According to several historical records, there are a number of reasons for the practice of infanticide. These reasons are:

• The family already had enough children.
• The child was born before the preceding child could walk. In this case, the mother was regarded as incapable of caring for two children at once.
• There is scarcity of food. (This reason is contested.)
• The child was deformed, was a twin, illegitimate, or of mixed race. If a child was a twin, one or both of them were put to death.