Dakota infants spent much of their first few months in a cradleoard. The babies were laced up in a kind of sack to an oak board measuring about 2 feet long and 1 1/2 feet wide.

Near the shoulder was a wooden bow that arched over the infant. The bow supported a veil that enclosed the infant, protecting it from wind, cold, sunshine, insects, and dust.

Objects carved of wood or bone often dangled from the bow. Little hands slapped at these objects for the thrill of the rattling sound that they produced. The bow also served as protection should the cradleboard fall.