To wonder what my mum was playing at to give me Ribena as a baby?

[Hotmad]

Mum asked me if I gave my 3 month old any Ribena in a comforter type dummy??? She used to do that for me!! Apparently there was baby Ribena about 30 years ago!
What other ideas from the past so you know of that would never be done now?

[justmuddlingalong]

When mine were wee, ExDH's granny suggested a pot of jam on the bedside table at night, to dip the dummy in to settle DS!

[ROARmeow]

Strange.

I was reading a carton of Ribena the other day >boring sod that I am< and it now says on the back that it's not suitable for children under 3 years of age. No idea, prob something to do with sugar content or something.

I remember my mum saying she used to dip our dummy in whisky or rub whisky on our gums when teething. I have 2 DC and have never done that!

[scottishmummy]

Well it was 70s folk put wee dram in wean bottle

[Hedgehead]

Yes I remember having Ribena ALL THE TIME. And I remember it gave me a terrible migraine. Not to mention tooth decay! Stupid idea!!!

[everydayaschoolday]

different times, eh . My dad smoked in the car with the window down (he wouldn't dream of doing this now with grandkids, or indeed anyone); not having seat belts in the back seats.

[SantanaLopez]

I'm quite sure whisky was common at one point, you got off lightly!

[mummyto2boysandagirl3]

My mum used to put coke in a bottle from when I was about 11 months apparently I wanted to drink the same as them I actually only drank pop until I was in my late teens and realised it was unhealthy and pop was actually a treat and not the norm for majority of ppl ..... My dc have only ever been given water and pure fruit juice watered down bcos of this!!

[MrsPresley]

I remember Esther Rantzen doing a big campaign on That's Life, some of the wee ones that were shown had awful tooth decay

I never gave any of mine Ribena, elder 2 born in the early 80s, thanks to the programme.

[Hotmad]

I remember getting on bus and sitting up at top and people was smoking at back of the bus..... Seems so bad to think that was the way but really it's only been recently that smoking stopped In pubs and restaurants etc.

[Hotmad]

My mum must of missed that programme with Esther then!
I blame my mum and grandmother for my weight problsms now, they Used to stuff me silly with treats and all because they never had it

[mummyto2boysandagirl3]

I think my mum missed it too honestly the foods I was given I'm incredibly lucky iv never had a weight problem or issues with my teeth from all the coke sweets and toffees. :(

[Longdistance]

Back then Ribena was advertised as having Vitamin C in it. I don't think they touched on the subject of how much sugar it contained at the time.

My dm asked if I'd given dd's rusks, tea and baby rice at 12wo. Obviously not, but back then it was common place to do so.

[MrsPresley]

Don't get me wrong, I did loads of stuff that is frowned upon today, but at the time you do what you think is right, or do it because you don't realise/know the risks.

I can't remember when the ER programme was on, maybe late 70/early 80, I grew up watching it, but can't remember when that particular campaign was.

[paxtecum]

Thirty years ago there was no Calpol or any pain relief for babies, hence the whiskey, jam, honey etc.

Now most mothers don't think twice about giving their babies Calpol.
The added ingredients in Calpol are not ideal.

Sweeteners, E214, E216 and E122 are not really beneficial to anyone's health.

[evertonmint]

I'm a child of the 70s. My parents used to give me a bottle of sugary tea in my cot every morning. I'd happily sit there until a more reasonable getting up time sipping my tea like an old lady... I'm slightly gobsmacked that they thought this was a reasonable idea. Never used this icon - - before but seems appropriate now

[sadbodyblue]

well blob! my toddlers 89/91 loved a cuppa tea in their bottles.

they have survived to adulthood!

[MothratheMighty]

Ribena was touted to us as being packed with vitamin C and good for babies.

[PinkyHasNoEars]

Long journeys kneeling on the back seat of the car looking out of the back window with no seatbelt. If dad braked hard we were catapulted backwards off the seats and thought it was hilarious.

Babies carried on laps in the front seat of cars, with no seatbelt.

"Pretend" cigarettes for children - remember those?

Oh, and I still love Ribena but have moved on to the sugar-free kind...

[MothratheMighty]

'Thirty years ago there was no Calpol or any pain relief for babies, hence the whiskey, jam, honey etc.'

This too, paxtecum.
Imagine the threads on MN if all pain relief/temperature control medications for under 5s didn't exist.

[Owllady]

Ribena? My mum used to use brandy

[CuttedUpPear]

I went round to visit a friend at her toddler's bedtime. She was giving him coca cola in a bottle.

"He takes ages to settle" she said. "But he loves his coke. He has it every night".

"Aaaargh!" I screamed, losing all my sense of tact. "You CANNOT give him that! It is HARMFUL!"

Luckily she did not lamp me one but actually took my advice and stopped giving it to him, saying that I had said he wasn't allowed. I don't really care that I was the scapegoat, at least she stopped!

[winterlace]

I have to admit I think a lot of problems with teeth are down to bad luck - you can have strong teeth in the same way as you can have strong anything.

Honestly like someone else I drank loads of sugary drinks, sweets, brushed in the morning but not at night - and I have perfect teeth with no fillings. I didn't go to the dentist at all for over a decade and only went when pregnant to take advantage of free treatment. Couldn't believe it - I was sure I'd need lots of fillings.

[Artus]

I promise there was Calpol thirty years ago! And before that other childrens pain relief - Junior Disprins and other similar products.( before they realised aspirin wasnt good for children!)


My children were born in the 1980s and it really wasnt the dark ages it is sometimes portrayed on Mumsnet. Advice on giving sweet drinks etc was not much different to today. I dont know a single mother of my generation who would have dipped a dummy in whisky - and my mother would not have dreampt of it in the 1950s

[CrohnicallyFarting]

When I was at primary school, the head teacher used to smoke a pipe in his office!

I also had ribena as a child, apparently I wouldn't drink water so my mum watered ribena or other squash down for me. I guess I did well to make it into my late 20s before needing my first filling!

[Trampette]

I found my health book from when I was a baby, the health visitor noted that I was having how many oz's milk to how many teaspoons of sugar!