ABSTRACT
The study reported in this chapter examined the early childhood care and education narratives of young mothers. Data was collected from 10 purposively selected young mothers in an urban poor locale in Kampala. Using the development niche theory, I analysed their childcare narratives by examining the various caregiving spaces including the physical and social settings, customs and belief systems and practices of care and socialisation. Findings reveal that despite the norms that stigmatise their motherhood, young mothers are competent caregivers who draw from their supportive social networks and use an array of strategies to “dance” their babies. This is contrary to the dominant framing of young motherhood as deficient.
