Kate Ferguson
Any parent can tell you how many differing opinions there are out there about childcare. A book says one thing, a website says another, your girlfriend says something else and your pediatrician contradicts that. Well-meaning mother-in-laws always seem to be dispensing unsolicited advice that goes against the current trends. Each generation seems to have their own set of dos and don’ts when it comes to raising babies. There were actually some pretty outlandish practices in the past that make one wonder how any of us ever survived. Here are 15 crazy things that people used to consider normal parenting just a few generations ago.
1. Fed them with dirty bottles
Unfortunately for the babies of the Victorian era, it was in fashion for their moms to feed them with rubber tubed bottles as opposed to nurse them. This was a problem because the bottles were very hard to clean, so they were completely non-sterile. It was suggested that washing them once every two weeks was plenty. The bottles ultimately got the nickname “murder bottles”…because they were just straight up killing the babies.
