Old-wives tales would have us believe that we can tailor our babies’ features according to our own preferences, be it aquiline noses, skulls straight at the back, wide foreheads or huge eyes. The fetish for ‘making’ the perfect baby starts as soon as the mother starts expecting. Some profess that drinking dairy and coconut milk in generous quantities will make the baby fair. Others swear that shaving the head frequently ensures a healthy hair growth. Many believe that the eyes can be made bigger by regularly applying surma.

The more zealous will try to shape the nose, chin and forehead by massaging each one vigorously while for others it is a matter of honour to shape the baby’s head perfectly, be it by means of a rice stuffed pillow, a saucer or binding with a rope. One of our house helpers once told me, beaming with pride, that she had ‘made’ her son’s head brilliantly by putting a brick under the head and another on the forehead when he was a few months old!

Here’s what a medical professional has to say about these ‘designer baby’ attempts:

Dr Taeed Butt, Professor and Consultant Paediatrician at the Children’s Hospital, Lahore, says that the notion of shaping the head is deeply ingrained in our population. He says, “Try observing people in a crowded place like a railway station and see if you notice anyone who has an odd shaped head. Everyone looks fine. The westerners don’t ‘shape’ their children’s skulls and their heads don’t look any worse than ours. In fact, using objects like ropes and plates to train the skull is like meddling with nature’s subtle and accommodating way of balanced body growth.”

He adds further, “Some babies have asymmetrical heads in the beginning and they get symmetrical as they grow. Others begin symmetrically and go off track for a while. It’s all natural because the skull aids brain development as it takes place. To meddle with this development by shaping the physical features of a baby is to interfere with the mental growth which can have repercussions later in life.

Regarding shaving the head, religious considerations aside, Dr Taeed says that the hair’s texture and strength does not change no matter how many times you shave the head. “The stubble that grows after a head is shaved feels rough so we like to believe that the new set of hair is thicker and stronger. It does not help (or harm), unless the baby has a scalp disease or condition that needs frequent shaving.”

When it comes to applying surma, Dr Taeed strongly disapproves. “Kohl or surma contains lead which is very harmful for an infant. Moreover, it has absolutely no influence over the shape of the eye. A research in Manchester; where a majority of Pakistani migrants are settled, revealed that people of the area have high lead content in their blood primarily because of the practice of applying surma on infants”, says Dr Taeed.