Keep it Simple: Babies

As a mother of an 8 month old curious baby boy I find my self talking about mostly just that- babies. Well to futher prove this I recently watched a documentary called Babies by Thomas Balmes. I remembered seeing reviews about this movie on Kathie Lee and Hoda so when I saw it on my Netflix I couldnt resist.

Babies is about four babies from different parts of the world; Ponijao, Mongolia, Japan and USA. The camera follows their growth from birth to about the first year. It was interesting the way baby humans are raised in different cultures and how simple life can be for them. (Here I am worrying about baby proofing my home and freaking out about every lil dog hair I find on Ryatt or what kind of diaper Im putting on him) There were two families in particular that really intrigued me. The first family the camera visits is in Ponijao (some where near Kenya I assume) where two babies, about a year apart, are constantly nursed by their mother. Naked and sitting on dirt floors, these two adorable little baby butts' played with odd objects together around their mother. And with dirty hands and feet they slept on the ground of their hut in the safety of Momma's arms. It seemed like they were always in Momma's reach, always there to nurse and cuddle these two. Then you are introduced to an infant in Mongolia. Out in what seems like the middle of nowhere, a baby is kept warm in a tight swaddle most of the time and seems to spend a lot of time alone or with his toddler brother while the rest of the family works. It was so funny to see how the older brother reacted to his new brother. He didnt seem to like him very much; he teased and taunted him. In one scene he even pushed his baby brother out the house in a stroller and left him sleeping out by the cows. That poor child was in for a surprise when he woke up to snarling cow. The animals weren't kept far from the children either. One scene is of the infant laying in bed and a chicken is standing right next to him. I thought of how I protect Ryatt from our dog licking him- I think about the germs and where her mouth has possibly been. Here a chicken is the babysitter and there isnt a care in the world about germs. Im drawn to how simple their life is. They raise their children to be members of society with just the essentials- no baby einstein toys or fancy play yards. In some places they dont even diaper their baby. There is a natural connection to each other that they listen to; like a rhythm and each mother and child is on the same tune. No "how-to" books - no baby websites - no closet full of baby clothes that just get worn once- no cribs- no baby monitors-  just instinct. Amazing isnt it?! I think it is. Its really beautiful too. I think our society in particular is so cluttered with gadgets and easy fixes that we have lost sight of how nature intended our bond to be.

So I started talking to my husband about the movie. He had seen tid-bits of it but enough for him to bring it up in conversation. He was just as intrigued by how simple life is for these babies. Reflecting on our own family together we laughed about how we used to freak out about a fallen pacifier and dirty hands. At the beginning, we were so cautious and as time has gone on we have become more relaxed. Looking less to websites and books, and trusting our own parental instinct. We go to each other and other family members if we question something. Its just kind of grown this way. I think without knowing, we were learning that instinct is the best way to go. (although we are still spoiled by our baby monitor) Theres no need to stress about what the text book says because really no one fits one-size. Its worked for us so far. And for families in parts of the world where life is much simpler, its also true.