15 Crazy Things People Used To Do To Babies

8. They “washed” them with lard

When babies are in the womb they have a waxy substance coating their skin, and in the early 1900s someone came up with the idea that they should get that substance off as soon as possible. To do this, they started washing the babies with either lard, olive oil or butter to scrub it off. This is not is not good for the newborn skin, and is not necessary since the film comes off on its own.