7 Bits About Baby Gear – 2015 vs. 1985

I just became a member of the grandmother club. This magical experience brings back many memories of my own babies, and it seems like just yesterday that we were preparing our nursery for the first time.

My grandchild’s home is filled with baby gear that would have seemed otherworldly, when I had my own children in the 1980s. So, I thought it would be fun to do a comparison of 2015 baby gear to that from 1985. Here we go:

1. Swaddle blankets – Wrapping the baby up like a burrito is standard practice today. I think it’s supposed to make the baby feel more secure. There are a few different ways to swaddle. There’s even an actual swaddling apparatus with Velcro, which is pretty nifty. In the olden days, we used receiving blankets just for warmth—and cuteness.

2. Fancy swings – Today’s “swings” offer several different motion patterns and music. Some can be operated with an iPhone. In the 1980s, we had a swing that hung from an A-frame and operated by crank, which would give, at best, 20 minutes of swinging. Once stopped, getting it going activated the infant’s startle reflex, which resulted in the opposite of the desired effect.

3. Apps for nursing – Nowadays, you can time feeding duration, keep track of sides, and set alerts with nursing apps. We used to guesstimate which side was fuller and start there. When the baby cried, we knew it was time for the next feeding.

4. Trees and grass for feeding supplies – All those nipples and bottles can now hang out in a soft, “grassy,” field. A tree accessory accommodates nipples. For us, a dishtowel became part of the kitchen-counter scene, or we’d throw the feeding apparatus in a special dishwasher basket. Some people owned countertop electric sterilizers.

5. Car seats – Now they have baby travel “systems.” You can buy a couple of bases for each of your cars, so the car seat, featuring a handy-dandy carrying handle clicks right in. There’s also a stroller base that the car seat attaches to, and off you go. For our first kid, we had one car seat, forward-facing, from day one until the child graduated to only a seatbelt.

6. Gliders – The first time I heard someone mention a glider in relation to a baby I thought they were talking about those outdoor metal gliders. Gliders are like comfy rocking chairs that move back and forth instead of rock. There are matching ottomans, too. In 1985, if your rocking chair had a cushion tied to it, you were fancy.

7. Video monitors – Today, you can view the baby from the kitchen or Katmandu. In 1985, we thought we were high-tech with an audio-only monitor that plugged into the wall and emitted and irritating buzz caused by interference. Sometimes, we actually heard baby sounds through it.

There you have it. Seven baby-gear comparisons from 1985 to 2015. Have you found others? Share them with us!

I’m having fun discovering the developments in baby care that have happened since my own kids were small. And I can’t wait to hear the little one call me “Gammie.” Although, I’ve been told by veterans of the grandmother club, that he will call me whatever he wants, and I will love it.

Ann Silverthorn writes about a wide variety of topics in numerous genres. She’s currently working on a biography of William E. Dimorier (1871-1951), a nearly forgotten poet and educator, who dedicated his life to the betterment of young people.

Twitter: @annsilverthorn

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