Raising Kids in the Old Days

[bohemianbanshee]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3775106/Don-t-tell-social-services-new-book-proves-yesteryear-s-little-darlings-real-toughies.html

Wow. Ideas about safety were certainly different back then.

Comments

[bronzino]

Well, none of that really seems that unsafe?

Apart from the smoking, I guess. I remember how my mother would give me wine when I was seven years old. I thought it was weird even then and didn't really like the taste.

[bohemianbanshee]

I think the baby in the window, the babies being hung on the washing line, and the kids swimming with ropes around them seem like something I wouldn't be comfortable doing with my kid....the last one less than the first two. I can see how they would be okay if nothing went wrong, but the potential for something going wrong seems huge to me.

[bronzino]

Yeah, it does look weird and as someone who knows how to swim, I think that rope thing is a dumb way of teaching, you should teach them that air in the lungs means that you can float, more like. And I don't like the hanging babies thing at all. But it's not unsafe per se, necessarily (you can drown without a rope, and I assume they know that the cage and the line are sturdy).

[bronzino]

I think it just looks alien - for example, people have those harness straps that carry a baby on them, is that just as unsafe? Assuming you know that the straps are sturdy.

[bohemianbanshee]

Nah, I don't think that's unsafe, especially the ones where you carry them in the front. I've never thought of the ones on the back as unsafe either, so maybe you have a point. It's just....putting a baby that high up in a cage over the city....eeeh, makes me nervous. Same with hanging them on the clothes line. I was wondering how many squirmy kids ever fell off there, though I've heard people used to do that in the past.

[bronzino]

The biggest thing that you have to watch out for is drowning, apparently - it's the leading cause of accidental death for children 1-4-years-old. You can even drown in something like two inches of water.

For people aged 5-24, the biggest cause of accidental death is traffic.

[bohemianbanshee]

Yeah, little kids don't always understand that they can't breathe underwater. My sister thought there was something wrong with her, and that everyone else could. And sure, as long as your face is submerged, you could drown.

I can see traffic being a big cause of accidental death for kids. The 24-year-old upper limit is more surprising.

[bronzino]

I'm morbid as heck so I looked it up.. interesting chart - http://www.cdc.gov/injury/images/lc-charts/leading_causes_of_injury_deaths_unintentional_injury_2014_1040w740h.gif

Old people are most at risk of an accidental fall but I guess that's due to muscular degeneration.

Of course, I do realise that it's not necessarily relevant to this discussion since it may be different for the past.

[bohemianbanshee]

Weird that the #1 cause for ages 24-64 is unintentional poisoning.

[bronzino]

thought the same.. mostly poisoned by what? food poisoning?

[bohemianbanshee]

I wondered if it was alcohol poisoning, too.

[bronzino]

That's probably included. God, you'd have to drink a ton to die of that O_o

[bohemianbanshee]

Nah, happens all the time, with binge drinkers. Those who are less used to it are at the most risk. I wonder if they count cumulative health issues related to alcoholism. Probably not.

[bohemianbanshee]

Well, actually, I just mean it isn't that uncommon, and probably could happen more easily than people realize. Sure, it would have to be a lot.

[bronzino]

I googled and VICE suggested 15 standard drinks in two hours for an average person would kill someone. Seems too low to me but idk.

Of course, it depends on tolerance, composition and so on. VICE did also have a video of a man drinking 1 litre of 101-proof Wild Turkey in under a minute. I died at that.

[bohemianbanshee]

Fifteen drinks in 2 hours...pretty sure that would do it for me. I don't think I could drink that much, I'd get sick or pass out first.