Taking Babies for Walks, in the 1950's.

annep my close friends and my parents-in-law have all done their best to encourage me to write a book; my life has been very interesting and there have been some dramatic happenings. The truth is that of course there are many things that I would change if I could, but my early years and subsequent difficulties have moulded me into the woman I am today and I quite like who I am (always room for improvement though). The other major factor would be that there have been so many 'traumatic' events in my life that I'm sure people would think I was making things up!
Seamus89 - yes, very similar. Those 5lb of potatoes, (peeled with a blunt knife!) seemed to take forever to do and were so dirty because I didn't learn to peel them in water until I was about 11 or twelve. By age 9 I was an expert at changing a wriggling baby's nappy on my knee. Like you I also escaped into a book and won a place at what was then called a Direct Grant Grammar School, but my mum refused to send me as there was too much additional expense, so I went to the local state grammar instead and fell behind because I had so much time off to 'look after the baby'.
I mentioned this thread to my (very middle class) mother-in-law this evening and she was horrified - she'd never heard of such a thing as parents giving over their babies to children. We decided it was a particular sub-culture in some working class areas.

We moved to Essex in 1980 and I wanted to take my pram into the local post office which I had been accustomed to in our previous village. The shop keeper refused to let me at first and when I insisted, he followed me round to check I wasn’t shoplifting. Made collecting child benefit a miserable experience.?

Actually, our parents had heard of child abuse, but it was perfectly safe to leave a baby in a pram or push-chair outside a shop. My mother made quite certain by tying the dog's lead to the pram handle when my sister was a baby! Although I think you were still allowed to take the dog into the butcher's shop in the mid 1950s.

This must have been done only in working class families, I’d never heard of it until a young girl knocked my door and asked to take out my baby. We had just moved to Wales and I was horrified to find twelve years old pushing prams, toddlers turned out to play in the streets and children off to school as soon as they turned four. I thought I’d been transported back to 1920 but now, of course, all our children start school at four.

My mum volunteered me for babysitting when I was about 12/13, when I arrived I was horrified to find there was an actual baby involved! The parents told me the milk was in the fridge and off they went. Poor baby woke up and I duly gave her the bottle, except she was expecting it to be warm and of course I had no idea why she was so totally outraged! I didn't go near the nappies either! What were they all thinking of? I had never held a baby let alone take responsibility for one?!!

Yes, I too, used to put my babies out into the garden in the pram, for some fresh air (complete with cat-net, of course!) And leave the pram outside shops.

When I told my daughter this, she was horrified! "I could have been stolen!"

"Oh no, you were far too ugly!" (Not very happy with my excuse ...)

But from today's perspective, I too, am 'horrified' that we used to do this. I can only assume that we heard so little about child sexual abuse, or child snatching, and were blissfully unaware of the dangers.

Grannyactivist...
I had a similar childhood, being the eldest of 7 and carer for each of my siblings after I was about 4. It was relentless hard work...I was a small child and often struggled to lift the babies in and out of the pram and , harder, the bath. I also remember having to peel 5 lbs of potatoes nearly every evening and learning how to use the pressure cooker when I could hardly reach the hob..my mother was ill and after she had a heart attack when I was 10 , I was responsible for all the meal planning and housework...my brothers did nothing.
I escaped in my imagination by reading whenever I had time, I was bright and won a scholarship to a public school but could not really use that advantage as I never had time for homework and fell behind. My teenage years were traumatic and I think being made to take on so much as a child and young adult limited my socialization so I became very shy. I never expected to marry or have my own children and frankly was scared of the commitment
I empathize with the PP who said her friend didn't bond with her child, I found the early years very difficult.
Anyway...thankfully I learned to love them but I didn't teach them to cook and I didn't want them to do housework so that was probably a big mistake....
They are now grown and flown and are lovely people and I have had counselling to come to terms with my childhood..which in the 50's was probably not very unusual

Yes I remember doing this a lot. I think we would be arrested now??

Yes , we all did this in the 50's although everyone knew everyone where I lived .
In a similar vein , my mother was caring for my baby back in 1970 . She walked the pram (plus baby ) into town and left it outside the post office .
When she got home she sat down with a cuppa , read the paper , did the crossword then started preparing Dad's lunch . Suddenly she remembered she had been caring for my son . Ran back to the post office where he was sitting happily in his pram . And no one had who had seen him had been in the least bit concerned . Very different times

Yes,remember doing that with neighbours' babies. I had a sister who was 15 years older than me so at 10 years I was basically allowed to take my baby niece to the park, babysit whilst sister popped to the shop. Were we more responsible as children then, I think so both for ourself and others. Today children are so smothered in case the hurt themself, not allowed to just make do. How many of us came home from school had a white bread jam sandwich as was out playing. Heavens above, that would be neglect now.

Very interesting thread - I wonder what Mumsnet members think of it?

My mum had a "late" baby when I was 12 and I used to race home from school to walk her to the park whilst mum started the evening meal,my friend used to knock and take her neighbours baby with us.
We would spend the whole of the school holidays in the park with the babies having our own special picnics.

grannyactivist I'm sure you could write an interesting book of your childhood. I would love to read it.

My husband was the youngest of 6. My MIL never tired of telling us about when she only had 3 children, she asked the 2 oldest, both boys, to take their baby sister for a walk in her push chair. They took her to a local beauty spot called Carr Wood (think trees and steep grassy slopes). After suffering Jean`s non stop crying all ,afternoon, they apparently snapped and pushed her push chair down one of the steep grassy slopes, then went home, leaving her there. On arriving home, MIL asked them where Jean was, they shrugged their shoulders and said "Jean who?" The finally said what they`d done, FIL rushed to Carr Wood, Jean`s push chair was still there, on it`s side, Jean strapped in, still bawling!

I was thinking about this the other day. I don't remember feeling caring towards the baby. It was something my friends did. Thank goodness she slept all the way.

When I was 11 my older cousin had a baby. We lived in Ealing and they lived in Chiswick. At weekends and in the holidays I used to walk there and then take the baby for a walk along Chiswick High Road. No wonder I was so skinny then. That baby is now 64 and living in France

I used to be sent to walk my baby sister to get her to sleep , walked round to the library , went in came our reading my book ...................... yep walked home , screams of "where is the pram " , I lifted my dazed face from the story ... What pram ?I wasn't let forget that ever lol

"Can you remember how we used to leave the baby and pram outside the shop "
That reminds me of when I was a remedial reading teacher. There was a ?10 yr. old girl in one of my groups who took a baby from a pram outside a shop and took it home to her Mum. Luckily the Mum had more sense and took the baby to the police station where it was re-united with its mother.

Yes Bluebelle, everyone did it -I think the prams were too big to take into the shops! I used to come put of the shop to find old ladies leaning over the pram admiring the baby. We were certainly encouraged to leave the baby out in the garden for fresh air (with a cat net!)
My D and DiL would have 40 fits if I left a baby outside a shop even for 30 secs!!

No I never took a baby out or a dog for that matter blimey I must have led a sheltered life
Can you remember how we used to leave the baby and pram outside the shop when we went in to buy stuff though?

Yes my friend who lived opposite and I used to take a neighbour's baby for a walk in its enormous pram (guess we were about 10) to the local park which was a long way away ...gone for hours, be she never said Where have you been ? also used to take the local Old English Sheepdog belonging to the local shopkeeper for a walk every day (paid 2/6d a week ..a fortune in the late 50's !) used to take it round the country lanes, through fields of cows, for a paddle in the brook (no one told me cows don't like dogs !) When I used to return hours later, the owner would say I don't know where you take that dog but he is so exhausted he sleeps until morning....

Oh yes-it was the thing to do in our street as well!! I was very lucky as we had a young family next door to us and I was allowed to take the youngest little boy out-his older brother wasn't as popular as he wasn't as cute-poor thing. I also helped at bath time and used to go round every day after school-my mum used to knock on the adjoining wall to tell me to come home for tea. I would do anything for the young mum next door but never helped my own mum-I remember doing her ironing and washing up-it must have been a bit like playing at house. They moved to Scotland after a couple of years and I used to go for my holidays and eventually took my husband and our children too- she was like the big sister I never had and I learned such a lot from her.

I had forgotten about the times I took the baby from across the road out in the pram complete with its older sibling in tow. Their mum had four children and was glad of a break! I also taught one of the children to read when I was 7 and she was about 4! Sometime these posts bring back long forgotten memories.

Ohhh YES! I had forgotten and thank you Lyndiloo for this post, it has set me back years ...remembering!

When I was growing up we lived in two story flats in London. There was a communal garden and babies were put out in their prams (presumably to what? air?) Older children would take the babies and prams for 'walks. Now we may have asked? but not totally sure... So us 9/10/11 year olds would just take a baby and pram for a walk around busy roads near Kilburn High Road.

I also remember regularly taking my 18 month old brother on the tube (at 11).....finding a transport cafe and stopping for a drink. (so I must have been given money from someone) My mum and I speak about this now and wonder WTF??? Mum, who is so over cautious with her grands and great grands can't actually believe she let me! (she feels my 14 year old niece is too young to go into town alone) All she says is "well I must have trusted you" but as you say...changed days.

Going back to mum's childhood - kids as young as 4 and 5 used to be sent to the off licence for jugs of beer!!!!! (incredible but true) My grandparents owned an off licence and it was considered normal.

I was obviously not very maternal as a child as I preferred taking the dog for a walk.
Not as scary as a baby!