General Chat

Oh my God the world has gone mad!!!

my 2 were put in the garden in the pram with a cat net, unless it was really bad weather. We walked everywhere, pram loaded up with shopping.
They were winded with a pat or rub on the back - normally on my shoulder.
They were left in the pram to go to sleep once they had been fed, winded and changed - if they really cried then I would check that thier nappy was ok or that they did not have any more wind, but they would not be left to sob.
They were fed every 3/4 hrs unless they were sleeping.
I let them lay on a mat without a nappy or run around the house when a bit older without nappy to let the air to thier little botties.
Make up feeds 24 hrs in advance YES.
Make them wear reigns -oh yes (in fact my daughter has just bought my grandaughter a pair).
Put sugar in the feed, yes it said so on the pack - DOH!
Never put butter on the rusks though (not heard of that one before).
Let them watch TV for more than and hour - my son at 6 months old used to like watching the 6pm news!
I also insisted that we sat down to our meals at the table, it was a treat to have it on their laps in front of the TV.
No meant NO from an early age.
If they bit me I bit them back.
Did they get a smack if they were naughty, Yes they did they were not beaten but given a smack.

Are my children well adjusted, polite adults YES THEY ARE. I was 18 when I had my first, I was as green as grass but soon learnt.

Too many 'do gooders' around nowadays.

Can I also add that I brought my kids up starting as I meant to carry on. If it was going to be wrong at 5 to pull the cats tail, it was going to be wrong at 18 months. No meant No!

I have seen too many parents saying 'Aww but he's only 2' then confuse the poor child at 5 by deciding they were old enough to see it as wrong.

I agree with what is said about buggies too. I dont' believe a baby's spine is strong enough until they are able to sit on thier own, so why oh why are we forcing them to do it in buggys. Let them lay down and sleep.

Put them into prams in the garden, wrapped up +fly & cat nets, to sleep in the fresh air, whilst you were indoors./ Yes

Once fed, winded & changed, put them into cot/pram & if they cried, let them cry for a little while hoping that they would give up & go to sleep. /Yes, they slept through the night early too

Feed your Babies 4hourly, no less than 3 & a half hours between feeds./ Usually, but not always

When preparing their milk/puree – add sugar/salt/ No

Make up feeds for 24hrs & put into the fridge/ Yes

Put butter on teething rusks/No

Wind them by patting their backs/Yes

Give their little ‘bots’ a bit of air – laying on a towel/blanket- on the floor with no nappy to kick /Yes, they never had nappy rash

Put reins on Toddlers/ Yes, much safer

Allow your children to watch TV for more than 1hour a day/ No

Did my children grow up to be happy and healthy /Yes

Does my eldest do a lot of the same things with her 3 /Yes

xx

My four were always put in their pram in the garden. If they didn't sleep, they enjoyed looking at the trees and clouds! That's the trouble with buggies - in my opinion babies should be laid flat and not squashed into a buggy. Plenty of time for that when they can sit up on their own.

When my latest grandchild was born in June, I bought a new mattress for the pram that was bought new for my eldest child 36 years ago, and grandson loves lying in it and going for walks. The pram has been in almost constant use for the past 36 years, for my own children and countless minded children, and now for my grandson.

I always used reins for my children, grandchildren and minded children. When I was 4 years old my 2 year old brother pulled his hand away from my Mum's and ran across a road. Luckily in the 1950s there wasn't much traffic about and the only car on the road swerved to avoid him. He always was on reins after that, and I've always used them too. You don't forget something like that.

Two of my grandaughters never played outside at their home if it was the slightest bit cold or damp, and are still driven everywhere. I had wellies and raincoats at my house for them though, and they always played outside when they were here and their greatest delight was to splash in puddles or go for walks through the mud and leaves! Of all my grandchildren, those two are the ones with most health problems and are always 'ill'. Their house is spotless and tidy (unlike mine LOL) and clothes are changed if the slightest bit grubby. I am convinced that if they didn't live in such a 'sterile' environment, they wouldn't pick up so many bugs from school and elsewhere.

Sue
xx

Put baby outside in the fresh air?

Too damn right!

All my three were put in the prams and put in the garden. If it was raining! they had the apron and hood up.(nice comfy prams in those days unlike these horrible buggys)

If it was blowing a gale or even snowing,I would push the pram inside the open garage door.

Naughty me would put a hotwater bottle in the pram to warm it before putting baby init. Took it out before putting baby in.

RESULT...three adult kids fully grown with NO allergies and never had a seriouse illness.
Between them, produced 8 grandchildren and 1st great grandson due in Feb 2008.

Naughty Nanny Gerri.

PS...always used reins when walking around the town. Diddnt want to have them abducted!

I believe that children should be allowed to develop their own personalities & learn the consequences of their actions, within a safe, happy & loving environment.
Taking chances, investigating, experimenting & learning other life skills are what true play is & it is important that all children have the opportunities for this type of play. Not just within a Nursery/Pre-school/School environments, but from birth, in their own homes & in the homes of other children.
I know of babies that are seldom put down on the floor to play, they spend most of their time either in their cots or strapped into high chairs, buggies/car seats, while their mothers concentrate on their own social life. They have no play clothes, or a need for them, as they never get dirty! They are the ones who are brought into Playgroup, wearing fancy designer clothes & who’s Mothers want compensation when these clothes get a bit of paint/glue on them.
There are also the children who have spent all of their lives in sight of their Mothers, even sleeping in the same room/bed. They can count to twenty & sing the alphabet, but do not know how to play with or alongside other children, as they have not learnt any social skills. Everything they have ever touched has been sterile. These children then suffer separation stress, catch every infection, are then absent for a while so then have to suffer the same stress all over again.
Then there are the children who arrive, on their first day, wearing play clothes & sometimes a bit of breakfast, go straight aver to a group of children introduce themselves & start playing. These children have socialized/played with other children & have been given the freedom to express themselves. These are the ones who will have the confidence to ask questions, soak up new experiences. If asked to sit down at a table they do so, though they may ask why!

I have rules for safety reasons i.e. you do not go out of the gate without an adult knowing
Also:
You make a mess – you can help clean it up
You want anything you ask politely
You treat other children, how you want to be treated
You do not tell lies, steal or hurt anyone
You are gentle/kind to animals
You throw nothing that is not designed for that purpose
My way of caring for children, will not be the same as everyone’s, but it has resulted in the children in my care, developing into well balanced adults with strong opinions as to what they believe to be right or wrong.

Put them into prams in the garden, wrapped up +fly & cat nets, to sleep in the fresh air, whilst you were indoors. YES

Once fed, winded & changed, put them into cot/pram & if they cried, let them cry for a little while hoping that they would give up & go to sleep. YES

Feed your Babies 4hourly, no less than 3 & a half hours between feeds. NO FED THEM WHEN THEY WERE HUNGRY IF THEY WERE ASLEEP I NEVER WOKE THEM

When preparing their milk/puree – add sugar/salt NO

Make up feeds for 24hrs & put into the fridge
NO DIDN'T HAVE a FRIDGE IN THEM DAYS ANYWAY AND I ALWAYS MADE THEM FRESH EACH TIME



Put butter on teething rusks NO

Wind them by patting their backs YES BY RUBBING MORE THAN PATTING

Give their little ‘bots’ a bit of air – laying on a towel/blanket- on the floor with no nappy to kick YES FOR SURE

Put reins on Toddlers NO NEVER

Allow your children to watch TV for more than 1hour a day YES.

AND I AGREE WITH SOME OF THE OTHERS I DID NOT WRAP THEM IN COTTONWOOL THEY WERE ALLOWED TO GET DIRTY. AS LONG AS THEY HAD THEIR BATHS AT LEAST ONCE A DAY. WHATS WRONG WITH A LITTLE BIT OF THE GOOD EARTH.
NEVER DID MINE ANY HARM

Was I bad mother I don't think I was. My kids grew up to be good citizens and are bringing their own kids up to have good standards . I think kids of today are more spoilt than when I brought my kids up. But then i couldn't afford to spoil my kids as much as I didn't work.
I never worked until my kids were older so was always there for them as little ones.

Great Thread
Regards
Jackie

And commonsense put its head on the table and cried! Not only are our MPs on the gravy train but wonder how many millions are wasted in repairing and issuing reports that are either a load of tripe - or what those with any commonsense knew already! e.g. bleach, dettol, matrons and in house cleaners would get our hospitals clean.

I went on a course last month & we were told that we needed to provide more opportunities for the under 5's to experiment & investigate in the outdoor environment - i.e. Let them play in the dirt!
Ofstead are now saying that all children must be outside every day, the only exception is if the weather is extreme – hurricane. If they are well enough to be at Pre-school they are well enough to go out in the rain!

It was always reckoned one ate a 'peck' of muck before you die. My OH in 70's, plays 36 holes of golf per week - very active and apparently loved to eat garden worms when small. Wonder had his unusual diet contributed in any way to his good health and vigour?

Not a Grannie yet but will be end of Feb/ beginning of March next year.

Must admit I am guilty of a lot of things mentioned.

Should I report myself to Social Services?

Maybe not - I may not be allowed to let my grandchild air his/her bum, play outside and eat worms etc.

To be honest I think the reason a lot of children get so many tummy bugs etc is because everything is so sterile and they are not allowed to play outside, safely in the garden I might add. Maybe their "systems" are not building enough anti-bodies to ward off "bugs" etc.

There is nowt wrong with as bit of muck.

Libby

One of my tutors was actualy called Penelope Leach!

Maggie - our g.dau is 21 next week and as a little un aged 2 and less she used to refuse to go home with her mother so often we had to keep spare clothes/nightie! She still comes and stays overnight on her visits back from uni.

And horror of horrors I admit it - I violently abused my children by occasionally giving a smack on the bottom (not on bare skin but through clothes) - however in my defence I would say that without exception it was because they had broken rules which had been set up for their own safety. (do not pull guard away from fire, do not touch kettle, do tell parents if you go to play in friend's house).

Are parents no longer allowed to use their instinct?

Chris, I had Dr Spock - but compared him to Dr Jolly and Penelope Leach!!
I was what was considered a 'soft' mum.Fed them (when babies) on demand - better than sore boobs - hated hearing any other babies crying cos the reflex came in and I was wet!!
They slept in our bed if they wanted (although discouraged) - even bought a King size duvet to accommodate all four of us. I liked my sleep! In fact I think I ignored Dr Spock and, compared to the 'rules' nowadays I must have totally abused my children,

I treat my grand daughter the same way I treated my daughters. She feels so 'abused' she absolutely loves staying with me!!

maggie

Well my first child born 1958 so I did all of the aforementioned. However, did not have blenders in those days, so food was minced/mashed/cut up finely.

Many the umbrella I saw tied to a pram handle to make sure rain did not beat in!

If it was too cold to put baby out in fresh air I used to place child in his Silver Cross pram in the hall, well wrapped up and hood up to shelter from draughts (no central heating then).

Jan - a district nurse told me that tip about egg white in 1960 - when son was teething he would be changed about 11.00 p.m. and at 6. a.m. his bottie was red raw - his amonia was that strong your eyes stung! Have passed on the egg white tip many times - it works.

However I have seen Dr. Spock mentioned - I decided to ignore him completely and was very relieved I had done so when he admitted not all that long ago that he had been wrong! I worked on instinct.

I know I was a lot fitter too because I used to walk to and fro the town, up and down steep hills, with the baby in the pram and l8month old daughter in the pram seat on top......to think of me doing that now....

My DiL who has the new baby and two daughters, 2 and 4 1/2....brings them up much the same as we used to.....they walk to school, plenty of fresh air but too much watching CBeebies etc......but I keep my mouth shut because I don't know it all.....

Carole, I started NNEB training in the '70's and gave up because they were a bit 'This is is the way - any other way is wrong' for me. I had worked w'th special needs children whilst at school and asked awkward questions like 'How do you get chocolate off flock wallpaper' - the answer was 'An NNEB Nanny would never allow a child to get into such a situation' . It went on like this, like the child couldn't get dirty, so I left and had 2 very dirty children who had baths every night and were very happy.
I looked at books with my 2 - Dr Spock, Dr Jolly and Penelope Leach. Any problem, I would look at all 3 books and decide which one I would follow for that situation. Penelope Leach usually won!! LOL
maggie

I have never bought a babys wind up by patting the back.it gives them hic ups Annie

I did my NNEB in the late 1960’s, at a Residential Nursery.
Unless they were ill or the weather was bad, all of the babies spent their morning sleeping outside in their prams – if they cried they would be picked up, winded & changed if necessary. If the weather was bad they were in their cots (+ warm cardigan) windows wide open. In the afternoons they were on ‘The Kickers’, (large padded mats with a terry towelling cover)
We added half a teaspoonful of sugar to each bottle of formula – as per instructions on tin
All bottles of formula were made up for 24hrs by the night staff & left labelled in the milk fridge.
Purees were whatever was on the menu for everyone that day – salt was added by the cook
Our cook cut loaves into rusks & baked them in the bottom of the aga; we would butter the tips before giving to the baby.

Every Mother has her own way of caring for her baby – those TV programmes (Super Nanny etc), in my opinion are more likely to make mothers feel inadequate, than to give them any help!

I have never watched this new one, but it was this that we were discussing when I was told that many of the things I have done to a couple of generations of babies,my own & those I have been Nanny to, could be now classed as neglect/abuse!

I was also told, by a (childless) Health Visitor, that
'Babies do not need winding, they can bring up their own wind!'

I'll tell you something......I have recently had two new grandbabies, and another due soon......we went into Mammas and Pappas because we always buy a pram for the first grandchild of each child.....tradition in our family....

I could not believe the range, or the prices of stuff now......I liked the look of a wardrobe and it was £600.....I thought it was for the cot, chest of drawers and rocking chair as well....but no....

The shop was quite full, so there must be money around....my son showed me a tiny brown leather blouson jacket......£80.....I could go on....but you get the drift....

I am glad I was born when I was, MFI was good enough for my kids wardrobes, and Mothercare was expensive enough for me......