7 parenting hacks your grandparents may have tried that haven't aged well, from whisky to baby cages
It’s hard to believe parents actually did some of these things
- Parenting advice has changed a lot over the years
- But there are some things it’s hard to believe were ever deemed acceptable
- DO NOT try any of these outdated parenting hacks
Parenting advice changes with every generation, as we learn more about babies’ needs and how to meet them.
But there are certain things parents were once advised to do, either by health professionals or well-meaning friends and relatives, that truly beggar belief.
Some we now know could be deadly, while others were astonishingly cruel, even if the advice was given with the best of intentions.
Frustrated parents have shared some of the worst parenting hacks their own parents, in-laws and grandparents have tried to pass on.
When they explain how the wisdom has changed, they are often met with the stock reply that it ‘never did you any harm’.
How many of these outdated parenting hacks have you heard, and are there any your parents or grandparents used?
‘Whisky on the gums helps teething babies’
Believe it or not, this is something many parents used to do.
One parent recalled how an older relative once advised them to pour a shot of whisky, dip their finger in it and rub it on the baby’s gums before drinking the shot themself. “It’ll calm you both down,” they were told.
If your baby’s teething, the NHS says giving them a teething ring that’s been cooled in the fridge (NEVER the freezer) can help, as can playing with them to distract them from the pain, or gently rubbing their gums with a clean finger. More advice is available here.
‘Rice cereal in the bottle helps babies sleep longer’
Not only is this a choking hazard, but studies have shown there is no evidence that it actually works.
Advice on what drinks are safe to give your baby or young child is available here.
‘Don’t spoil your baby by cuddling them too much’
This actually used to be common advice, with parents told that too many cuddles could make their baby more clingy.
In fact, if anything, the reverse is true. The more you cuddle and play with your baby, the more secure they will feel and the more independent they are likely to become, knowing you will always be there if they need you.
This hasn’t stopped many new parents from being warned by their parents or grandparents about the danger of ‘spoiling’ their baby.
One person even described how their grandmother worried they had already ‘spoiled’ their baby by holding it too much when he was only 24 hours old.
Another told how they had been advised to let their baby cry until they gave up, as the baby, who was just a few weeks old, was ‘trying to manipulate you’.
As one parent, who received similar advice, put it: “You can't spoil a baby. They need cuddles, they need to feel loved.”
‘Put honey on the teat to get baby to take a bottle’
Absolutely DO NOT DO THIS. Babies under one year old should never be given honey as it can lead to infant botulism.
Honey is also a sugar, which can cause tooth decay, and is not recommended in large quantities for young children aged one or over.
‘Bite your toddler back to stop them biting’
It is not unusual for babies and young children to bite other children, or adults, for various reasons.
But despite what some parents have been told in the past, it is never acceptable to bite them back - not that you would have thought that needed saying.
As well as hurting the child, biting them back will only send the wrong message that this kind of behaviour is acceptable.
If your child is biting, you should calmly let them know this is not OK. You can also offer them something else to bite, and remember to praise good behaviour when they are being kind to you or others.
‘Put your baby in a cage outside the window’
This is perhaps the hardest to believe of all, but parents in the UK were actually advised to do this back in the 30s.
The idea behind these ‘baby cages’ attached to the outside of flat windows was that they would allow growing infants to get plenty of fresh air and sunlight.
Aside from the safety implications, they were used in London at a time when pollution meant clean air was in short supply.
‘Have baby on your lap in the car’
Awareness about child car safety has come a long way since the 50s, 60s and 70s.
Child car safety seats were only invented in the 60s, and it took a long time for their use to become commonplace.
There were child seats before that, but these tended to be only to constrain the child, and some could cause more harm than good.
Many parents used to put newborn babies in a bassinet on the back seat, or have them in their lap in the passenger seat.
Today, children are legally required to be in a child car seat until they’re 12 years old, or 135cm tall.
Most grandparents accept that child car seats are a good thing, as well as being the law.
But that has not stopped some grandparents from dangerously suggesting it’s OK for a baby to be taken out of their seat in a moving car for a feed or nappy change.
And many frustrated parents say they have been told by their parents or in-laws to put a coat on their child in the car seat, even though this increases the chance of them slipping through their straps and should strictly be avoided.
What’s the most frustrating piece of misguided parenting advice you’ve ever received, and are there any things you can’t believe your parents or grandparents used to do?
If you enjoyed this article, you might like our look back at the surprising things that were acceptable in the 70s.