Mother and baby advice from 1960 - ask away!

[TerpsichoreanMuse]

I've been clearing out my father's house (he's sold it) and I've found the baby manuals given to my mother when I was born in 1960.

There are four: the "Glaxo Mother and Baby" book, "From Milk to Mixed Diet" (a guide to modern baby feeding), "Relaxation and exercise for natural childbirth" (1959) and "You and your baby," published by the BMA.

If anyone would like any advice (only 60 years out-of-date!) on this topic, please ask and I shall attempt to answer.

yahyahs22

It says that baby will mostly skeet from one feed to the next. The time when he is least likely to sleep is the afternoon, between say 3 and 5pm; he may, however, lie awake in his pram quite happily, especially if he has some trees overhead to look at. (That's where my mother got the idea from!)

Later on, he can sit up in his pram to watch passers-by from the front garden.

This is just brilliant!!!

Out first baby girl makes an appearance. Here is Fiona, letting out her first wail. As the caption says, "It's music to her mother's ears, but her enthusiasm will wear off."

Sorry, should be "her enthusiasm will soon wear off."

This is really interesting, thanks OP

Later on, he can sit up in his pram to watch passers-by from the front garden

Imagine the AIBUs if anyone tried that today.

AIBU to leave my baby to nap in the front garden while I get on with the washing?

AIBU for reporting my neighbour to social services for leaving her baby in the front garden?

Were births in hospital or at home then? Is there anything about how long the mother should expect to stay in hospital? When I and my siblings were born in the 1970s, I think she spent a few days in hospital each time, but when sisters and friends have had babies recently, those who are on their 2/3/4th baby and have had straightforwards births, have come home the same day sometimes.

She = DM of course

MeringueCloud

First you will need three night-dresses. The best sort by far are those mode of Procan-treated flannelette, which makes them non-inflammable. You can buy them ready-made or the material by the yard.

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Three vests made of pure wool are musts, despite the advent of man-made fibres. Wool absorbs moisture and is warm and far the best thing next to a baby's skin. Three woolly jackets, either matinée coats or cardigans. Two pairs each of bootees and gloves, remembering to buy the bag-shaped gloves with no thumbs.

Several bibs will be needed, and the most practical are those in Terry towelling. Don't be tempted to buy one of the plastic or polythene ones as when they are damp, they have been known to stick over the baby's face with the risk of suffocation.

Next on the list comes a shawl to wear while he is being fed or carried about the house. You will need a second shawl for outdoor wear. Get a couple of pairs of plastic pants too, and so far as nappies are concerned, get as many as you can afford, with a minimum of 24 Terry towelling nappies and 24 gauze squares, or the non-absorbent "one-way" nappies.

OMG I love this stuff

I have a 1920s manual that covers everything a woman needs to know about running a house, caring for a family etc. It's terrifying. The bit on preparing a baby's bottle with glass bottles and pre-formula (you had to mix about three different things and sterilise rubber teats and all sorts) is particularly awful.

I also have a book called dream babies that goes through baby manuals through time and compares what people were advised - some of it is hair raising! In the 1930s or so it was common to advise mothers not to cuddle their babies or it would spoil them:(

How many cigarettes should I smoke to stay slim?

A baby cannot go to sleep if his feet are cold

My Gran always loves to tell me how she kept putting thick knitted bootees back on my Father as a newborn in hospital even after the doctors removed them to prevent him overheating. She says with a smile, ‘if your feet are cold, you’re cold so I always made sure their feet were toasty.’

We now of course know that all babies have cold hands and feet.

MeringueCloud Potty training, euphemistically referred to as "Habit training".

On the subject of teaching a baby clean habits, a doctor has remarked: "It is the mother who has to be trained, not the baby." The key to success is the mother's own state of mind. She must refrain, however harassing some of the phases of this training may be, from showing any annoyance or impatience with her baby. Her object is first to get the baby to understand what she wants, which means that he must be old enough, let us say fifteen months old, to comprehend...

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Holding a small baby on a pot, waiting and hoping for him to perform only to find he wets his napkin immediately you take him off, wastes a lot of time, and moreover, makes it very difficult to preserve the detachment necessary for success,

There's lots more, I'll add a photo.

Oh my goodness. I LOVE those!

That is an amazing photo OP. I wonder where baby Fiona's life took her? Maybe she's on Mumsnet

I don't know what's more shocking. Feeding a baby canned soup (hello salt police) or calling a baby Simon grin.

Oyyy you cheeky sod my son is called Simon

BarbaraofSeville Home or hospital. I was born in a hospital* but my younger brother was born at home.

*I've found my mother's diary for 1960. It mentions my birth in passing, and then fills the rest of the entry detailing Princess Margaret's wedding, which my mother watched on television in hospital. My father obviously felt strongly about the omission, because in his hand on the day before is written "My daughter born tomorrow"

Anyway, there's plenty about home or hospital. Here's some to start off with:

You will find that most doctors usually advise that the first confinement, and all those after the fourth, should take place in hospital. Any woman under 5ft in height should have her first baby in hospital. So should any girl under 17 or any woman over the age of thirty-two.

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(A woman in hospital) sees her visitors only for a short time twice a week, although in most hospitals her husband may visit her for an hour or so every evening.

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There is only one real essential for having a baby at home and that is a bedroom where the mother can be delivered in privacy. For a fortnight or so after that the husband will have to sleep in another room, to make sure that the mother and baby get all the sleep and rest they need.

Some families prefer and can afford a maternity nurse or midwife, who can live in, occupying the spare room. Most families, however, rely on the midwives who are employed by the National Health Service. They are just as well trained and there is, of course, no charge for their services.

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The mother needs sustaining during the labour, if it is at all lengthy. Hot, sweet tea, fresh eggs, milk pudding and, if available, foods like chicken are the only sort of nourishment that really appeals at this time.

"makes it very difficult to preserve the detachment necessary for success"

best phrase ever - one imagines the frustrated mother muttering "FFS" (or whatever the 60s equivalent was) under her breath

I really like the maternity clothes I whacked 4 stone on per child though so it was leggings and Birkenstocks all the way

"First note that you will probably stay in bed for at least part of the day for a fortnight, although the modern practice is to allow a mother to get out of bed for a little while as early as the fourth day. Even when you finally get up, you should not do your normal share of housework for at least two weeks."

Who' s doing all the cooking and cleaning?

Crowsaregreat

There's a whole lot about bottle feeding in the BMA pamphlet. (Which is falling apart at the seams, hasn't had any action for 60 years!) It's written by Dick Glover - in fact, most of the article are written by men, or by people who do not give their first name – I suspect women doing a J.K. Rowling to look suitably authoritative. About baby and child care FFS!

Anyway, in 1960 you didn't need to worry if you cannot feed baby yourself. For the branded baby foods on the market are uniformly excellent and reliable. So too is National Dried Milk.

IrenetheQuaint My mother was known to say "Fiddlesticks" with all the force of "Fuck off to the far side of fuck and when you get there fuck off some more."

Are there any recommendations for how to play with your baby or should you just let them look at trees all day?

Al1langdownthecleghole At least 20, probably, or 5 cigars. But on the subject of diet for expectant mothers:

You should eat an egg every day, and plenty of cheese whenever you feel like it. (OP: probably no risk of coming across Camembert in 1960's Britain). Foods such as liver and pork contain excellent amounts of vitamins, and also iron, as well as protein, so do try to work these into your meat diet once or twice a week if you can.

It is definitely best only to eat starchy foods such as potatoes, bread and sugar in moderation. The amount of sugar taken in, for instance, tea, should be limited to a level teaspoonful with each cup.

As a general rule, don't drink alcohol, and certainly not in large quantities.

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You can also obtain from the local Pensions and National Insurance Office tokens which which entitle you to a pint of milk each day at the special welfare price. (See Welfare Foods on pages 31 and 33.)

OK, taking a typing break now, back later!

The mother needs sustaining during the labour, if it is at all lengthy. Hot, sweet tea, fresh eggs, milk pudding and, if available, foods like chicken are the only sort of nourishment that really appeals at this time.

I can't imagine eating eggs or chicken during labour, what a notion!

And the very idea of doing sit-ups 2 weeks after the birth (when your abdominal muscles are still separated and will separate further if you perform an action like sit-ups!) is ridiculous!