Babies Movie Analysis

Western society has created an ethnocentric approach to the development and socialization of infants in various cultures. Additionally, American society often creates specific techniques for the development of one’s child. These techniques become a norm in American Culture. However, once these norms are broken, society often finds the individual incapable of raising their child. The film Babies, gives insight into the numerous ways cultures deem acceptable to raise their infants. Ultimately, child development practices are culturally universal and therefore should not be frowned upon because they do not fit Western values.

Rural and urban cultures often differ in child-rearing practices, however, there are still similarities in the way the child develops. Regardless of their physical surroundings, Ponijao, Mari, Bayer, and Hattie took their first steps at approximately the same age. However, compared to the other babies, Hattie was put in a baby jumper to encourage walking. The infants that were raised in the rural environments were often left to wander and explore the world on their own. This action is often frowned upon in Western society because of the increased likelihood that the child could be injured. A similarity among all the cultures was the use of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding often solidifies the bond between the mother and child. Regardless of the motives behind breastfeeding each culture acknowledged the necessity of breastfeeding. One important difference