You can easily say that this generation is much different from the last. There are always older people telling us that we spoil our children today and that when they were little, they would get slapped for misbehaving or made fun of for being left-handed — and they would be fine with it. That attitude doesn’t fly as much today.
There are tons of vintage photos that show how growing up used to be back in the old days. These 75 photos prove that things are much different for parents and children today!
“Me Back In 1991 Just Your Typical Aussie Kid Drinking Xxxxlight Beer (I Wasn’t Aloud Heavies Back Then) And Holding A Baby Crocodile.” Just a toddler drinking beer — not cool!
2) Casually smoking a cigar
“Me again, 1958, relaxing after my bath with Toby, I was never again this cool.”
“If Your Mum Didn’t Lay On The Ground Making Herself Into A Ramp For Your New BMX, Did She Even Love You? 1980’s.”
“My Mother And Grandmother Demonstrating Safety Standards In The 1960s.”
This is not an ideal seat for a baby. She’s practically being thrown up in the air already!
6) Really promoting safety here
7) Never too early for a cigarette
“A Photo Of Me Dressed Up As My Dad, With My Dad (1982).”
“Strange 1950s advertisement for cellophane. Guess child safety wasn’t an issue back then?”
“My Father And His Pet Lion Priscilla, California 1970’s.”
It was also to be believed that being left-handed was a sin. To try and reverse it, they would use a cast that disabled the use of the left hand. This was obviously painful and would not fly today.
11) This kid is having a taste…
“13 Y/O Dad Having A Taste While The Grownups Are Busy Playing Cards; Upstate New York, August 1954.”
No care in the world. Pipe in hand.
13) My, how the tables have turned
“Despite what her dog might think, this lady is doing parenting wrong.”
14) Children playing in literal trash
“Children playing in ruins or in clunkers, in a part of New York City that looks like an european distric after the World War II…”
“Infant Me, My Mother & Father At A Bar Because That’s How Parents Rolled In The Early ’80s.”
“Harley With A Baby Seat, 1962.”
17) Taking the baby for a… bike ride?
This is what they called an ingenius idea back in the day?! They overlooked safety big time here.
“My Hilarious Father (With The Magazine) And My Grandfather, Grandmother, And Uncle At His Bar Mitzvah In 1972.”
“My mom showing off her parenting skills, 1978.”
This is a big no-no! That baby is directly in harm’s way! This is a very risky thing to do.
Why not carry your toddler around in a bag…
23) More drinking and smoking
“Princess Yvonne And Prince Alexander In Germany, 1955.”
It was also believed that you shouldn’t show your kids too much affection. No cuddling, no extra loving… Thank gosh that trend is over!
“My dad showing off his parenting skills, 1985.”
Yes, just hand a kid a gun. Nothing could possibly go wrong!
“A Couple Ice Skating With Their Baby, 1937.”
Um, we don’t think that tiny little toddler belongs hanging off the back of that bike.
The baby never
did come back down…
31) Very unsafe driving conditions
“Car Seat Safety In 1958. Not Strapped In To Anything, These Seats Relied On The Mother To Put Her Arm Out And Stop The Baby From Falling Forward.”
“My Dad And His Veterinarian Mother, With Their Pet Lion Which They Raised For Two Years, 1959.”
33) A smoke right after giving birth
“My Mom In The Hospital After Giving Birth To My Sister. Canada 1978. Smokes And Roasted Chicken.”
We don’t see any safety precautions being taken here…
35) Marijuana initiative rally
“California Marijuana Initiative Rally 1972. That’s Me In The Box And My Parents In The Picture.”
Apparently, back in the old days, mothers were told not to have any bad thoughts while they were pregnant. It was believed that if they did, their child would turn out to be a nuisance.
Is that a crib that is covered in guns? We have never been more confused.
More like one big metal bar. Seems legit.
39) At least this baby is wearing a helmet
This vintage carseat is actually kind of cute, but still! Dangerous!
40) What baby carseats used to look like
“Baby car seat from the 1950’s. This is my brother, Kenny. Born in 1956.”
“My Mother-In-Law Riding A Bear At 2 Years Old.”
What is it with these carseats? Why did we think they were a good idea?!
Back then, you also had to choose wisely when thinking of what to name your baby. No “soft” names allowed. What even is a soft name? That would not fly today!
44) Those don’t look like fish
“The Pinnacle Of Parenting: 1930s Swimming Lesson.”
“Just A Photo Of Yours Truly (At 11 Years) Petting A Full Grown Tiger. My Mom Calls It Her ‘Bad Parenting Moment.’”
Must be super reliable! (We’re being facetious.)
“Vintage advertising — found in my mother’s basement, flea markets and various corners of the Internet — dusted off and displayed for your viewing pleasure.”
This mother and her child were posing next to the Statue of Liberty… Before it was even unpacked.
49) Smoke for a “low birth weight”
“A cigarette company is trying to influence a pregnant mother to smoke their brand of cigarettes because they taste good and because it will make the baby skinnier when it is born.”
“Back In The Day. 1960s To Be Exact. Checkout That Car Seat.”
Pushing soda on toddlers right when they are born. Perfect.
We know arranged marriages still happen today, but did you know that back then, parents used to promise their children to other families when they were only
infants?
“What do you do when your baby wants some fresh air but you can’t leave the home? Place your bundle of joy in a cage shoddily attached to an open window of course.”
55) Leave your baby alone
It was also believed that you should leave your baby alone with no time limit. You didn’t even have to check on them if you didn’t want to. Sounds like a great place to grow up.
56) Soda for the average toddler
“Once upon a time, not only did manufacturers not care what we did with their product, they seemed to build entire ad campaigns around tempting us to use them to kill our children.”
“My adorable mother (4 year old) mother at a zoo in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 1970.”
Ho Chi Minh City is commonly known as Saigon.
Just hanging…
out of a car. It’s fine. Everything is fine.
Potty training in a… cooking pot?
“Laudanum Ad. OMG, keep your kid quiet with laudanum. Or how to make your kid a drug addict.”
Talk about, ‘baby on board.’ This isn’t a great idea, no matter who’s driving.
Having a smoke and drink after a long day with the fam. Yikes…
63) Captain of his own ship
No life jacket for the toddler by himself in a float on a large body of water? This is definitely a no-go.
Yes, that is a child at the playboy mansion hanging out with play bunnies… What is it? His birthday or something?
I doubt that rope is going to save that kid if something happens. Back in the day, this was good enough for some people.
This kid is clearly not secure enough to go parasailing! The straps looks way too big for them.
67) Remove the baby slowly
Nobody likes raw baby! This definitely isn’t the best place to put a child…
68) Take a sip with daddy…
Water would be more ideal. Beer shouldn’t even be an option.
69) Hold on for dear life
Kids rode on the back of vehicles pretty often back in the day. Typically, they were in the beds of trucks. These kids are literally hanging onto the back of a car.
70) Chillin’ with the baby
How’s ’bout a smoke and some beer during pregnancy? Not cool! But back then, they didn’t know any better.
This is definitely not where you should put a kid… directly in harm’s way. Even the people outside look uneasy.
When you made your child think that their head was trapped and they would have to have their head chopped off… *sigh* Those were the days.
This kid’s feet is right next to that hot burner! Somebody get her down!
Yeah, the straps are there for a reason. But they don’t look too great either. Either way, it looks like child is destined to end up on the floor.
75) Everything’s a playground
Kids will be kids. Their imaginations run wild but this is pretty scary stuff.
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