Lessons in Child Care from a Remote African Community

Join CNNs Wonder Theory science newsletter to delve into the mysteries of the universe, stay updated on captivating findings, and be informed about remarkable scientific progress.

Recent research conducted in the Republic of Congo, investigating an isolated community embracing a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, suggests that mothers in ancient times might have received significantly greater assistance compared to the present era.

Researchers discovered that infants in the Mbendjele group receive approximately nine hours of attentive care and physical contact daily from roughly 14 different caregivers. "For 95% of our evolutionary history, we existed as hunter-gatherers. It was only 10,000 years ago that we deviated from this way of life," stated Nikhil Chaudhary, a researcher at the University of Cambridge's Leverhulme Centre of Human Evolutionary Studies and coauthor of the study.

Chaudhary stated that studying contemporary hunter-gatherer societies can provide insight into child-rearing systems that infants and their mothers may be psychologically adapted to. The Mbendjele, a part of the nomadic BaYaka population residing in the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, were found to be a highly mobile and egalitarian group living in multifamily camps of 20 to 80 individuals. The study, published in the journal Developmental Psychology, referred to them as "immediate-return" hunter-gatherers due to their lack of food storage for future purposes.

Chaudhary and his colleagues conducted a study in 2014 where they observed a total of 18 children, all aged 4 years and under, across three camps. The observation period lasted for 12 hours, which was split into four-hour intervals over three consecutive days. The aim was to analyze how caregivers responded to the children's crying during a normal day.

High angle view father carrying son while standing at home

Cavan Images/Getty Images

Putting a crying baby to sleep using scientific methods involves extrapolating observations over a typical 12-hour period. For instance, if a child was held for four and a half hours during a nine-hour observation (taking into account breaks for researchers), it is assumed that the child would be held for six out of 12 consecutive daylight hours.

The team observed that caregivers responded promptly to crying, providing comfort, soothing, feeding, holding, or affection, without ever scolding. The children received a high level of physical contact and care throughout the observed period.

In total, the team recorded 220 instances of crying, with caregivers responding to all but three cases. The vast majority of responses occurred within 25 seconds. Only two situations where cries did not receive a response were resolved without the involvement of a caregiver, taking just a minute. However, in one instance, a child was left to cry for 13 minutes.

Infants rarely experienced periods of being alone, as they spent over nine hours in close contact with a caregiver and were held for more than five hours during the observational period.

Toddlersbetween 1 ½ and 4 yearswere alone for 35.7 minutes of the time studied and were in close physical contact with a caregiver for more than half the day.

Looking at different cultures offers an opportunity to reexamine assumed norms around parenting.

Nikhil Chaudhary

In regards to crying, Chaudhary highlighted that it wasn't just the quantity of care that children received, but rather the fact that mothers were not the sole providers of this care. The study revealed that fathers, older siblings, and nonrelatives accounted for 38% to 46% of the close care provided.

While the mother individually attended to slightly less than 50% of the instances of crying, over 40% of such episodes were resolved without the mother's intervention. Interestingly, the average count of caretakers, excluding the child's mother, was 14.4, although not all of them were adults. Frequently, an older sibling assumed this role.

Cropped shot of a mother comforting her little son at home

laflor/iStockphoto/Getty Images

Here's what to do if you lose your temper with your child:

According to the study, young children benefit from having multiple caregivers, but they also have a smaller group of important caregivers, especially when it comes to responding to crying. The researchers found that despite this, strong attachments can still develop.

What we can learn

Parenting experts not involved in the study said looking at different cultures offered an opportunity to reexamine assumed norms around parenting.

According to Jennifer Lansford, a professor at Duke University, parents (particularly mothers) in affluent Western countries have historically experienced feelings of guilt when placing their children in childcare. They believed that they were somehow failing their child by not being the sole caregiver.

Aggressive parent. Father's shadow yelling on a small child. Child is in distress.

tomazl/E+/Getty Images

The study reveals that shouting at children, just like sexual or physical abuse, can have detrimental effects on their development. According to Lansford, this paper suggests that children do not thrive solely with a single caregiver, but rather benefit from having multiple individuals who provide sensitive and responsive care in their lives.

The research is captivating and significant as it provides an opportunity to explore alternative solutions for the conflicting challenges faced by parents in societies similar to ours. Nonetheless, it is crucial to note that while studying other cultures can be informative, it should not overshadow the need for thorough testing and evaluation to enhance child care practices.

Marc Bornstein, editor of the academic journal Parenting: Science and Practice, concurred with the findings. However, he emphasized the significance of not extrapolating too broadly from this study, as it consisted only of a small sample size of 18 children (eight girls and ten boys). Bornstein questioned the extent to which a day care center with such a limited number of children in inner-city London could accurately reflect childhood experiences worldwide. Moreover, he pointed out that the study's portrayal of life among the hunter-gatherer Mbendjele painted a rather idealistic picture, overlooking the high child mortality rates that exist within such groups.

The researchers admitted that the sample size in the new paper is limited, and a larger sample would enhance the credibility of the findings. Additionally, tracking children over extended periods would further strengthen the results.

"They further emphasized that contemporary hunter-gatherer communities are not stagnant relics of the past. These vibrant populations remain modern and dynamic, albeit with practices that could shed light on early parenting methods.

"

A pretty African-American mother and her teenage son talking while sitting on a couch at home.

nortonrsx/iStockphoto/Getty Images

Chaudhary cautioned against making assertions about human evolutionary history solely based on contemporary hunter-gatherer societies, emphasizing the need for caution and not assuming automatic adaptation to that lifestyle.

Chaudhary noted that research on child-rearing practices in communities like the Mbendjele indicates that throughout human history, raising a child has typically involved the support of a significant number of individuals. Thus, he challenges the idea that mothers are expected to handle childcare by themselves. In an ironic twist, he also mentions how societal beliefs often emphasize the evolutionary and biological aspects of motherhood, assuming that women possess innate maternal instincts and automatic knowledge on baby care.