Here is an innovative 1901 baby swing that has everything - it is a bed, jumper, rocking chair and high chair, in turns. But the rocking chair suspended above the floor does look a little bit strange...and potentially dangerous. I am not sure why the physicians were endorsing it.The first baby swing patent dates from 1872, and is an "improvement" on earlier swings. The patent for an 1880 swing looks like a little wooden crate; and the one patented in 1897 looks like a seesaw, with no harness whatsoever. The 1901 rocking chair has a bar across the front, at least.
From 1901, courtesy of the NYPL Digital Gallery.
14 comments:
Great post, once again. Amazing. You do a wonderful job on here! James
James - Thank you! All the digital galleries help a lot, though...
These would definitely not pass today's safety standards! These products, along with many others from days gone by, make me wonder how any children survived babyhood. Maybe we're too protective today? www.satisfiedsole.com
Maybe you were supposed to swaddle your baby right to the board? That would be secure, but sure makes it more like a torture device than a fun thing to do for baby!
My wife and I have a very active 32 month old son.
When he was a bit younger, we could have used something like this!
Paul
Eat Well. Live Well.
PurpleGreenPops.com
Pam - No, it wouldn't! I can't imagine how unsafe it must have been.
Bethany - Maybe. And no, that sounds like the opposite of fun.
Paul - It did have a lot of uses! We had a Jolly Jumper way back when, for our girls, but neither of them liked it that much.
Well, you can tell how much an infant is loved by which item the parents buy, n'est ce pas?
You do find some super cool stuff..but I am with you on the safety tip. I would rather just go old school and wrap the baby in a quilt and put in a dresser drawer as a make shift crib...much closer to the ground.
Don't get the rockers. Or the "jumper" part. But wood construction was no worse than the Chinese lead painted plastic of today. I'm guessing 2 physicians were getting a kickback. Must have been expensive, don't you think? - if they offered a free picture book telling all about it. What else was to tell? Made in Muncie. Yo. :)
Muncie was much more hip than Levittown. Sorry. Don't want to cross-pollinate your posts.
Maybe baby was hopped up on laudanum to keep it 'happy' in the swing so it wouldn't bounce its way out of it. :)
HumorSmith - Material goods, the eternal measuring tools of affection - even in 1900!
Fashiona - The dresser drawer would be way safer. As long as it wasn't still in the dresser, I guess.
Max - Yeah, it was probably very expensive. As you say, they needed money to pay off the physicians. No need to worry about cross-pollination - I know exactly where I came from. Now where I'm going, metaphorically - another story, some days! :)
Carol - Yes, that's where the Winslow's Soothing Syrup comes in handy, probably.
This is wild. As others have said, you do find the best stuff :)
Don - Thank you! It helps to be the sort of person who likes historical things BUT is also easily bored (not great for grad school, perfect for blogging!) :)
Post a Comment