Time sure has changed things.

 

 

Time sure has changed things.

I remember way back when (late 70's-90's) our children were growing up. As a stay at home Mom then I looked for any convenience item I could find. My children were only 18 months apart so having two in diapers was hectic plus I was trying to wean the oldest.

 

That was the days of glass bottles, cloth diapers, and strange car seats. LOL!

 

When we got custody of our granddaughter at 4 months old in the mid-2000's I was shocked, surprised and happy at some of the changes in child rearing. I wanted to list a few of them and explain what I liked or disliked about each one. Perhaps you will remember a few and comment on them as well.  :-)

 

 

1. Disposable Diapers - wow! A diaper you didn't have to hand wash the poo out of or bleach? No more strong smell of urine? No more plastic diaper covers that caused rashes? You buy these plastic covered padded diapers that velcro taped on! Yep, you could toss those huge diaper pins with plastic animals on them. Although those pins were cute as could be. But no more stuck fingers either! Now I only stick my finger when I'm checking my sugar! LOL!

2. No Spill Sippy Cups -  wow again! You mean you could hand a toddler a cup with kool-aid in it and let them walk (trip) across your living room floor with no spills? Come on!  They could use it in their car seat (which is another one on the list) and not spill in the car? No more watching the cup tip itself back upright - hopefully? So easy, so convenient and it took so long to invent!  LOL!

 

 

3. Car Seats - Ok, so to be honest we had car seats back then but they weren't mandatory nor were they comfortable for the child and we definitely had no safe way to "hook" them safely to the car.  I remember coming home from the hospital with my oldest child in my arms. And I remember trying to figure out what to do with the baby in the car while the toddler was well...toddling around inside the car. It definitely wasn't safe and a huge distraction to the driver. But my sister and I took our five children (between us) many times out in a vehicle. It's a wonder they survived...not the car trip but each other in the back seat!  LOL!

 

 

 

 

4. Playpens - Playpens were not a new invention because we did have those back in the "olden days" but they sure went through a huge change. The ones we had were wood, with huge slats in the sides and a tiny 1/2" padding in the bottom. When I went to get our granddaughter one I was shocked at the accessories and comfort. My goodness a child would never want out of the new playpens to explore the world! They vibrated, played music, had a thick bedding and even had mobiles that were out of this world on them. If they had been around when I was a child I might still have been in one!  LOL!

 

 

 

 

 

5. Baby Walker/Bouncer/Seat - And then of course when baby became able to sit up alone or crawl there were times when Mom needed to "corral" them critters. A baby walker did not stop their movement but stopped them from messing! LOL! You could put a baby in the walker and they could follow you around crying for you but could not reach across the tray to mess. You could also give them some snacks to keep them happy. 

 

And then some families had what was called a bouncer. No, not a big bulky manly bouncer! But a seat that you could put the baby in to sooth them when they were fussy. The only problem was...it required your foot to constantly bounce the baby. No automated stuff for us. 

 

I will never forget the day I asked at Walmart if they had a baby walker in the infant section. The clerk looked at me with shock and "suggested" something else since the government no longer allowed babies to move around while seated. LOL! Thus I found the new activity seat. Boy, did they name that thing right. It had more bells, whistles, buttons, gadgets on it than you could shake a stick at! And the seat went around and around in a circle so the child could experience all the toys on it! Wow! She might never learn to crawl because she would never want out of this thing either!

 

 

 

 

 

Has starting over raising a grandchild been easy? No. But I sure was one thankful ReMom for a lot of the new fanggled inventions that made things a little more convenient for raising a baby.

 

Now I am learning how much the public school system has changed. But that's another story for another day!  LOL!