Have you ever found yourself eye-rolling at the pregnancy or baby advice that has been given to you by someone that has a couple of decades on you?

Have you ever found yourself eye-rolling at the pregnancy or baby advice that has been given to you by someone that has a couple of decades on you?
An aunt, neighbour or maybe even your own mother?
In fact, some of the advice actually warrants the 'are you being serious or joking?' question.
 
Times have changed, that’s for sure.
The advice that was given in the 70’s and 80’s was relevant then. Science and technology have now dictated many of the changes when it comes to the recommendations and advice we are given regarding pregnancy and parenting.
We should probably be a little more tolerant of the advice because it really is genuine advice that was given “back then”.
We’ve done a little digging and here are some of the pregnancy and parenting norms from the 80’s that are shocking now but were completely normal at the time...
  • A natural childbirth wasn’t so much advised as just expected. The epidural was not the norm and women had very little control over their birth and options. A birth plan was not a “thing”.
  • Car seats and safety were not even on the radar for many parents. In fact many remember squeezing up to ten children in to one car without batting an eyelid.
  • Finding out the gender of your baby was something that happened when you gave birth. Pre-natal appointments often consisted of just a doppler to check the heartbeat and a measuring tape to confirm your bump size matched up to your due date.
  • Many fathers-to-be could be seen pacing the corridors of the hospital as it was not the norm for the father to be present at the birth.
  • Babies were weaned on to solids by the time they were three months. Research and medicine soon increased it to 4 months and these days it is 6 months.
  • It was not abnormal to leave your sleeping baby outside the house in their pram.
  • Cartoons were only  for Saturday mornings or special occasions!
  • Feeding your child with formula was considered a symbol of wealth for many.
  • Children were allowed to play outside without supervision for hours on end.
  • Bath-time might have been once a fortnight and the bath was usually shared between several children.
Written by Tracey Quinn, Staff Writer, with Family Friendly HQ. 

Topics