Thursday, September 11, 2014

Bringing Home the New Baby in 1955

I love old children's books, the older the better.  So when someone deemed these too out of date to use for working with kids and offered them to me, I happily accepted.


These two picture books are a fun glimpse into a completely different era of parenting. Just look at Jack's mother coming home from the hospital with the newborn baby bundled up in her lap. It took a while for the baby in her arms to register because I was too focused on that dress (with a waist!) and her perfectly styled hair. I may believe that babies rode in the front seat in 1955, but I don't believe that anyone came home from the hospital looking quite that good.


Mother rests on the couch, Father sits in the big chair, and Jack and Grandma sit quietly, too, until the baby cries.


I think my favorite part of the book is the bathinette. I had a doll size one, briefly, and it's one of those toys that's stuck in my head. It was just so odd...and neat. I didn't realize until I saw the one in the book that they're a real thing for real babies.


And they still make them!



How did I not know about these?! Four kids and I never knew that there was a thing like that out there. If I had a baby, I'd probably be ordering one today.

This post is linked to Vintage Thingie Thursday, Thriftasaurus, Share Your Cup, Ivy and Elephants, We Call it Olde, Savvy Southern Style, Thrifter Maker Fixer, Vintage Bliss Tuesday 

12 comments:

Donna Wilkes said...

Being a child of the 1950's, I love this post on the old books. Yes, I do remember my mother coming home from the hospital with gloves and a hat with a new baby brother.

Susan said...

I enjoyed your post on these older books. I love books and looking back is usually fun!

Linda said...

Oh the memories of my mom bringing home yet another baby brother. Already had plenty of them (3) thank you very much! :-). Those old books were the ones I read to all of the little brothers. The favorite was Rattle Rattle Dump Truck. And anything with Donald Duck. FYI - the old Golden Books have been republished and are quite available.

Laura said...

We had both of those books when I was little! And we read the baby one over and over as my mom had baby after baby (8 in all).

Anny said...

That bathinette looks dangerous!

JoKnows said...

Those books are so precious. What a great keepsake showing how life has changed over the decades. I just started up a new linky party, Vintage Bliss Tuesdays on Woman in Real Life, and I would love it if you would join the party. Thanks, Jo.

Here's the link:
http://bit.ly/1qWXI1U

Laura said...

I almost had to google Bathinette--three boys here and didn't know they existed! I wouldn't have used one though we have real wood floors and they're old and I'm constantly freaked out about ruining them.

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

I love old books too Michelle! Reminds me of when I ran across a vintage book about hygiene for teens. My daughter took it home and one night her daughter came out of the shower with her hair bundled in a towel. She told her that she was doing something it said to do in the book. lol! Gotta love those days! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

What beautiful books! And I'm old enough to remember the bathinettes! But I bathed my babies in the kitchen sink! heehee! Hugs, Diane

Loulou said...

Great books! I too love looking at vintage books to see how people lived back then. I have one that entitled 'Ideal Marriage - It's Psychology and Technique', written in 1926. People's views on marriage sure have changed over the years.

Jill said...

Old books are the sweetest, every page is better than the next!

Me, You and Magoo said...

When my daughter was born in 2009, there were a dizzying array of car seats for sale...each one safer & more engineered than the next.
My Mum always happily tells me about bringing my brother & I home from the hospital in a carry cot on the back seat of the car. No seat belts. No safety harness. Nothing!
Times have definitely changed :)

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