CircleBumpCheckedFilledMedicalBookmarkBookmarkTickBookmarkAddCheckBoxCheckBoxFilled

Baby Gear #TBT: Baby Cages

save article
profile picture of Anisa Arsenault
By Anisa Arsenault, Associate Editor
Updated March 2, 2017
Hero Image
Image: Watching Baby

Long before the days of baby gates, safety latches and window guards, city moms were finding resourceful ways to get baby outside (read: dodging going for a walk). Dangerous, but we’ll hand it to them: resourceful.

In the late 1800s, doctors began to recommend that kids in urban apartments get fresh air. Physicians like Dr. Luther Emmett Holt suggested placing baby’s bassinet next to a window in the absence of a backyard or front porch. But ambitious city moms went above and beyond, creating ‘baby cages’ out of their apartment windows.

Image: Getty

Getty

Spokane, Washington native Emma Read debuted the first patented baby cage in 1922. But she certainly didn’t invent the idea; Eleanor Roosevelt, who admitted that she “knew absolutely nothing about handling or feeding a baby,” used a chicken-wire cage to hang her daughter Anna out the window of a New York City apartment in 1906.

So where’d the baby cages go? We have a feeling they wouldn’t quite be up to the CPSC’s standards nowadays. Inevitably tied to safety concerns, their popularity declined after the 1930s.

Let’s agree; we’ve come a long way since then. From swings and  bouncers to  activity gyms, there’s plenty of ways to keep baby independently entertained without, um, locking her in a cage. And in terms of getting fresh air? We have strollers for every kind of mom.

(via Mashable)

save article
ADVERTISEMENT

Next on Your Reading List

Baby with ball
Babies Develop Self-Awareness as Young as 4 Months Old, Study Suggests
By Wyndi Kappes
Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott Is Going to Be a Dad!
By Wyndi Kappes
apple cinnamon applesauce pouches recall 2023
Applesauce Pouches Tainted With Lead Sicken Over 50 Children, FDA Says
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
Paris Hilton and Carter Reum attend the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada
Paris Hilton Announces the Surprise Arrival of Baby No. 2
By Wyndi Kappes
pregnant woman holding a christmas present
These Maternity Cyber Week Sales Are Can’t Miss
By Emma O'Regan-Reidy
entrance of disney world
Photo of Mom Breastfeeding Her Baby on Disney Ride Goes Viral
By Wyndi Kappes
driver smoking a cigarette inside a car
Delaware Is First State to Ban Smoking With Kids in the Car
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
Eric Decker and Jessie James Decker arrive to the 2023 People's Choice Country Awards held at the Grand Ole Opry House on September 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Jessie James Decker Reveals the Sex of Baby No. 4
By Wyndi Kappes
gratitude tablecloth for thanksgiving
The Viral Gratitude Tablecloth Tradition You Can Try This Thanksgiving
By Wyndi Kappes
ms rachel youtube video
Ms. Rachel Is Creating Her Own Developmentally-Friendly Toy Line
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
water beads in hands
Congressman Introduces Law to Ban Water Beads in US
By Wyndi Kappes
peaches and plums at the market
Peaches, Plums, Nectarines Recalled Due to Listeria Contamination Risk
By Wyndi Kappes
Bliss Poureetezadi Goytowski and Zack Goytowski attend The Players Alliance Game Changers Celebration at AQUA by El Gaucho on July 09, 2023 in Seattle, Washington
Love Is Blind's Bliss and Zack Goytowski Expecting Their First Baby
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
Carlos and Alexa Penavega on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 on TODAY show season 72
Alexa PenaVega and Carlos PenaVega Are Expecting Baby No. 4
By Wyndi Kappes
close up of cut cantaloupe fruit
Why the CDC Is Telling Pregnant Women to Avoid Cantaloupe
By Wyndi Kappes
Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse attend the GO Campaign's Annual Gala 2023 at Citizen News Hollywood on October 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Suki Waterhouse Is Expecting First Baby With Robert Pattinson
By Wyndi Kappes
David Guetta and Jessica Ledon attend The 24th Annual Latin Grammy Awards on November 16, 2023 in Seville, Spain.
Popular DJ David Guetta & Jessica Ledon Expecting First Baby Together
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
Jason and Travis Kelce pose for a photo during Game 1 of the NLCS between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, October 16, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Travis Kelce Highlights the Unseen Work of Moms in Hilarious Fashion
By Wyndi Kappes
kourtney kardashian and travis barker at their baby shower
New Details About Kourtney Kardashian & Travis Barker's Baby Revealed
By Wyndi Kappes
inside out 2 introduces new anxiety emotion
The “Inside Out 2” Trailer Introduces a New Emotion in Riley’s Head
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
Article removed.
Article removed.
Name added. View Your List