When I was at my parents' house over the holidays I got out my baby book to show my son. I learned, among other things, that I started solids at 6 weeks. I also found a pamphlet on baby care given to my mom by her doctor. Here is some of the advice in it, circa 1969:
On sleep: "It is safer to have the baby sleep on the abdomen or side rather than the back."
On breastfeeding: "Until the milk supply is well established you may offer a couple of ounces of sweetened boiled water after each nursing...Use one teaspoon of light Karo, or other sugar, to each two ounces of boiled water."
"You may get considerable relief for the nipples by applying a tincture of benzoin (available at any druggist) after each nursing, let it dry for a minute, then apply a little cornstarch to prevent stickiness."
"It is best to nurse him when he seems really hungry. This will probably be at about three to four hour intervals at first and should gradually lengthen."
On spoiling your baby: "You will soon learn the pattern of your child and will be able to avoid too frequent feeding efforts, picking up, turning over..."
Apart from feeling a bit mortified at the idea of having downed bottles of water and corn syrup, reading this actually gave me some sympathy for the generation of women (now grandmothers) who just can't get behind things like exclusive breastfeeding, back-to-sleep, solids-at-six-months, or the idea of attachment parenting. After all, they got the above advice from a trusted authority.
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