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Parenting and the History of Parenting

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History of parenting

Godfrey’s Cordial: the ‘good old days’ when everyone drugged their babies

January 24, 2017 by Rebecca Bowyer

Mrs Winslows soothing syrup

In pursuit of a few consecutive hours of sleep, modern parents have been criticised for drugging their lively offspring with melatonin, antihistamines, cough medicine and a full range of ‘natural’ remedies. This is nothing new. More than 100 years ago, the most popular sleep drug was Godfrey’s Cordial. Young children who won’t sleep are not a new phenomenon; […]

Filed Under: History of parenting

Weird and wonderful gems of parenting advice from the 1860s

January 14, 2016 by Rebecca Bowyer

Mother and children 1866

We like to think we’ve improved on our collective knowledge of all things parenting over the past few centuries. In the past 150 years some parenting advice has improved vastly. Other vintage parenting advice is still thoroughly sound. Take a trip back through time – this is the kind of unhelpful parenting advice your great-great-great-great-great-grandmother would […]

Filed Under: History of parenting

When did parenting become a science?

March 17, 2015 by Rebecca Bowyer

woman holding science beaker

  I don’t remember much about my first few mothers’ group meetings. I juggled a baby who fed every two hours, protested loudly when tired but refused to sleep, the painful healing wounds of a 24-hour labour and emergency caesarean and an overwhelming anxiety that I was doing it all wrong. The main message I remember […]

Filed Under: History of parenting

Baby Incubators: Coney Island’s Longest Running Sideshow

February 3, 2015 by Rebecca Bowyer

Coney Island's longest running exhibit - The Baby Incubators

It’s 17 July 1901. You’ve given birth to tiny triplets. Together your three baby daughters weigh as much as one healthy baby. The doctors tell you there’s a 97 per cent chance they’ll die. Unless you take them to the local Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. I’m sorry, WHAT? Take ’em down to the Expo, pop them […]

Filed Under: History of parenting Tagged With: Health and wellness, Popular

Breast may be best but at least bottles won’t kill your baby these days

January 13, 2015 by Rebecca Bowyer

breast is best

There is evidence that fifty-four per cent of babies who are bottle fed die. Oh wait, no, that was seventeenth century Britain. Research indicates that out of 132 orphans who were bottle fed, only five survived. Um, no, that was eighteenth century France. Oh, that’s right, this is the year 2013. Feeding babies properly manufactured and prepared […]

Filed Under: History of parenting Tagged With: Health and wellness, Popular

Baby Crawling Races (with beer) – New Year’s Eve the 1950s way

January 6, 2015 by Rebecca Bowyer

What did you get up to on New Year’s Eve? Did you have a glass or two of beer? Give a few mouthfuls to your 9-month-old baby to make him crawl faster, perhaps? No? Why not? That’s what they did back in the 1950s. This article appeared in The Argus, Melbourne’s third biggest daily newspaper at the time, […]

Filed Under: Everything else, History of parenting

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