If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

Friday, January 31, 2014

Babies in the 80s

I've been sorting family photos and I noticed some big differences in my 3 babies born in 1981-1984 and how baby things are done now.
In the 80s, we were to told to put our babies to sleep on their tummies, never on their backs.


No Bumpos in the 80s, babies sat in in little recliners.


Disposable diapers were a lot thicker then.  That biggest Luvs box only has 48 diapers. Now, 48 diapers take up about 1/3 of that in space.


I only had 1 ultrasound - hard to tell that is even a baby in that photo.
My grandchildren had some amazing photos in utero.


Babies happily scooted around in walkers on wheels, with no built in toys. And their older siblings pushed them around like shopping carts.
High chairs were simple metal frames that folded up just like a folding chair.
No rear facing car seats in the 80s.


No warnings against raw eggs and my children all enjoyed unbaked cookie dough.


My children with souvenir corncob pipes- I think my parents got these in Dollywood or maybe Branson. 
This is so not politically correct now.

No computer printers or photo editing then- just a hand written sign to show this son's age. 


Juice was served often and always in a Tupperware sippy cup.



No chicken pox vaccines in the 80s. My daughter had the worst case of chicken pox spots- her gum and pink nightgown were not as bright pink as all her spots that lasted 3 weeks.

These 3 little ones are all grown up- one is a lawyer, one is a school librarian and the other is a handyman extraordinaire.
 
But how did they ever survive?  

18 comments:

  1. Loving the pictures...I have boxes in the basement of similar vintage.

    (I wonder if 20 years from now they'll decide again that putting babies to sleep on their stomachs is better?)

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  2. Those are some adorable pictures! I was born in 1980, and I was never in a car seat. I remember I used to ride in our car's bench back seat with my four cousins. We would pull the seat belt all the way across our laps and latch it on the other side, haha! I don't know about it being safe, but we really loved riding together.

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  3. Somehow those simpler 'rules' are still appealing to me!

    Sleeping on their tummies still seems safer to me...in case they were to spit up. I remember the side being popular, but I still did the tummy. I thought they stayed asleep longer, too. ha.

    All my boys had chicken pox in 1997. Our doctor advised it was better to get them naturally then the vaccine, which would wear of while they were adults. My sister at the same time, vaccinated her kids. So, who knows!

    My boys grew up on juice, too...in those same cups.. ha.

    Adorable pics of your kiddos!

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  4. Fun pictures! My babies were born in the 60s; can't remember them even having car seats or seat belts! They're all in education professions now, and how did they survive?

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  5. I have almost identical pictures of my children. Walkers, chicken pox, plastic recliner seat, always slept on their stomachs. Tupperware sippy cups.

    Your pictures are very cute.

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  6. Love those pictures! My two were both 80's babies and I have many pictures that look just like these! Now our 4 grands have all the new things and slept on their backs. (Except for the now 17-month old. He wouldn't sleep unless it was on his stomach! I think it's because he started out in the NICU and they had him on his stomach there!) Thanks for the memories!

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  7. I was born in 1975 and lived to tell!! I would leave home to play in the morning and return at dusk. No cell phones to keep in touch, GASP!!! How in the world did everyone get so fearful?

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    Replies
    1. I don't know, I could sure live without cell phones.

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  8. Rhonda, those pictures remind me so much of my 2 kids also from the 80's. My daughter has had friends having babies and we had had some great nieces and nephews and I am amazed at the differences in stuff. They don't even like babies to have water and we use to give them water with alittle Karo syrup at times.

    My own first grandchild is a week old today and the toys and gadgets they have. Jaymee has the thing that heats the water up for bottles like in 30 seconds or less. You keep it filled and keeps it at 98 and you never have to warm the bottle in water or however else we did it.

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    Replies
    1. Nope Lana, karo syrup is for sure a no no now.
      I do like how formula powder mixes up so easy and bottles don't have to boiled anymore.

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  9. Yep. It's amazing that we survived growing up and our children survived their growing up years. Makes me wonder what the future holds for my eventual great grands. I know my grands have every kind of gadget and still unhappy when they're babies. Seems simple was better. Although, my daughter does lay her babies on their tummies. They sleep better and don't choke when they spit up.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Anne, baby gadgets are so numerous anymore, you need a room just to hold all the baby accessories, I think you might be right that babies used to be happier too,

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  10. What adorable pictures! Throughout the generations and different ways of raising babies, it is a wonder that any of us have survived?

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  11. Those were the good ole days. I was a child of the 80's and yep that's how we rolled.

    Hugs,

    Valerie
    Cottage Making Mommy
    www.lovingmyheartandhome.blogspot.com

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  12. My kids were born in the 60's so they had none of those things, except the youngest, born in 67 had probably one of the first reclining seats that came out. It was a good babysitter. We would set it in front of the tv to entertain her while trying to get work done. That was also still in the day of glass bottles and nipples that had to be boiled to sanitize them. No instant formula in those days either. Disposable diapers were just beginning to come out with my youngest. They were not easy to find but did find some to use on a vacation trip. You just have no idea what it was like to rinse out poopy diapers in the toilet first, and then put in a diaper pail that had water in it. Then all the diapers were rinsed and rung out by hand before being washed in the wringer washer, and dried on the line outside. Sometimes kids were held by the parents as they drove cars, or the kids stood on the front seat next to the driver. Many times the arm went out to hold them back when slamming on the brakes. If you are amazed your kids in the 80's survived, what about all the kids before seat belts and car seats?

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