Practices and beliefs about the care of newborn infants have evolved over generations. Often the intent is healthy, but the consequences may be unbeneficial, inconsequential, or even harmful. Infant rearing practices are varied and are determined by the educational status, social and economic factors, cultural and religious beliefs of the mother, which reflect on the society as a whole.The objective of our study was to understand the knowledge of the rearing practices among mothers attending government health services in Mangalore.