Lost Arts of Baby Care: What Modern Parenting Can Rediscover

Shivani
Oct 30
3 min read

Discover five lost arts of baby care from India and Asia from oil massages to lullabies that modern parents can rediscover for deeper connection and natural growth.

In today’s fast-paced world of parenting apps, AI baby monitors, and endless online advice, raising a child can feel overwhelming. But long before modern technology, families across India and Asia followed gentle, natural ways to nurture newborns time-tested traditions passed down from mothers, grandmothers, and midwives.

These ancient baby care practices were built on love, touch, and rhythm, supporting not just a baby’s physical health but emotional growth too. Today, science is finally validating what traditional wisdom always knew.

Let’s rediscover five lost arts of baby care that modern parents can blend beautifully with contemporary routines.

5 lost Arts of Baby Care That Modern Parents can Blend Beautifully

1. Oil Massage Therapy: The Ancient Indian Maalish

Daily baby massage, known as maalish, has been part of Indian child-rearing for centuries. Traditionally done with warm sesame or coconut oil, it strengthens muscles, improves blood flow, supports healthy weight gain, and relaxes the baby before sleep.

Ayurvedic midwives (dais) recommend using gentle, rhythmic strokes not just for health but for bonding. Studies in pediatric health now confirm that regular infant massage improves sleep patterns and lowers stress levels in both baby and caregiver.

2. Lullabies and Mother’s Voice: Natural Soothing from Around the World

Before sleep apps, mothers sang. Indian lullabies like “Chanda Mama Door Ke” or Bengali “Aye Ghum Aye” carried not just melodies but messages of comfort. In Japan, komori-uta lullabies were sung by caregivers to build emotional calm and patience.

Modern neuroscience confirms that a mother’s voice reduces cortisol (stress hormone) in infants. Singing creates familiarity, rhythm, and secure attachment all essential for emotional growth.

3. Swaddling: The Global Art of Comfort

Swaddling is a centuries-old baby-wrapping technique that mimics the womb’s comfort. In India, soft cotton cloths (langots or chaddars) were used to wrap babies snugly for better sleep and fewer startle reflexes. In Indonesia and Thailand, swaddling was an everyday practice believed to help digestion and body alignment.

Pediatric experts today agree that safe swaddling, done correctly, promotes better sleep and calmness in newborns.

4. The Baby Hammock (Jhula or Thottil): Nature’s Gentle Cradle

Before designer cribs, Indian and Southeast Asian mothers used cloth hammocks tied to sturdy beams. Known as jhula in India or thottil in Tamil Nadu, these swings created rhythmic motion that soothed colicky babies and improved digestion.

In Malaysia and Sri Lanka too, hammocks made from soft fabric allowed babies to sleep with gentle, womb-like motion promoting balance and relaxation.

Modern parenting experts recognize that mild swinging stimulates the vestibular system, aiding brain development and better sleep cycles.

5. Morning Sun Therapy: Vitamin D the Natural Way

Indian families have long practiced early-morning surya snan gently sunbathing newborns for a few minutes. It was believed to strengthen bones, improve skin tone, and boost immunity. In Japan, this practice of “morning sunlight” exposure was also part of postnatal care.

Today, pediatricians confirm that mild sunlight helps babies produce Vitamin D essential for healthy bones and preventing rickets.

Why Rediscovering Traditional Baby Care Matters

These forgotten arts of baby care offer more than nostalgia they rebuild emotional closeness and promote natural development. They remind us that connection, rhythm, and touch are as vital as any modern parenting product.

Combining ancestral wisdom with modern safety guidelines can give your baby the best of both worlds science-backed care and soulful nurturing.

Final Thoughts: Back to the Basics, Forward to Better Parenting

Rediscovering traditional baby care is not about rejecting modernity. It’s about balance. The touch of oil massage, the hum of a lullaby, or the sway of a hammock these timeless rituals slow down the parenting journey and turn it into something sacred again.

Parenting doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be present.