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The Shocking Tale of How Feeding Bottles Led To The Death of Many Babies
This happened during the victorian era
During the victorian era, different feeding bottles were used to feed babies. One of the most popular was the banjo-shaped bottle. It was made of earthenware and glass. It also had a long rubber tube attached to the stopper at its neck.
The banjo-shaped feeding bottles were common during the 1800s and were manufactured in great quantities. They looked appealing and many mothers got them for their babies. The device seemed quite helpful and eased feeding.
These bottles were often marketed with names like: “Little Cherub”, “Mummies Darling” and “The Alexandria”. There were also other nationalistic names for the bottles such as — “The National”, “The Victorian” and “The Empire”.
With the way the bottles were shaped, a child could feed from it without help. Many mothers welcomed its use because it gave them the freedom to attend to other household matters while the baby fed.
The bottles helped provide relief for women that felt saddled with the stress that came with child-care. For these women, the use of a feeding bottle was a viable alternative when compared to breastfeeding.
For mothers that were unable to breastfeed or could not afford to breastfeed their children as often as required, it was indeed a welcome relief.
There was also a heavy reliance on the bottles by women mothers whose dressing made it difficult for them to feed their babies. For instance, the restrictive corset was a fairly popular form of dressing during the victorian era and it was slightly inconvenient to breastfeed while wearing it.
A Shocking Discovery
As the use and production of the bottles increased, people began to notice certain inconveniences about it.
The design of the bottle wasn’t open enough, hence it was a bit difficult to clean.
The inability to properly clean it caused it to become a breeding ground for all sorts of…
