I love the above 1950s ads. It is hard to read the small print here about how the mechanism of watching TV can be useful for parenting but basically their point is that you can ensure compliance in your children by threatening to withdraw TV privileges. And I assume the beer-swilling mom above isn't nursing..science had developed a new improved milk delivery system in the 50s.
The ads these days aren't too much better. My favorite is the metal bracelet that emits 'natural body waves' to cure all sorts of ailments..notably balance issues. At least the ads above have a small kernel of truth in them.
When my babies were born, I was warned repeatedly never, NEVER let them sleep on their backs lest they spit up in their sleep and can't clear their secretions. Somehow babies have changed because now, you are never, never permit a baby to sleep on its stomach lest it 'rebreathe' the same carbon dioxide setting off apnea setting off crib death. This time there are statistics to back up the recommendation. The public nurse came in one day when the napping Maya was 5 months old and immediately woke her up. Guess what? The baby was able to flip to her desired position.
There is this new concept of 'tummy time' that needs to be supervised lest the baby fall asleep. Babies need tummy time as their arms will be slow to develop without it. In the old days, every minute was tummy time.
And all the new food prohibitions...
It is a wonder that my children survived.
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