baby sitting, and rearing of children, among sub-sahara African countries, let us use Nigeria for an example, too many sad narrative of baby wearing likewise baby backing, which the media might never disclosed to you, simply because a tradition or a culture needed to be protected from the claws of irrelevance which men quickly turn it to, we have read news whereby little children were mashed like potataos to death for falling off a running mother who was escaping from the fangs of death, majority of this, trying to cross the express lanes, while this baby wearing also, has brought about more tragedies than the previous, my intuition of what I have seen led me to this.

In one of the scary mothers article, titled “Baby wearing doesn’t make me a good mother” in one of the paragraphs, the writer lays emphasis on the baby wearing disadvantage by saying,

“When it comes to the relationship between a mother and child, kangaroos set a unique precedent that many humans should take to heart. A baby kangaroo, called a joey, stays in his pouch until his “exterior gestation” is complete and he is able to move away from his mother on his own. And, like joeys, human infants are also born immature, still needing their mothers’ bodies to nourish and care for them.” but nope humans aren’t kangaroos, moreover joeys are usually born blind, in other quote, it was written thus:

“Despite the fact that across the majority of the globe many baby wearing their babies, more and more tiny newborns are spending most of their days alone in plastic containers, bouncy seats, and strollers and spending their nights alone in bassinets and cribs. Nature didn’t intend it to be this way. A mother and her infant are hard-wired to expect unity, and for that unity to continue after birth.” this quotes only gives us a clue about a for seeable approach to babies yet to be born, since today’s mothers now see it a task to back their babies till appropriate time.

Having spoken to an adviser of mine, more like a role model, his observation has made him needed the urge to send out publicly the advantages or the importance of backing babies, which seems the more safer way, rather than embracing a style, which its ways we can’t really explain, but just because we ignorantly wants to feel belong.

Mr Ayoolas’ narratives, were disturbing, that he sends back my chill to history, about what we do not know about babies and the modes through which they needed to be carried, he was simply against the western world’s imported new mode, but what can he do, he is only subjected to his opinion, while others have the final decision, particularly mothers, especially mothers of this age.

When you baby wear a child, he’s more exposed to more dangers than the known and accepted way, western world put thier babies in cart and drag them along a road well tiled, where road usage laws are abided to, and where traffics are also well obeyed and monitored, while here, we are trying thesame thing in a society that has no provisions for the little amenities stated above, how much more, the so much more, let’s take into consideration, in cases of emergencies, a woman needs to escape from an unexpected trouble, a nursing mother, the question is which of the two not fully safe ideas above is better, of course we know its the Yoruba way, a way which as been embraced through the African races.

Even though there’s a known truth, in the little citation above, our young mothers still do the other way round, for reasons such as, “so I can monitor his breathing and sleeping” or “so I can shade him from the dusts as I walk around” sadly some will tell it to you, that its the latest trend of baby Caring, so why won’t we embrace it completely.

The laziness of some mothers have led to them keeping their children or wards into home for the day children,  and after the sunset, they pick up their children, which already denied the child some parental care, now the child already not used to the mothers back, might oppose such traits when he/she sees other children that same way, because kids like that lived triangular, from home beds, to carts across the street, down to baby wearing, an impending danger.

It is on this premise I took to various opinions and believes of both old mothers and young mothers which way is better or which way should give room for the other, or should it just remain a choice for the people involved, even though a vast majority disapprove the imported ways in theories, as compared to those who succumb to wearing a child they hardly could advice or caution such when they see women doing the same, which ultimately quench their justification for baby backing.

Imported traits has helped us grow and developed a lot, and even till today,but all imported culture comes with its own perils, and for the fact that it also takes away some cultures which we own, let us therefore encourage our mothers to continuously cater fr their child the same old and natural way they have been protected and not expose the future generation to some wild malady.

At least one way seems safer than the other, whichever way you think it is, is left to you.

Kareem Itunu Azeez writes from Lagos State University.

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