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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To believe this? - Is this just an old wives tale? 50's baby routine. My partner thinks I'm stupid to believe mums used to do this..

258 replies

NinaJade666 · 08/07/2013 11:28

So I've heard from lots of people that 'back in the day' (specifically the 50's) that new mums were advised to get baby into a strict routine, which involved parking babies in their pram at the end of the garden and bringing them in every 3 or 4 hours for a feed. Crying or not.

My partner says don't be an idiot and believe that, that's just an old wives tale. QUOTE - "They never would have done that. Put baby as far away as possible from mum? In the garden alone? They weren't stupid back then you know."

Anyone know if their parents or grandparents did this or were advised to?
Any links anyone can provide to 'prove' I'm right? Or wrong?

TIA

OP posts:
working9while5 · 09/07/2013 13:51

Oh, and ps: here's something even more fun to entertain you It seems babies in prams were the least of your concerns as a woman in the mid-50's

ladymariner · 09/07/2013 14:00

mumnGran I'm well aware there is a big difference, I did read the op's post. Why have you posted that picture in your reply?

ladymariner · 09/07/2013 14:02

working9while5 that's brilliant.....I'm sure that's what we all do.....hahahahahahaha.....xx

RandomFriend · 09/07/2013 14:16

working9while5 that is amazing - no wonder some men feel so entitled.

Don't they know it isn't 1955 any more?

MumnGran · 09/07/2013 14:21

ladymariner

The smile? ...because it was a friendly comment, recognising that babies sleeping in fresh air is a nice thing.
Obviously mis-interpeted.

Wahla · 09/07/2013 14:33

I used to work for somebody who had a baby and her love in nanny still advocated this. In fact I saw/heard the baby out in the garden crying but the nanny refused to go to her as it was "her nap time and she had to learn". She would then refuse to let the poor exhausted thing sleep as she had to "learn that adults come first and she can't inconvenience them"! This was about ten years ago.

Horrid and cruel IMO.

Wahla · 09/07/2013 14:34

Live! Live in nanny... wasn't a whole load of love there.

KitCat26 · 09/07/2013 14:52

Yes, according to my gran all true.

She did the pram thing and the strict 4hrly feeds from birth with my dad, she said she was less strict with the second and 3rd child (against the advice). All born 50s and 60s.

There was some hideous advice back then. My own mum was told that my brother would be brain damaged if she tried to breastfeed, that was in 1979!

bassetfeet · 09/07/2013 15:26

I reminisced today in this lovely sunshine . A walk with your baby in their pram [with broderie anglaise canopy up ] Letting them gurgle and suck their toes with no restricting clothing .
Then out in the garden to nap in the shade and withing easy hearing .
baby not me Shock.

Lovely memories .

Loveliesbleeding · 09/07/2013 16:33

I lived in SW London in early 80s. One of the older mums had a Silver Cross pram that she loaned out to me for my babies. It was wonderful. It just rolled over high kerbs. Modern buggies are so much effort to push in comparison. Great for taking babies out to get them to sleep. I used to do that at 10 at night.

farewellfigure · 09/07/2013 16:40

DS (5) slept in his old-fashioned-style pram outside every day if it was warm enough. Why not? I was usually parked on the beanbag next to him having a nap in the shade. Bliss.

I wouldn't park a baby down the end of the garden and let it scream though. Urgh.

ladymariner · 09/07/2013 17:11

MumnGran for some reason it hasn't appeared as a smiley face on my screen, it's come up as a card with "Mr & Mrs" on it!!!! Have no idea why, but it clears that up anyway!!! Thanks for the smile anyway, much appreciated....xxx Smile Smile

ladymariner · 09/07/2013 17:12

Fgs, can somebody tell me if they can see smiles or cards in my above post!!! Sending MumnGran them but as before they've come up as cards!!!! Anyone know why???

(apologies op!)

ShotgunNotDoingThePans · 09/07/2013 17:52

Definitely smiles on my screen Smile (I hope!)

MumnGran · 09/07/2013 17:57

ladymariner ....oo-er. No wonder you sounded a bit short!! I spotted a post earlier on today with someone having issues with weird stuff...odd links, in that case ...and that was a Firefox issue?
They all look like smiles in Chrome!
How does a Grin (grin) turn out?

Chottie · 09/07/2013 19:03

I was a 50s baby and I used to sleep outside in my pram. My DC were born in the 70s and 80s and they also slept outside. All DC were bf on demand. My GM had 7 children and she did that too.

storynanny · 09/07/2013 19:15

Bassettfeet, me too, I loved my broderie anglais canopy.

ladymariner · 09/07/2013 19:18

MumnGran a grin turns out just fine Grin.....Xxxx

eddiemairswife · 09/07/2013 19:44

I had mine in the 1960s. Two in hospital, then two at home. read all the books including Dr. Spock. The latest idea was feeding on demand, which I proceeded to do. My babies were quite big so they did go for roughly 4 hours between feeds. Always put out doors where I could see them and all slept well between feeds. [Still do!!]. My mum mentioned that Truby King was the expert when I was a baby, but I don't know if she followed his regime. She never imposed her ideas on child rearing upon me unless I asked for advice, and I have done the same with my grand children's upbringing.In fact my grandchildren's various parents seem to follow the same methods as I did, with minor differences such as sleeping position and when to introduce solid food, and best of all they were all breastfed as my children were and I myself was.

PurplePidjin · 09/07/2013 20:30

My gran (b 1921) fed my dad on demand in the night because she was living with her MIL who would bang her stick on the wall and shout "shut that baby up" can't imagine anyone able to out-battleaxe my gran She fed him to 10 months though!

She also tells of the time she left my uncle aged 2 in the pram in the garden while she did some tutoring work. She came out and it looked like a snow storm, he'd found a hole and ripped out the stuffing :o

Her kids were born in 47, 49 and 58. She's very envious of how much we get to cuddle my 8mo.

My MIL says dp (b 1965) was the baby who cried most of her three. She also advocates a 3 hour routine from birth. She sees no irony or connection between the two statements Hmm

I was early 80s and one of many who were ff from 6 weeks "because the milk dried up". Otherwise known as the 6 week growth spurt. My mum and many of her friends still talk about it with regret Sad

OP, what a fascinating thread Thanks

Fulltimedadof4 · 09/07/2013 20:48

Butlins used to have a service where if the parents went to the ballroom at night you could leave the baby in your chalet, a nurse would be cycling around and if she heard your baby crying she would go to the ballroom and chalk up the chalet number on a black board for you to go and tend to your child. You can't imagine this being done now can you?

JumpingJacks · 09/07/2013 20:54

That's incredible Fulltimedadof4

MyHumpsMyLovelyBabyBumps · 09/07/2013 21:11

dhs mum did it. 70s baby. have we discussed baby cages in windows yet?

morethanpotatoprints · 09/07/2013 21:18

Fulltime

I left Butlins in 1987 just before they demolished the camp at Skeggy.
I was officially the last person detailed to do the baby crying announcements to the Ballroom. Ah, fond memories.

PepperPotts · 09/07/2013 21:26

My mum did this, late 70s early 80s.

When I had DC3 he used to fall asleep every morning on the school run, he's a May baby so the weather was nice and I used to leave him outside the back door until he woke up, it could be 3 hours (most he slept for 12 months!)

It was great, He was always in the shade and I was never more than 10 yards away. I wish I'd done it with dc1 and 2!!!