What was it like, when you were a mother to a small baby?

Gosh, I was beginning to feel really ancient, as my first two were born in 1963 and 1966, at home looked after by the very strict, visiting midwife. We lived in a two bedroomed bungalow, a long way from my parents, and when I left work, I was terribly homesick. Our third was born in 1975. Terry nappies for all three, and we had a gas heated, boiler type machine for washing, with a wringer/mangle on top. I had lovely white nappies, but it was quite a business filling and emptying it. We also had a Fridigidaire spin dryer, which was very efficient. The babies slept in their Marmet pram, in the garden, in all weathers, protected by a cat net, and hood and apron. I well remember the Napisan soaking bucket, not nice. We walked to town and back a couple of times a week, no car until our second child was nearly three. The pram was useful for ferrying the shopping, and the second child could sit on a board across the end of the pram when tired.
We had moved to our present house when DS 2 was born, and as I was considered an older mum at 33, he was born in hospital. By this time we had an automatic washing machine. I tried breast feeding all three, the boys were not impressed, but DD was much more amenable. I used to liquidise dinners for them, put them in little glass jars, and freeze them, as they were nicer than bought baby food. They all survived. I also look back with fond memories, especially as I was a stay at home mum for all three, although at the time I may not have always been looking at life so rosily. DH was not a hands on dad, but our two sons are great with their children and grandchildren.

I had my first two in the 70s. We were living in our first home which was a 3 bed mid terraced property on a brand new housing estate. It was a lovely first home as we were all young married couples buying our first homes and having our babies at about the same time.

I didn't work which of course was quite common in those days. I quickly made friends on the estate and we baby sat for each other for the occasional night out.

My parents bought my pram, a large Silver Cross which I was very proud of! I also had a carry cot on wheels which fitted in the car.

Nappies as you can imagine were a daily battle. Disposable ones were just coming out but they weren't very good so I used terry ones, washed in a Burco boiler. I bought good quality ones (on advice) and they did for all of my children, although by the time my last baby was born, disposable nappies had improved enormously so I used those more and more.

I walked everywhere as we only had one car then. I walked to the little local supermarket most days, and the shopping fitted on the pram tray underneath.

Money was tight as we had more than one mortgage. We had noticed how property prices were shooting up where we lived in the Home Counties, so we took a chance and bought a second property to rent out, as an investment for the future.

Happy days. I look back on that time with much fondness.

I had my babies between 1963 and 1971. When the first 2 were born, in hospital, in `63 and `65, we were living in an old rented cottage that used to be a blacksmiths, so there were hooks everywhere from the ceilings. We had no hot water, and a shared outside toilet, no washing machine, so half the washing was taken to the launderette by bus, the rest I washed by hand and pegged on the line, which meant up and down cellar steps to get outside. Terry nappies of course, we purchased a Baby Burco boiler for the nappies, but managed to burn it out! I had a secondhand Silver Cross coach built pram, like new because it had never been outside. My auntie gave us her old cot. Family allowance was only for 2nd child and any after, so none for first baby. The weekly baby clinic was almost a mile away, held in the village working men`s club, so there was always a pong of beer in the air. After weighing, we`d buy concentrated orange juice and rose hip syrup, I didn`t buy baby milk for ages, as I breast fed. When my first went onto the bottle I used Nestles condensed milk, there was a table on the label for mixing for babies. By the time baby 3 arrived in 1967, we were in a brand new house, nearer to shops and everything else needed. She was born in hospital because the powers that be decided I needed a blood transfusion before the birth...…….I still haven`t had it! Babies 4 and 5 were born at home in 1969 and 1971, a much better experience to be heartily recommended. A new pram was purchased for baby 4 which did for 5 as well, before being donated to the local home for unmarried mothers. After baby 5 I decided to be sterilised, I was still only 27, or who knows how many more I would have had!

I had my babies in the early 70s. I stayed at home with them and loved almost every minute. We did have a washing machine, and there were nappy liners that helped with the Terry nappies. We had nappy buckets with Napisan (?) to soak them before they were washed. My husband joined in with everything. I had no time for fathers who expected to be waited on. Even my father (born 1907) had changed the occasional nappy when I was a baby! He never cooked, though, until my mother became disabled and he had to. My husband could cook as well as I could, or better.

My time with babies seemed so much more relaxed then my DIL’s was, all that worry about childcare all the time. I and OH were the childcare, so it was simple. I used to love taking them for walks in the big pram, where they were were facing me so I could talk to them. The back of a car is not as good!

I can relate to this- I often wonder how my great grandmother managed, in a terraced house in Shad Thames, with nine children, including one set of twins and one of triplets. Her husband was a docker, so his income was unreliable, and he was a drinker too. I knew two of my great uncles when I was growing up, and one went into local politics and was Mayor of Stepney. My grandfather left school at 14 to work as a stable lad looking after the dray horses for a brewery. I wonder how my great grandmother would have managed all the washing for three babies at a time as well as the other children, and how she eked out her housekeeping, and how she delivered the babies before the NHS was established. It must have been very hard.

I had my first baby in 1975. I spent 10 days in hospital as it was normal to stay 7 days anyway and I was admitted from ante natal clinic with high blood pressure. I breast fed and she wouldn't tale a bottle at all anyway but I had plenty of milk and was lucky to find breast feeding easy. It was the norm then to start a bit of mix d feeding at 3 months so she had a bit of baby porridge and some fruit and veg purée I cooked myself. I had a washing machine and used terry nappies. I had a big silver cross pram and we went for long walks or caught the bus into the nearest town I didn't pass my driving test until she was 2. I kept her in white until she was 1 ( God knows how when I look back) and my grandmother knitted her cardigans and pram blankets. I knitted for her also the same Nan had taught me how. I made some friends from the same area but we moved house when my second child was born in 1980 and it was a new estate so masses of women all having children at the same time and I am still in touch with many of them still.

My grandmother only had one child, my mother . My mother had 2 . My grandmother never worked outside the home and played a big part in my upbringing as my mother did go back to work full time quite soon after my brother was born. I hope you can find a nice new mums network for yourself, I found that invaluable.

I loved having new babies. I had babies in the 70's, 80's and 90's so things changed a bit over that time! Terry nappies and ice-cold-in-winter nappy buckets. Bbeautiful, impractical prams, little choice of nursery equipment, handwash-only baby clothes, no car seats, small choice of foods, early weaning for my first babies.

Disposable nappies, travel systems, car seats, better baby foods, cute, machine-washable baby clothes, baby wipes, fitted cots sheets etc for my later babies.

We didn't have family around but my Dh has rarely worked a 9-5 job so I was lucky he was able to be around a fair bit in our dc's early years.

From what my mum told me, when she was a baby, in the 20's, you were surrounded by wider family so raising a child was more of a joint effort and much less isolating than nowadays.

Though you could also have been like my poor father - both of his parents were dead by the time he was 11yo.

Congratulations on your new baby. I think every generation's experience of motherhood is different. Certainly mine was 'easier' than my grandmother's and my mum's. When my first baby was born in '71 we were so young - my husband was still an apprentice earning £4 a week so we struggled for a long time. He had to leave me at the maternity hospital doors both times I was in labour and was told to ring at lunchtime - he went to work. We have no photos of our newborns - we had no camera. We also had no car, no phone, no tv, no central heating in the grotty flat we first lived in, sharing a bathroom with another tenant. My pram was one of the new types which lifted off the wheels in turquoise blue. I always wanted a coach pram but had nowhere to keep one. I did knit quite a lot in those days and also made my maternity dresses then several pairs of trousers both for me and my sons. When we bought our first 2 up 2 down terraced house thanks to the £200 deposit my in-laws gave us we thought we were kings. Terry nappies soaking in buckets of Napisan and a wringer washing machine although I did get my mum's old twin tub which was such a blessing. I did work - waiting on tables in hotels during the summer and helping at my in-laws guest house for £2 a week which just paid for the groceries bought from the shop over the road. And yet in all that time we never felt sorry for ourselves - even when my husband carried a sewing machine all the way from his mum's which must have been 2 miles or went to work with plastic bags on his feet as his shoes had holes in them. It was just life and we got on with it.

I enjoyed my children who were born in the 70s but it was hard work as my parents lived 200 miles away and I had no grandparents to help. DH was on a research grant which came up for renewal on a regular basis - a nail biting time - and so we didn't have lots of new stuff. In fact I made a lot of the children's clothes and sold some in various sales. I also made birthday cakes for them and knitted toys and didn't mind purchasing nearly new toys etc from various sales and charity shops. I had a network of friends with similar aged children and we went out for picnics in the park and developed a rota for looking after each other's offspring [2 on duty at a time - never on one's own] so we could have some 'me' time. Our shopping centre area was car free so it was safe for the children to run around and although tiring as DH worked long hours, it was a very happy time too.

In 1971, living in a rented cottage in Devon, DS1 was born on a lovely April day. I had 6 days in hospital and needed daily iron injections for a few weeks, but my parents were there to help us. DS was a perfect baby although he wasn't very demanding; the midwife thought he was 'failing to thrive' and recommended supplementing breast milk with formula. That wise child refused the formula so I put him on a strict regime and heard no more about failure to thrive! I had a big Silver Cross pram which was a bit awkward on the narrow pavements of our village, especially when big lorries came through! I was often stopped and asked, 'What's her name?' He was a very good-looking baby! DH had a job in a school in Exeter and kept school hours, so was usually home at a sensible time. We would pile the pram, complete with baby, into the back of our Morris Traveller and take a trip to the seaside, to walk along the prom at Torquay. We all thrived during those early months! DS had one imperfection - he hated being driven and this was only solved when he was 17 and could drive himself!

Congratulations on your baby. You sound like a good and connected mum.

I dont think you will get many answers to your query as I dont think many people will go back that far.
I am one of the older GN's and I had my first baby in 1965.
It wasn't so different really then I had a washing machine but it had a wringer and it did take a long time, terry nappies as you said and no baby wipes.
Generally
we didnt work so no rush to get back and life seemed leisurely.
Not many women had cars then so we walked everywhere with our big coachbuilt prams. They were marvellous and baby went down to sleep in the garden between feeds and would sleep for 2/3 hours.
We never seemed so in thrall to our babies as some young mums do today.
They fitted into our lives, we didnt alter them to play second fiddle.
My H expected to come home to a meal on the table and a tidy house.
One thing that has certainly changed for the better is that dads play a much bigger part in their childrens lives today, my H never changed a nappy or even fed a child.