Saturday 20 September 2008

Bundle of Joy

The custom of swaddling babies is a very old one. All kind of benefits are attributed to swaddling: babies cry less, they grow with nice straight limbs, etc. And it sure makes a nice, easy to carry, package.

This illustration, from 15th century England’s manuscript, is one of the oldest that remain.


These Tudor ladies, the twins Cholmondley sisters, married on the same day and gave birth on the same day. They appear stultified by the fact in this portrait, dating from 1610.

In the new world, the native Americans, like this Chippeway mother, carried their babies in much the same fashion.

This sweet doll in a glass cabinet is from 19th century Sicily.



In the Netherlands, where the custom of swaddling felt in disuse at the beginning of the 19th century, it became ‘in’ again the last fifteen years or so, along with the rest of the western world. Nowadays, a brisk trade in swaddle blankets, muslin's and such, can be found on the net. Also numerous sites give detailed information on how to convert your baby in a true bundle of joy.



The luckiest though, is this little guy in eastern Turkey. His mum knows how to combine century old traditions with the modern commodity of in-crib plumbing. Hurray!!


Photographer, alas, unknown.

18 comments:

  1. Hmm, do you think the babies will find it a bundle of joy? This one does look (besides cute) a bit tortured! ;)

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  2. LOL
    Oh boy!
    :D
    Thanks for the laugh!

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  3. Mhh... I don't know, but the two last babies don't look very happy with their situation *lol*

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  4. Poor baby! Otherwise, hilarious!

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  5. oh, the last pic is hilarious and very sad at the same time!

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  6. Most odd behaviour this swaddling...But the crib plumbing is hilarious, I doubt the child will think so however..

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  7. There are certainly a million ways to do things! Those babies are definitive proof! How funny the last one was!!

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  8. my gosh ! It looks terrible and funny in the same time ...

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  9. It would seem as much as babies fling their arms and legs around, that to be wrapped in swaddling would make you crazy. Maybe I was wrapped too tight (excuse the pun) when I was a child, because I sure am clastrophobic about tight things and as I get older it gets worse. Just a thought...but thanks for all the pictures and research. Its very interesting reading ;^)

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  10. How interesting that plumbing system :) I've carried my boy in this way till he weighed 10 kg: http://didymos.de/bilder/tragew/trage-wkt.jpg

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  11. We find it a torture too, and are of course against it. The last picture is so funny that it inspired us to post this. Especially the fact that people are still doing this is sad, but true...

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  12. fun to see but in the same time so sad.

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  13. lol!That reminds me of a funny situation when I was born! That days babes were wraped with swaddling blankets too in Greece, and everyone in the neighboorhood of my small hometown was gossiping, how the crazy "German girl" in hte clinic had her pure baby (me) not wrapped!!!lol!!

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  14. Your jewelry and your blog are delightful!

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  15. OMG! I can't believe the plumbing photo!!!

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  16. OMG; is the baby really enjoying this??

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  17. In Brazil the babies are also "wrapped" like that and they find it very cosy like that!

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  18. At least the last little guy won't roll out of the bed!

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