Surma, Kala Teeka and Gripe Water: Which Baby Traditions Are Safe?

Every Pakistani baby is welcomed with a bundle of loving traditions handed down through generations. Some are harmless and sweet; a few, sadly, can hurt the very baby they're meant to protect. Here's an honest sorting of the common ones.

Best avoided

Surma / kajal in the eyes. This is the hard one, because it's so widespread and so well-meant. Traditional surma can contain alarming amounts of lead — testing has found samples that are more than half lead by weight. In a baby that lead builds up and is linked to anaemia and harm to the developing brain and kidneys. The eye gains nothing from it, and the applicator can scratch or infect. However lovely it looks, keep surma and kajal away from your baby's eyes — including the "modern, herbal, safe" ones, which are often untested.

Gripe water. Marketed for colic and gas, these mixtures are poorly regulated, can contain alcohol, sugar or unknown herbs, and have no proven benefit. A baby's crying and wind almost always ease with holding, feeding and burping instead.

Honey or ghutti on the gums or as a first feed. Honey can cause infant botulism under one year, and ghutti (and other prelacteal feeds) can introduce infection and undercut breastfeeding. Offer the breast, not a "first taste."

Fine in moderation — with a small caution

• Maalish (oil massage). Lovely for bonding and settling; warm mustard or coconut oil is fine. Just keep oil out of the nose and ears, and never force a limb.
• Kala teeka (the black dot). A dot on the cheek or behind the ear to ward off the evil eye harms nothing — provided it isn't surma near the eyes. The belief is harmless; only the material needs watching.
• Taweez / amulet. Cultural and harmless in itself — just keep the string short so it can't loop around the neck or a finger, and make sure nothing small can come loose and choke.
• A tiny sweet "first taste" (tehneek). A date gently rubbed on the gums by an elder is a cherished gesture many families keep; better after colostrum than before it, so ask your doctor if you're unsure.

The simple test

When a relative offers a remedy, ask two quick questions: Does it go in the eyes, mouth or nose? Could it contain something we can't check? If yes to either, pause. Warmth, touch, feeding and clean surroundings do more for a baby than any bottle of drops or line of surma ever could.

If an elder swears by something you're uncertain about, there's no harm in running it past your baby's doctor before it goes anywhere near your child.