As soon as you have a kid,unsolicited adviceoften comes rolling in.
And, as a new parent, you may want guidance just not from, well, novices.
And you’re not alone.
Of course, not all parenting advice has aged that well.
You won’t believe the sort of ridiculous claims parenting books made in just the last 50 years.
Why wait to start your baby on solid food?
Sackett, however, disagreed.
He reasoned by acknowledging the custom called “mummins” practiced in Alabama and Mississippi.
So, what exactly is this custom good ‘ole Dr. Sackett touted?
Premastication basically, how adult birds feed their young.
You know, by chewing food, and then regurgitating it for their babies.
Except, humans simply chew no regurgitating involved, thank goodness.
If it sounds preposterous, that’s probably because it is.
Actually, that unconditional love you provide will, in turn, foster emotional intelligence.
This was the very same time period when stomach-sleeping became popular and highly recommended.
SIDS was then explained away with other assumed causes of death, like infection or aspiration.
This campaign strongly encouraged parents to put their babies to sleep on their backs as opposed to their stomachs.
By the same token, the number of SIDS-related deaths has decreased dramatically.
That’s not how it went?
No, you didn’t read that wrong.
Yes, I know they contain caffeine, and that caffeine is a drug."
The lesser of two evils, perhaps?
Nowadays, we have a lot more insight intowhat babies should and shouldn’t eat.
Not only should your little ones not consume caffeine, butexpectant mothers should reduce their caffeine intake.
Play ball!
The modern book1950s Mothertakes readers back in time and reveals some of the wacky advice spouted in that decade.
One example is Mabel Liddiard’sThe Mothercraft Manual.
As a nurse and midwife, Liddiard wanted women to continue their everyday lives.
Certainly not bad advice in the right context with the proper caveats.
Modern advice urges expectant mothers to be mindful of the weather, especially during the summer.
Liddiard also shared advice about exercise.
We now know that, whileexercise is important during pregnancy, some sports should be avoided.
should be put on hold until after giving birth.
Labor calls for … whisky highballs?
Carter fully believed giving birth should be free of pain and shouldn’t involve any hard work.
She believedthosethings were unnatural.
Thankfully, those terms didn’t stick.
Carter’s other ideas were pretty out there.
She promoted the idea of having a small baby for an easier birthing experience.
Her drink of choice?
A whisky highball, of course.
Perhaps that was the real secret to a “brainless, will-less birth.”
The book continued, “10 cigarettes or fewer per day during pregnancy are quite likely innocuous.”
If you say so, doc.
Not only that, butsecondhand smokecan also cause a variety of health problems.
Babies are especially susceptible to these toxins because their brains are continually developing.
Liver is great, but don’t you dare eat bruised potatoes!
Have you ever heard that it’s bad to eat bruised potatoes?
If so, it’s probably leftover advice from the 1970s.
Naturally, these women stopped eating potatoes.
The cautionary tale may stem from the fact that a natural toxin (glycoalkaloids) is produced byallpotatoes.
According to the UK’s Food Standards Industry, potatoes only contain a low level of this toxin.
That said, it’s incredibly rare to be poisoned by the toxin they produce.
That was problematic because liver is rich in vitamin A and it can be very dangerous to fetuses.
“High concentrations can cause birth defects,” Kitzinger wrote.
Some pregnant women were consuming the dangerous vitamin in every way possible through food, drops, and tablets.
Thankfully, women now have a great excuse tonevereat liver … at least while pregnant.
Spanking is better than nagging
Ridiculous parenting claims can be traced as far back as the bible.
Remember the idiom, “spare the rod, spoil the child”?
However, by 1946, the practice of corporal punishment was just starting to become old hat.
Then a reaction set in, and parents were taught that it was shameful."
However, just because it was considered shameful didn’t mean people necessarily stopped doing it.
