As the first of three chapters on the developmental niche in Menamaty, this chapter reconstructs the views of mothers, other adults, and preadolescent caregivers on child-rearing. Based on 71 semi-structured interviews, it argues that these various caregivers share a body-centred model focused on fostering children’s physical health, bodily growth, and motor development through practices of primary care. In terms of emotion regulation, caregivers aim to keep the child in a calm, emotionally balanced state. Breastfeeding is described by both mothers and other caregivers as the single most essential practice to ensure optimal bodily development and emotional regulation. While mothers describe themselves as the primary caregivers—due to their role as breastfeeders—they emphasize that, with the transition to toddlerhood and especially after weaning, their special status diminishes and other caregivers become equally important. The chapter concludes by arguing that this body-centred model of child-rearing, though similarly described for other societies, does not capture the full scope of children’s cultural environment, as it represents only hierarchical caregiver–child relationships, while child-to-child relations may follow different models.