Dr. Lisa Lewis - Feed the Baby Hummus: Pediatrician-Backed Secrets from Cultures Around the World

Praise for Feed the Baby Hummus

An easy-to-read parenting book with a twist. Complementing the usual pediatrician guidelines for safe baby care, Lewis concludes each section with tips from global baby-care routines. Indian massage. Jamaican rosewater bath. Sumatran rocking. Jewish naming rituals. American parents will find a treasure trove of practical and time-tested suggestions here. This reader-friendly guide will make a charming baby shower gift.

Dr. Alma Gottlieb , coauthor of A World of Babies: Imagined Childcare Guides for Eight Societies

Dr. Lewiss new book offers parents a truly unique guide to child-rearing. Feed the Baby Hummus not only provides traditional and time-tested parenting advice from the West, but is also interspersed with parenting stories, customs, traditions, and even baby food recipes from around the world. In reading this book, we realize how much there is to learn from the global parenting village. Dr. Lewiss pediatric expertise combined with examples from around the world makes this book an insightful and comforting companion to new parents everywhere.

LEENA SAINI , author of Around the World in 80 Purees: Easy Recipes for Global Baby Food

A delightful and practical read for all expecting moms and dads. I wish I read it before becoming a parent!

Rina Mae Acosta , coauthor of The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less

I have often thought that if we pooled together the most positive elements of each culture across the world we would create one strong thriving society. And what better time to do this than at the start of new life. This book provides parents with the wisdom and traditions from across the globe and ultimately the knowledge to follow their own natural intuition. A great read for new parents.

LOUISE WEBSTER , founder of Beyondtheschoolrun.com and author of A New Way for Mothers

For my mother.

Copyright 2018 by Lisa Lewis

All rights reserved.

Published by Familius LLC, www.familius.com

Familius books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases, whether for sales promotions or for family or corporate use. For more information, contact Familius Sales at 559-876-2170 or email orders@familius.com.

Reproduction of this book in any manner, in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

2017958506

Print ISBN 9781945547799

Ebook ISBN 9781641700504

Printed in the United States of America

Edited by Lindsay Sandberg

Cover design by David Miles

Book design by Brooke Jorden

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First Edition

A Note from Dr. Lewis

Every family has their own traditions, values, and child-rearing philosophies. This book isnt written to change your current parenting style. My hope for you, reader, is that you gain practical parenting advice with insight and guidance from cultures around the world.

Throughout the book, I note that when parents institute changes that differ from society and their own upbringing, they may encounter skepticism from family members and friends. In these situations, I suggest you gently guide those who havent encountered the delightful flexibility that world parenting styles can offer.

As a reader of Feed the Baby Hummus , what an attentive parent you must be! Your babys needs are simple: food, clothing, shelter, access to healthcare, and, most important, lots of love. Keep your parenting style simple while recognizing that no perfect parent exists. You will be a more effective parent if you offer your child and yourself forgiveness and acceptance of any imperfections.

I wish you the best of success and enjoyment on your parenting journey.

PART 1

Behavior and Development

Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, and reasons to stay.

Dalai Lama XIV

Chapter 1

Bonding with Your Baby

F resh out of the hospitals delivery room, Derrick and Samantha lie with their firstborn baby theyve named Sophia. Samantha went into labor at 4 p.m. Sunday and didnt give birth until 6 a.m. Monday morning. Tired and quiet, each of them is thinking about the road ahead with their new baby. Derrick is afraid that if he holds Sophia, he might harm her little body or accidentally drop her. How will he know what to do to make her happy?

Samantha is so thrilled Sophia has arrived. And what a relief. But shes also afraid she doesnt know how to bond with her baby. Will Sophia love her back if she just holds her, feeds her, and changes her diaper? What does she need to know about nurturing her daughter?

Amid the exhilaration, they both have a consistent worry: How do I get this right?

While theres no strict formula for getting this right, there are certainly methods that make it easier. The first three chapters of Feed the Baby Hummus address bonding, nurturing, and soothing as slightly different but intertwined aspects of building a relationship with your new little one. All three aspects add up to a loving, ongoing process of bondinga feeling of unfailing devotion between parent and child like an ongoing affair. Although newly born or adopted babies might immediately love their parents, it takes time, patience, and attentiveness to experience true attachment and bonding.

Instinct kicks in after the babys birth. If your baby is hungry, she expects you to feed her. If shes wet, she wants you to change her diaper. If she cries, you have to figure out why and soothe her. As a new parent, you will naturally tend to your babys needs, which leads to bonding and attachment.

All this attention combines to create your babys nurturing. You dont need to provide attentiveness constantly, though. Babies are able to relax and enjoy themselves while you do other things. But be conscious of providing the care your baby deserves. This will help her trust in her environment, strengthen her confidence in the world, and lead her to be more content overall.

Care and attentiveness help build the bond between you and your baby, and your instincts will guide the process. It comes especially easy for parents who have grown up in big families caring for siblings. They have plenty of experience with babies!

You might be among those who worry they arent properly caring for their new baby or wont know what to do if their baby fusses. To improve your skills and increase your bonding, try the suggestions presented in these first three chapters. In effect, youre creating a nurture plan for bonding with your baby.

Throughout this book, youll discover what mothers in other countries do to bond with, nurture, soothe, and care for their babies. Lets start with Indonesia.

Indonesia: 105th Day CeremonyHolding Extensively

When babies are held, they feel calm. Their heart rates slow down, and they become more peaceful. People in Bali, Indonesia, have known for centuries how the act of relaxing babies boosts bonding and attachment. For the first three months of life (or the first 210 days, depending on the familys background), the feet of Balinese babies are not even allowed to touch the ground. Referencing this practice, in the first edition of A World of Babies , Marissa Diener wrote, Having just arrived from Heaven, your infant should be treated as a celestial being. Provide the attention that a god deserves, and address your child with the high language suitable to a person of higher rank. You should hold your newborn high, for gods and members of higher rank should always be elevated relative to their inferiors. During this time period, Never put your baby down on the ground or floor, which is too profane for a god. Until then, your baby should be carried at all times.