General Chat

Would you take a 4 day old baby in a buggy, on a bus to town on a cold day like today when it is damp and drizzly? there are so many bugs around at the moment. Mum, Dad, Gran, two under fives and a baby in a buggy. I did wonder if it was necessary for them all to go into town.

Not that theyw ere any trouble, not noisy or anything, it just felt as though baby should be still tucked up in the warm at home.


Then I thought..... goodness when mine were that age we were still ensconced in the nursing home!!!

Not unless I absolutely had to Ann, I'm not even taking ME into town on the bus today lol, it is foggy and very cold.

Yes, well I suppose they may have had to go in, but it did look as though they had just been shopping.

Well I saw a couple with 2 day old baby in Tesco! It was -10 that day and I could not belive my ears when I overheard them talking. What on earth could you possibly need in Tesco that hubby could not be sent forth to purchase......it beggars belief that anyone would feel like trudging out 2 days after giving birth!

Annx

Mo..........thats what we Nans do the best.......bite our tongues!

Times have changed for sure, I think mostly what I could not understand was taking the baby out in such extreme weather, after being snug in the womb only 48 hours earlier. I had little man to stay last night.........he comes with the inevitable list of instructions......which I have to say me & grandad dont take much notice of! lol............like we did not raise 2 children by ourselves, who I must say are both without any major hangups and are fit & healthy.

Annx

Annx

I just thought on a crowded bus with all the germs from swine flu and norovirus flying around, Mum must be vulnerable let alone baby.

Ann, according to my daughter new babies are immune from most viruses and bugs...........still it would not be my cup of tea!

There was a baby last week around 5months in hospital with swine flu....so that blows that theory!

Ann

I did take tiddler out at 5 days old and that would of been 20th December and it was because it was last day of school term and Laddo wanted to show his teacher his new little sister and I wanted to thank herfor card she sent us. Same teacher still at school and when she saw her at disco last month she looked atme and said cant beleive that is same baby.

But apart from that dont think she went out til well into new year but was well wrapped up in coat blankets in a high sided pram to keep cold out. Other two born in summer so not quite as bad but still didnt go out much til hubby went back to work after couple of week off looking after u and feeding us up. And yes he used to pop round corner if we hadrun out of anything so definitely didnt tae to supermarket.

When I had my daughter (25 years ago), we came home from hospital when she was 2 days old and a week later the midwife told me I could go out the following day - I had been going out all week (driving in the car) to pick older daughter up from school - no-one had told me I shouldn't be doing and I felt fine.

I am led to believe it is the mother this rule applies to - not the baby.

I must add it was not the cold temperatures we are having at the moment though.

I think many young and not so young mothers have no common sense when it comes to new babies, they stick them in a buggy which often has little protection against the cold, I mean it's like sitting in a canvas deckchair really and most don't put anything warm under the little one, they don't even seem to use those cosytoes things nowadays.

A few years ago I saw a young woman pushing a fancy buggy with a baby girl of just a few weeks dressed in a pretty dress, cardigan and short white socks, no blanket over her and it was snowing! I said to her that she needed to cover the baby up and of course got a mouthful for my cheek!
This woman was wandering down the main shopping street in Norwich and as someone who has childminded and baby sat for biggest part of my life, I just couldn't keep quiet. Another woman going in the opposite direction said to the woman, You should have more sense than to have her dressed like that, for heaven's sake put some warm clothes and a blanket on her. Needless to say the mother just walked off but I hope it made her think. You see little ones dressed to the nines in trendy gear but with no warm hat on or sensible shoes, and little short socks, poor little mites must be frozen.
Another thing that annoys me is seeing a baby in a buggy with no cover on and not much warm clothing but Mum and Dad have big thick jackets etc on, don't they realise how cold their babies will be as they are just lying there and not walking which keeps you warm.

As for taking a baby out when so small, it was silly of those people and I hope the baby didn't pick up anything horrible so it suffers now.

Lizx

I used to worry about my son getting cold round his legs as trousers always seemed to ride up and socks fell down, so I knitted little leg warmers to cover the gap, nice bright stripy ones out of oddments of wool, and made from a sweater sleeve pattern, so the cuff was the ankle and the fuller part I would cast off with rib again but not on such small needles as cuff. I probably have a couple of pairs still in with the baby stuff at home.

Call me old fashioned if you will,but I miss seeing babies warmly tucked up in a nice big pram,with warm blankets and a waterproof cover and hood.

And one of my pet hates, is the latest fashion of carting babies around in a car seat like so much shopping. Also,push chairs that face away from mum,I used to talk to my babies all through their walk,it was an ideal time to interact with them.

Then again,what do I know? I only brought up four.

The trouble is I don't think they make buggies that face the mother nowadays. I feel so sorry for the children, especially older ones who can't see their parents to talk to them, point things out etc.

The little one I was talking about was in a fairly substantial padded buggy. I couldn't see into it from where I was but it did appear to have plenty of blankets etc. However, one of the toddlers in the same family had a pink net ype dress on. Maybe they had been to a party or something but it was a strange time 2pm.

Annina and Ann, I am the same with wanting to see little ones well wrapped up and also hate the fashion of buggies that face away from the parent, there is no protection against wind or rain whereas the parent would block some wind, sun etc if child was facing them. I too think there is the lack of communication when a child is sitting isolated in it's buggy and often the mothers, young ones anyway, wear earphones so they can listen to their music with no thought of talking to their children who are usually closer to traffic fumes as well as open to the elements.
I often wonder if there is a link with this and all the adhd etc prevalent today. I only used a buggy that I was given if I went out with the car but for most walks, shopping trips etc I used the Silver Cross big pram (how I wish I hadn't sold it after) or a Silver Cross pushchair someone gave me, after my son grew out of the carrycot on wheels that I used when he was small.

You can get some pushchairs that are a bit more substantial than buggies that face the parents. You might laugh but a few months back when o.h.'s son and d.i.l. were expecting someone asked if I wanted a pushchair for them, a Silver Cross one, and only £10. It was immaculate, newer than the one I had for son but same style, and the base came off the chassis part for using in a car and boot but it was lovely, child facing the handles and higher off the ground, a proper apron and nice hood etc etc
Well I bought it and then was told by o.h. that they had had a buggy bought by his ex. so I didn't say a thing, just stored the Silver Cross pushchair away for when my son has children!
Even if he doesn't want it, I will be able to use it if I get to take baby out, just wish he would get a move on lol

Lizx

times HAVE changed!!
in my time,when I was young and the pram had finished baby carrying it was often remodelled into a coal carrier!!

and sumtimes into a go cart!!

When this oldie had my children I had to be in with baby for fourteen days until the midwife said we were b oth well enough to go out , baby in a "proper" pram with hood and apron, and if in winter, a hot water bottle at the foot of the pram wrapped in a blanket , and then my Mum wouldn't hear of me going to anyone's home until I had been "churched" I feel as though I am on a different planet these days or as I have b een told in a time wharp.

Or put by for the next occupant! You only got the wheels when the pram was redundant.
I had the midwife only once a week, fifty-two years ago. Our son was the only child born actually in a house in this street. He was born at my sisters. Since that time no child has been born at home here.

I have 32 coach built prams ranging from Osnath ,Silver Cross Marmet ,Manton and my favourite the London Baby Coach.
I have a dark green Marmet and a twin dolls pram to match.
When I go shopping with my granddaughter in the pram it takes twice as long.
People just have to have a push men as well as ladies.
During the really cold weather I took 2 3yr old's to play school in the pram with a hot water bottle at their feet.

Have a look at this for a trip down memory lane
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLZ80Fco0Wc

Oh what memories, Quoy, I wish I had kept my Silver Cross big pram, it was cream and brown and in fairly good condition. I had the sunshade too but forgot to give the woman who bought it, from Yarmouth, the white cover so she only got the metal bits with the green lining cover. I saw her ad and replied, got £35 for the pram in the 1990s. It had been given to me by a work colleague when I was pregnant with my daughter, I couldn't use it for her as she died so it went in my Mum's loft till my son arrived 8 years later.

When I was little, I had a tin pram, a very small one as I was only about 3, then I wanted a better one. My parents got me a cream sort of plastic fabric covered one which was like a carrycot shape, I remember being so very disappointed with it as I had hoped for a 'proper' pram shape. That would have been in the early/mid 50s and I seem to recall it being made by Tansad? I suppose it was the best they could get for the money they had, I always got cheapo things like my Walkie talkie doll, straight off the back of Norwich market and not as nice as those my friends had.
The pram ended up splitting and going all sticky when the hood was left folded down for some time and the creases stuck together. No idea what happened to it later on, probably chucked out or given to a relative as lots of my things were.

Lizx

In the garden is a small white tin pram with a pink plastic flowery hood.
Under the stairs are 2 Tansads the folding up ones 1 blue 1 red ,in the dining room are 2 silver cross's one green one blue

now depending on what mood /clip clop shoes my 3 yrd olds are in will decide which pram they want to take to the shop

Hi Quoy, It was only the hood that folded up and down on my Tansad pram. the rest was just like a carrycot, but maybe it had a foot part that moved like a pushchair, I can't remember now, it was over 50 years ago lol

My tin pram would have been second hand from the 1940s.

I did buy from a bric a brac shop some years ago, a wicker pram for a doll, a toddler could push it easily but it wouldn't last long with a child bashing it into things, it's basket work and in good condition.

Enjoy your lovely prams and hope the children enjoy their walk out.

Lizx