In great‐grandma's nursery

In recent decades, interest in the development of the baby during the first year of life has led to a prodigious explosion of information. Advantages and disadvantages of different methods of feeding infants have been considered, and many parents and professionals have advocated a return to breast‐feeding. Parents of today make choices from a vast array of equipment available to stimulate and amuse their infants. Family relationships have been investigated in detail by researchers and discussed endlessly by the media. In particular, the father as caregiver has emerged as a topic of interest, and the role of this “New Father” has received extensive attention. Are these roles and concerns new? Or do they reflect a zeitgeist favoring their return? The purpose of this article is to provide a brief look at the advice given to parents of turn‐of‐the‐century infants in the United States and at baby products advertised during this period.