Emirati babies traditionally slept in wooden cradles which hung either from roof or tent poles. In cooler days they might swing gently from the branch of nearby tree, safe from passing snakes or scorpions. It was the duty of any passing adult to give them a gentle rock.
This version, inside an arish palm frond home in Liwa in 1975, is a more technologically advanced model, with its own built-in swing. But the principle is the same.
In those times, nappies - both disposable and washable - were also unknown. Instead, babies were laid on a bed of sand, which absorbed everything nicely. As a result, nappy rash - a real hazard in this climate - was largely unknown.
Right up until the 1960s, babies were also swaddled, an ancient practise of wrapping the infant tightly to prevent the movement of limbs. The idea is that the baby sleeps more soundly, something that parents then as now, always appreciate.
* James Langton
