The way we bring up our babies can change as
quickly as maternity fashions, says
Rachel Kenney.
B
abies. We’ve been having them for a few hundred
thousand years, and for many of those years, their
care and upbringing remained pretty much the
same. Mothers just relied on their instincts, along
with a bit of help, advice and friendly interference from
relatives, neighbours or the odd local medic. Any top tips
were passed from generation to generation, and there were
few new childcare fads to rock the cradle.
But in recent decades, as mass communication has burst
into our lives, all manner of different ideas about every aspect
of a baby’s life have been given an airing. Of course, advances
in medical knowledge and demographic shifts inevitably
bring about changes in the way we bring up our babies, but
on top of this, it seems that every few years, a new theory of
child-rearing has come into fashion – from the outlandishly
out-there to the decidedly old fashioned – each promising
parental riches, such as a baby who sleeps through the night
or a child who is emotionally balanced.
For mums and dads who are keen to give their precious
bundle the best possible start in life, the latest, persuasive, up-
to-the-minute expert can be impossible to ignore. But by the
next decade, it will probably be off with the old, and on with
the new – a whole new babycare ideology will be flavour of
the month. So, what are the main parenting trends that have
come and gone – and often come round again – over the past
few decades?
The 50s
For the 1950s mum (and it was pretty much always
mum), babycare was all about routine. According to the
prevailing expert of the day, Sir Frederick Truby King,
who had gleaned his ideas while working with cattle in New
Zealand, babies were to be fed every four hours (regardless
of how hungry they were) and put outside in the garden in
their comfy, tank-like prams in between feeds to fill their
lungs with fresh air. Once the baby was outside, Mum
was to ignore him and get on with her chores, of which
there were plenty. Washing cloth nappies was the bane of
most mums’ lives in the 50s and 60s, so the race was on to
get children potty-trained by 18 months. At night, babies
were to be put in a cot in their own room, and any cries
should be ignored. Cuddles should be limited to 10 minutes
Mummies
à la mode
March 2015
33
