In Pat's list of the side-effects of back sleeping (I had no idea!!), she
lists:

>no crawling

I feel compelled to point out that crawling in babies is not a universal
biological phenomenon, but one that is culturally mediated.  There are a
number of cultures in the world where babies are never put down on surfaces
on which they could crawl.  They are 'in arms' or on someone's back until
they are old enough to walk.  Babies in Mali, for the most part, do not
crawl.  They are seldom put down, and never on their stomachs.  They spend
most of their first year in a vertical position during the day (even while
asleep tied to mother's back), and on their sides or backs at night.  Babies
in highland New Guinea, for the most part, do not crawl.  In fact, in some
highland New Guinea cultures, people consider crawling to be something only
'animals' do!

Not that I think US babies who are back-sleeping are being held in arms much
at all.  :(

Kathy Dettwyler
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