Following a Dutch baby tradition: Beschuit met muisjes

As I may have mentioned, we recently welcomed our first child into the world. In the months prior to the birth I asked around for English traditions to welcome babies. There really only seemed to be two, neither of which seemed as fitting as the Dutch tradition, which has been celebrated in my Dutch family for a long time.

I was only aware of two social traditions to celebrate the birth of a baby, so I asked on a UK genealogy group on facebook. The group members were really helpful, but didn't provide any new results. Of course, there's the 'nip down the pub' tradition otherwise known as 'wetting the baby's head', but this isn't something that the whole family can participate in. The only other English tradition I could find is crossing the baby's palm with silver. This has the idea that if the baby closes their hand around the coin that they'll be savers, but spenders if they don't. If this tradition is followed within the first 2 months, you can reasonably expect the baby to close their hand due to the grasping reflex.

Luckily, I knew that there is a Dutch tradition that's been around since the 17th century and can involve the whole family as well as anyone else who visits the baby. The tradition involves eating a beschuit (in England known as a rusk or a Dutch crispbake), that has been buttered and sprinkled with muisjes.

Two blind mice!?

The beschuit is a twice baked white roll. Is it brittle and fragile, some say, like a new born baby. It's great with many toppings, including cheese.
The muisjes are aniseed coated in sugar. For girls they are pink and white, for boys they're blue and white, and sometimes they're orange (the Dutch national colour) and white when an heir to the Dutch throne is born. The word 'muisjes' translates to little mice, due to the aniseed stalk sticking out of the sugar at one end resembling a little tail!

These lovely treats are given to any and all that visit the home (as long as you remember during this sleep-deprived days and weeks after the birth). Aniseed is said to stimulate milk production in the new mother and in times past was thought to give protection to the mother and child.

1988: Pink and white muisjes
to celebrate the birth of
my cousin.

It also used to be said that the new arrival brought the muisjes with him/her for any children visiting! - A great way to start a friendship, if you ask me.

Whatever the reason, is a great way to celebrate the new arrival and in England it's certainly something very different (although not to everyone's liking)!