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

My grandmother used to talk of babies sleeping in bottom drawers. They had big solid bedroom furniture so I don't think it would be the same today. She always did home work, lace making and plastic raincoats for M&S. My grandfather called it slave labour. Life got easier when they got a Council house with a coal fired range. The street they lived in called Dag Lane was condemned and pulled down. My mother talked about her mother cooking on a griddle and she bought them their first fridge in the early 1960s (she had to tell them not to tell my father). I remember the old mangle but they had a big garden to hang things out. Life was hard but a lot easier than for their own parents.

I so hated having to keep washing all those cloth nappies, having them hanging around in a bucket until there was enough to wash and scraping the poo off them!! I think your baby could survive being left in the house or within your sight in the garden though while you hang your washing out! Mine used to sleep in the garden in their carrycot type pram for hours with the dog lying beside her.

I was born in 1937, in a Cornish village, now famous as the home of Doc Martin, two up, two down. No running water inside and a loo in the yard at the back. Bathed in a small tin bath in front of the coal stove, the only means of heating water and cooking. Only two electric lights were downstairs, put in by the landlord and if we wanted more we had to pay for them ourselves. I remember the parafin lamp that acted as a nightlight upstairs. My parents rented it for 2 shillings and sixpence a week. It's just sold for £350,000!!

Fast forward to 1961 when my first baby turned out to be two....both boys. Born in hospital as I had problems before they were born, Second one made determined efforts to go back to heaven all the first year. No parents within two hundred miles, husband went out the door on a Monday and returned Friday night! Terry nappies....for two....bottle fed...but we did have a single tub washer with a wringer. Second hand twin pram with a baby at each end and a tray underneath for the shopping. They went straight into cots....both second hand as we hadn't room for Moses Baskets as well. We had no central heating, I remember the ice on the inside of the babies bedroom window, and Anthony coughing away and slowly turning blue! Richard never slept through the night til he was 18 months. The one thing I remember above all else is how tired I was.

Next one was born in 1963...a daughter, no problem from the start...pretty much the same routine except that now I had three to push up the hill. Then in 1968 another daughter.....by which time I had figured out what I was supposed to be doing....and also where they were coming from!!! The older ones were at school....it was an absolute doddle after the twins. Looking back I wonder how on earth I didn't go bonkers, but in those days you just got on with things. Now they are 57, 55,and 50 respectivly and I adore them all....and the grandchildren they have given me.

In the 70’s I had 3 babies under 4 1/2, all planned and it was the best time of my life. I was very methodical and organised, I had to be, and like you took so much pride in my babies appearances with home knitted clothes from both my Mum and my Nan. I would find a lovely pattern, usually out of one of their collections from the 40’s, and within a week it would appear. I passed all their clothes down, my daughter even had her brothers shirts with lace sewn all round the collars and cuffs ! Going out was a military manoeuvre ! Baby in the big Silver Cross pram, won no:2 in the toddler seat on top, son no:1 on reins toddling along at the side. Luckily our big garden backed onto beautiful woodland with lakes, so we didn’t have to go far for walks, the swings, feeding the ducks etc Wonderful days, wonderful memories.

I was born in 1948 and remember well the babies that came after me, three sisters, and also my own experience. No central heating, no washing machine, no fridge, one car which Dad used for work. Mum never worked. She had a big copper which you heated up with a gas pipe and a ringer, and a hugely long washing line. A marble shelf in the larder to keep things nice and cold, with an open window with a fine grill over it for air circulation. We had coal fires and paraffin fires in the bedrooms and some houses had electric heaters fitted to the walls. The bathroom was no go in the winter as it was freezing. Everyone washed in the kitchen. If we had a bath, the paraffin heater went in for half an hour first! I and my sisters all had big coach built prams which were warm and delicious to ride in. Hand knit clothes, and knitted blankets. and clothes made on the machine. My Mum and my Nan were brilliant at making really pretty white flannel dresses with embroidery all round the skirts and smocking across the front. Mum and Dad sat in front of the coal fire in the evening, listening to the radio, and us children snuggled under our feather eiderdowns and blankets. You could break the ice off the windows inside when you woke in the morning. We had lovely warm blanket type babygrows too. We were happy, but I guess lots weren't. I lived in South London where a lot of bomb damage was around. Great big craters that you had to negotiate with the big bassinett pram. If the sun was shinging, babies always went out in the pram with the apron up and the cat net on, after the breakfast feed. Even in the winter. They slept like logs in the fresh air! Mum could then get on with the days chores, nappy washing, sweeping, Ewbanking (no hoovers). After the morning two hour nap, it would be a quick walk to the shops to get something for dinner, (no supermarkets) just bakers, butchers, greengrocers etc. They all knew eachother and their customers, so lots of time for chats on local matters, and when the ration books would finish. Then back home to prepare dinner and a rest with baby. In my area (Croydon) no one went without and we were all happy!! The local welfare attached to the Doctors saw to it that everyone was OK. We ate things like Herrings and Mackeral, Lamb, Beef and some chicken. Lots of Veg and fruit. Rationing was a pain, but we could sometimes scrape an egg and bacon pie for tea which was a treat. Sweets were rare. and desserts not very often. Custard, tinned fruit and Jelly were about the best you could get.

My first was born in '87 after 10 yrs of trying. This was quiet late compared to some of you. We were fortunate to be living in a 3 bed semi with a large garden. We're still there now.
H was working shifts so was around to help some of the time. I also had my mum 10 min drive away.
I had a c-secection and was in for 10 days. I tried breast feeding but had no milk. DH loved to bottle feed her and was usually the one to make up the bottles.
I used terry nappies for her and DH was very adept at changing her. I would wheel her into the garden to watch me whilst I hung the terries out to dry. I could never get her to nap in the garden though. She was a good sleeper and slept through the night from 6 wks of age. Mum had knitted matinee coat bonnet and mits sets in different colours, she also knitted a beautiful circular shawl and adapted a pattern to make a long jacket to match the shawl which she wore for her christening.
I had passed my driving test a couple of months prior to being pregnant (DH has never learnt) so mum bought us what would now be called a travel system for the car. Horrified now to think that I would strap the carrycot in the back using the seat belt with DD laying in it
I did home assembly work from the time she was 8 mths. This involved screwing chunky lumps of plastic (think big lego) together, DD would sit in her highchair watching me and playing with the pieces.
I took her to mother n toddler from about 12 mths and made a circle of friends who would meet at each others houses for coffee and play dates. No meeting at Costa or where ever back then.

My boys were born 1965,67,69. Twin tub washing machine, terry nappies (two in nappies at one time). The three of them had a nap from 11 a.m. - 12.30 and that was when I did what I needed to do. After lunch we went for a walk to the village, one in the pram, one sitting on the pram ( a lovely coach built one which my father bought for us) and one in my hand. They were all tucked up by 7.00 pm.m so we had the evening to ourselves. I was as happy as a sandboy, but of course I did not work. We were never in debt but found it difficult to make ends meet.

My first baby was born in 1976. We lived in a flat in Germany and I had no family for support. I had a twin tub washing machine to wash the nappies but had to dry them on radiators, so they were hard. I only had 12 nappies so it was a constant worry that I would run out of clean ones. There were disposables available but I couldn't afford them. My first pram was a carry cot that sat on wheels. when out in the car we put the carry cot and baby on the back seat. No safety harness! When our baby was six months old we came back to UK. My mum bought us a gorgeous Silver Cross pram, and my dad bought us a Britax car seat. Life certainly picked up then.

Had my first son in 1977. DH was in the services and we were in Germany at the time, so no family around to ask for advice. Was in military hospital for 5 days then DH collected me and baby, dropped us at home then returned to work. He came home that evening to find me sitting on the stairs with baby, both crying our eyes out.
Terry nappies which when changed ended up having to change all the bedding as well because it took me quite a few days to realise I had forgotten to use the plastic pants over the nappies. Soaked in buckets of Napisan then boiled in a large saucepan on top of the cooker. (Same saucepan eventually went to university with son!)
Baby used to travel in a carry cot on the back seat of the car, carry cot strapped in but not the baby.
Second son born in 1980 was a lot easier as by then knew more what to do. Happy days!

The first time I took my eldest child in his pram round the corner to the newsagents, I parked the pram outside, went in and when I came out I walked nearly all the way home without him. The pram and baby were still there when I ran back.

This was in 1965.

My first baby was born in 1969 and we were already buying our first home, a 3 bedroom semi. Few had CH back then but things were improving fast. We had a baby belling to boil terry nappies and a twin tub gas powered washing machine. I sterilised bottles in a Mothercare plastic box and washed all surfaces including floors with Milton. I consulted " Dr Spock" book daily ( alternative to google) and my babies survived . Mothercare was an important baby shop back then, it had everything I needed. More baby foods were coming onto the market to support home cooking and were great for those first tastes.

For those early terry nappies, I bought liners, huge safety pins, a water proof pant with elasticated legs and I had a system of initial sterilisation before boiling and thoroughly rinsing before hanging on the clothes line. Until I got a tumble drier!
Otherwise babies are still the same. They wants lots of love and care and protection from germs grin

Reading through replies, yes there was a LOT of boiling nappies going on!

My two were born in the 80s as well, ninathenanna, my DS in 1980 when I stayed in hospital for 7 days (you did in those days) and my DD in 1983 when I chose to stay in for 5 days as it was the only way I knew I’d get any sort of break. I was with Husband No. 1 then, and he was somewhat tight fisted and selfish so I had to ask around friends who kindly gave me a carrycot type pram and one who loaned me a cot, which she had back once baby number 2 had outgrown it. I had a second hand twin tub, terry nappies went in to soak and the kitchen smelt of the ammonia from them. I went out for the day when DS was about 10 months old and came back to find that H1 had not given him anything to eat all day and his rubber pants had wee sloshing around in them because my selfish H1 hadn’t thought to change or feed him. I didn’t do that again!

MargaretinNorthant How lovely to have grown up in Port Isaac. Do you ever see your house on Doc Martin?

Yes so much nappy boiling, it was a point of honour to have a line full of spotless white nappies blowing in the wind.
No tumble driers then so if it was raining nappies were drying all over the house. Oh the joys. I remember we had a gas fire fitted to replace our open coke fire, it was such bliss to be able to switch it on and get immediate heat.

I was born in 1951 and my sister in 1956, so the things I remember from when my sister was a baby will be much what OP's grandmother did.

Nappies drying all over the place, as we had a washing machine but no spin dryer and not even an airing cupboard. In the Glasgow area it rains pretty constantly, so washing was hung out then brought in when the rain came on, hung out again and so on. My sister's muslin nappies, used inside a terry towelling one, were ironed. My mother bought an ironing machine to cope with the nappies - probably the terry towelling ones were ironed too. The ironing machine was still in working order in 2009 when we cleared my parents' house after my father died.

I well remember the scare when we thought my three month old sister had swallowed a nappy pin! She hadn't. Later on, she nearly choked herself in her cot harness!

When she was very little she slept in a Moses basket, which had a bamboo frame on castors. The basket could be lifted off and the baby bath put on instead. The bath was of lacquered paper maché painted white inside and green on the outside.

Her pram was the last word in high-tech as the body could be lifted off the frame and the frame collapsed so it could go into the boot of the car!

There was nearly five years between our ages, so her first potty was plastic, mine had been enamel and the set of beakers with pictures on the bottom that you could build a tower with that she was given was made of soft plastic, mine were hard plastic.

I was a post war baby, but still remember rashion books, it was 1954 when rashioning finally finished, I was 7 then. I was often sent out for errands to a couple of the little shops nearby, were the shopkeepers knew us all by name. We took the ration books with us, and I was completely fascinated watching the shopkeepers cutting out the appropriate coupons and then telling us to be sure to look after the books safely until we got home.
Washing days consisted then of a built in copper in the kitchen with a coal fire beneath it, once all the whites were boiled up in it, the washing was then transferred to a dolly- tub, a metal barrel shaped item about the same size as one, more hot water added to it ,and the washing pummelled then with something called a dolly-stick ( looked like a 3 legged milking stool with a long handle). Finally was rinsed and put through a wringer to squeeze out the water, then hung outside on the line to dry. Rainy days were terrible as the washing still needed doing but had to be draped around the big Yorkshire Range fireplace on a line above it and on a big wooden clothes horse in front of it. That took all the heat away from everyone as there was no central heating. One of the bedrooms had a fireplace in it but the only time it was used was for home births, no-one could afford the luxury of having it lit at other times.
All of our jumpers and cardigans were hand knitted by my mother, and our aunties would often make us one for our birthdays. Another auntie who liked sewing sometimes made us a dress or skirt if she had any spare material. I was taught to knit when I was 9 and became very good at it, as I really enjoyed doing it and still do. Later on learnt to sew and crochet and found all these skills useful when I became a parent myself in the 60s.
When my own children were babies I had to boil the terry nappies in a bucket on the gas stove, then wring them out by hand as no wringer, or spin -drier, eventually got a Baby Burco boiler and a spin drier and thought I was well off. The downside was living in an upstairs flat with a shared garden and trailing up and down all the time with the washing and the pram, as the landlady would not allow the pram to be kept in her hallway.
Eventually moved to a house before baby no.2 arrived and that made life easier in some ways. Had acquired a fridge by now and thought how lucky I was. Still just the one coal fire though ...no central heating or double glazing. Look back fondly at these times ...lots of happy memories despite the hard physical work involved.

No I have never seen my house on Doc Martin, I always look though. We are going down in November when all the "Emmetts" aka holiday makers..... it means Ants... have gone home. I still have relatives there, but the village is not what it was when I was a child. The hill I lived on had about 40 houses on it occupied all year round, now there is only one, and the rest are holiday homes. Of course it was war time then and though happy days for us kids, worrying times for our parents. Many of the men went into the navy, including my Dad who was in submarines.

What a fascinating insight into a life gone by and the technical age we live in now. We all seem to have just got on with it as we didn't know any different. Health and Safety these days would be horrified at some of the things we did - we once borrowed my dad's car when my son was a couple of months old to go somewhere and he was put on the back seat in his wicker carry cot - not even strapped in. When my husband had to brake suddenly the basket fell off the seat - luckily he was fine. Now I even strap my cat's carrier in!

I've really enjoyed reading these. I too had my girls in 1979 81 and 83, and was regarded as an older mum. I had Terry nappies too as disposable ones were not that widely available. If I remember rightly they were called Paddi pads. Nothing like today ones.
I was a stay at home mum and wouldn't have changed that. I did sew from home to supplement my income. These were happy days. I feel it's sad that mums are expected to go back to work even if they don't really want to. I think parenting is a very important job and should be considered so.

As a child living in the 50s, my mother wouldn’t of course had a latte after hanging out the nappies, but would certainly had a cup of tea, standard staple to get het through the day.

I feel well and truly old now! My eldest daughter was born in 1957 (the dark ages according to some of these posts!!) I had excellent maternity care, went into a maternity ward for my first baby- did have to stay 2 weeks and no husbands at the birth - seems archaic now! I was able to have 2 of my next babies at home - which was wonderful. I had a twin tub washing machine and apart from having to wash towelling nappies(ugh!) things weren’t a lot different to my daughters’ experiences. I went back to teaching (supply and home tutoring) after 18months and also went back after having my subsequent 3 children. Apart from no scans I think the ante natal classes, baby care classes, talks and visits from midwives and health visitors seemed to be more frequent and caring than those available to my great grand daughter who will be giving birth in 2 months - I hope she gets care as good as mine was!

I had our only child in 1974 after a traumatic birth. Sadly I developed post natal depression. My doctor said ‘I don’t want to know why you are depressed but here are some tablets, come back in 6 weeks’.

I felt ashamed of my illness but was so grateful to have a kind, caring husband.

Those first years were miserable. Then when my son started talking to me we started to build a wonderful bond that lasts to this day.

I wondered how I would cope as a grandmother. The good news was that I was besotted and still am with both my GSs. I suddenly realised this was the feeling most Mums get when they have a new baby. It just took me longer than most to achieve those wonderful feelings.

1st daughter born in 1960 at home as nearby New town filled the maternity unit. So, although my mother was around I was up and running the home within 3 days and so sore after tears and no stitches, couldn't sit without pain for about 6 months.
No car, so two mile walk into town for shopping and two miles back. No wonder I was so slim.
At least I had a twin tub but no central heating and coal fire with boiler behind for hot water.
Much better experience with 2nd birth in 1972 with 10 day stay in Hospital and properly stitched!
I took great pride in how my daughters were dressed and their pram sets were so smart.