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kœmœ (Chewa, South East Africa) the firstborn twin

embangurane (Kiga Nkore, Niger-Congo) twins of different sex

Breast water

Caring for a helpless baby has inspired some charming words around the world:

komvya (Mambwe, Zambia) to feed a child with one’s finger

namaonga (Gilbertese, Oceania) to taste a little portion and chew it for a baby

ukkun (Sinhala, Sri Lanka) an expression of fondness used to infants when breastfeeding

anoka (Malagasy, Madagascar) the perfect contentment in sucking or drinking (used primarily of children or the young of animals at the breast)

ngibá (Tagalog, Philippines) a baby’s tendency to cry when held by a stranger

We will rock you

In Southern Africa they certainly have ways and means of keeping a baby quiet:

kolopeka (Mambwe, Zambia) to appease a child, stop him from crying by amusing him

vundzata (Tsonga, South Africa) to turn a child’s head sideways when on its mother’s back or when put to sleep

pakatika (Mambwe, Zambia) to place one’s own child on the lap of a companion

khan’wetela (Tsonga, South Africa) to rock a child to sleep on one’s back by nudging with the elbows

halalata (Tsonga, South Africa) to throw a baby up into the air, at a ceremony of the first new moon after its birth

wo-mba (Bakweri, Cameroon) the smiling in sleep by children

Babygrow

All too soon the little creature wants to go its own way:

abula (Setswana, Botswana) the attempt of a baby to move when lying on its belly

toto-toto (Setswana, Botswana) a term of endearment to encourage a baby to stand or walk

a’matiti (Rotuman, South Pacific) to accustom a baby to cooler temperatures by taking it on a walk in the early morning

dede (Swahili) to stand uncertainly, as a child just beginning to walk stands when not held

sparkedragt (Danish) a pair of rompers (literally, kicking suit)

kopisata (Yamana, Chile) to get thin, like a fat baby when it gets older

Draggling

Despite its best intentions, it’s still a long way from being independent:

ma-ma (Car, Nicobar Islands) ‘father’, ‘daddy’, the child’s cry for its father

po-po (Car, Nicobar Islands) ‘mother’, ‘mummy’, the child’s cry for its mother

upuss-eata (Yamana, Chile) to draggle after one, as a child, a long line or anything tied to a string

pobi (Buli, Ghana) to wrap or to tie a child on one’s back

n-velekula (Kerewe, Tanzania) to swing a child round from the back to hip, preparatory to putting it down or feeding it

A desk job

In Malta, the baby’s first year is regarded as dangerous, so the first birthday – Il-Quccija – is a happy event. On this day the child’s future is suggested when a tray of small objects is carried in and placed on the floor. The baby is then put down and allowed to crawl in any direction it wants. What it picks up from the tray signifies its future. The traditional objects include an egg (bajda) for an abundance of happiness, a pen (pinna) for a desk job, some coins (muniti) for wealth, a ball (ballun) for sport, rosary beads (kuruna) for the church, scissors (mqass) for tailoring, a book (ktieb) for a lawyer, a hammer (martell) for a carpenter, and these days other items such as a stethoscope (for a doctor) or a CD (for a disc jockey).

Mother love

As the Nigerian saying goes, nwanyi umu iri o dighi ihe mere nabali o naghi ama, when a woman has ten children there is nothing that happens in the night that she does not know about:

wahdećapi (Dakota, USA) the sympathy that is said to exist between a mother and her absent children, producing peculiar sensations in the breast

songkom (Malay) to bury the face in a mother’s lap (as a child)

xilandzalandza (Tsonga, South Africa) a child constantly staying close to its mother

Cuckoo

With all this vulnerability at stake, one can only pray for decent parents …

kukushka (Russian) a mother who gives up her child to be raised by others (literally, a cuckoo)

kaelling (Danish) a woman yelling obscenities at her kids

Kinderfeindlichkeit (German) an intense dislike or disregard of children

False friends

taxi (Greek) classroom