Things change over time, and what was common 30 or 50 years ago, is no longer considered safe. I never encountered accidents or serious incidents involving things that changed since then. I assume that people have changed their opinions based on some of those. One example was how babies were left to sleep without a crib.
No crib?
When I was younger, it was common to visit with a baby and have no crib for him. If the child was too young to sleep in a regular bed alone, I have seen parents just put chairs on each side of the bed to prevent the baby from falling.
In the living room
My grandma had some "chairs" in the living room that made for a modular couch, and two of those pieces had very high back and sides. Turning them to face the wall, would give a closed space for a child to sleep without the risk of falling over. Of course, if the child was older, they could climb out, but that is another story.
Baby strap
But the contraption that I remember as the most puzzling, was a baby strap. I am not sure what was the actual name for it, but it would consist of a long piece of thick fabric and with some smaller strips, would form a "harness" that would be attached around the child's body, and allow the child to roll to a certain degree. The ends of the thick strap was tied down to the mattress with safety pins.
No more
I have not seen such "harness" since my cousins were babies (about 40 years ago) and I sure can imagine how this contraption would be received now. Nevertheless, nobody ever got hurt, tangled or strangled. And no baby ever rolled off the beds!
Do you remember any strange contraptions or objects that are no longer in use anymore? What did we use and do back then, that would never be allowed anymore? Share your stories in the comments below.
