A new-born baby was placed by the father's feet after being bathed. The father would then pick the child up, which showed that he had accepted the baby as a member of his family.

The child was named nine days after birth. A ceremony took place on this occasion, and the baby would be given a charm to keep the evil spirits away, called a bulla .

In Roman times, giving birth was an extremely dangerous and risky task, for medical science was still very much undeveloped. It was not uncommon for the women to die giving birth, and we know so from the tombstones. A lot of women married early, partly because they believed that it was safer to give birth when they were still young. Also, many children died when they were still small.

Some rich women used sponges as contraceptives after they had given birth to an heir.

A boy formally became an adult when he was about 14 years of age, normally after he had finished his basic education. A ceremony was held, where he went to the forum (an open space at the centre of Roman towns, used for markets and trade) with his family and friends. There, he removed his childhood clothes and bulla.. He had his first shave, and was given a * toga, which showed that he had officially become a Roman citizen. Afterwards, they celebrated the occasion with a party.

* toga - The official garment of a Roman citizen. It was a piece of woolen cloth, roughly semi-circular. It was draped around the body in an intricate series of folds. Young boys often wore a toga with a purple hem, which was called a "toga praetexta".

Here are some external links with more information about Roman families and the Roman Forum.