Cultural Differences in Baby Handling. Psychology Essay

Cultural Differences in Baby Handling
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Cultural Differences in Baby Handling
Gahvora is a traditional practice used on infants and babies in Tajikistan and many parts of Central Asia. The practice involved cradling the child, leading to restricted movements of the body and limbs (Karasik et al., 2015). An infant is placed on a wooden gahvoras, often narrow and shallow, which sits on a curved base to allow rocking, as well as a handle for carrying. Caregivers create an external catheter to ensure urine is collected and a hole is found at the bottom with a bowl to collect feces directly. The cradle does not have side rails but it is lined with mattresses to make it comfortable. A cotton swaddling cloth and various bindings are wrapped around the infant’s body to prevent the child from falling (Karasik et al., 2018). It is common to see dangling toys or pacifiers on the handle to keep infants entertained. The drapes moving from top to the bottom of the gahvoras cradle help in blocking light, ensuring the child is warm, and also keep flying insects away. In most cases, the child is breast-fed while in the cradle and remains in it for prolonged periods.
The babies’ state of arousal seemed limited in the gahvora. Infants often have their heads swaddled meaning they cannot move it from side-to-side. Additionally, visual experiences in the gahvora are limited because heavy drapes are used to protect the child during cold weather while translucent drapes used during warm weather (Karasik et al., 2018). Even when translucent drapes are used, only lights and shadows can be seen but images become blurred. The baby’s arousal to the surrounding environment is limited because of such restrictions. Given the manner the child is strapped in the cradle, even without the drapes the visual scenery remains limited. For instance, the child can only view the ceiling unless a caregiver or other persons leans over the gahvora. The leaning allows the person’s face to come into the baby’s view. In regards to dangling toys on the handle, not all caregivers provide such an experience (Karasik et al., 2018). Lack of such items further limits a baby’s arousal. Save (2011) argues that the gahvora is harmful because the child’s view is limited. However, Karasik et al. notes that the practice has existed for so long and children do not have observable any trauma.
The gahvora is significantly limiting for the baby arousal, which can be harmful. The baby lies in a supine position for many hours. Karasik et al. (2018) note that younger infants spend approximately 19 hours in the gahvora while older children spent about 15 hours. While most mothers keep their infants in the gahvora only during daytime, others leave them in the gahvora even during the night. Approximately 18 percent of infants remain in the cradle daytime and nighttime (Karasik et al., 2018). While Karasik et al. noted little to no health problem with excessive restriction of movement, other studies say the opposite. According to Graham Jr et al. (2005), pedi...