Culture shock how The Times have changed.
As a grandmother raising an infant I had realized a lot had changed . In some ways it’s kind of a culture shock. The rules have changed the equipment is complicated and holy cow is it expensive.
First I’d like to talk about the rules. When my kids were born twenty something years go we were told to put them on their tummies to sleep. We were told to keep them warm with lots of blankets. We we told to put bumpers in the crib to protect them from the bars. Now they are supposed to sleep on their back with no blankets and the bumpers are a major no no. We were told to give a baby water sometimes, we were told to give the baby juice at 6 months, and we were told not to give them cereal till they were 4 months old. Now water is good for them, no juice till 12 months and our dr had us putting cereal in a bottle at about 6 weeks old.

Let’s talk equipment first diapers they don’t have sticky tape anymore they have an amazing Velcro. You can check diapers and it sticks back, you don’t get it stuck to yourself or the baby on accident and you don’t have to throw them away just because the tape is ruined. Not much has changed in wipes they are pretty much the same, spend the money get the thicker wipes! Oh and now they have a wipey warmers, so the baby has a nice warm tushy. Now bottles holy cow, when I had kids there were 2 types if bottles plastic and the baggie disposable ones. Now there are I swear millions of bottles they have different shapes they have different shapes nipples, some allow air some don’t.

Baby food itself still looks n smells the same but what is with all the different spoons. A baby spoon used to be a smaller spoon with a rubber coating, now you have to choose a brand, a color and what type of material metal or plastic. They also come in different sizes and believe this they come in different shapes. That leads us to high chairs when I was a baby high chairs were mostly wood and some metal. When I had kids the highchair looked like a tall chair with a tray. It was mostly plastic and that’s all it did just sat in the corner used for feeding. Now high chairs do all sorts of things like roll around recline and change height.

Next is the crib not much had really changed about the crib just no bumpers no blankets no quilts and no toys just a fitted sheet and baby. Mind you the crib we got turns into a toddler bed then it becomes a twin bed which is a little crazy for me.

Strollers oh my these things range in size and price. You can find ones that go with car seats and ones for jogging I even saw one with All terrain wheels. I’m not sure where people plan to take their baby I just wanted an easy to open easy to push stroller. The stroller I had for my kids was hard to push and hard to steer. The one I have now is super light and steers like a dream I can turn on a dime with one hand on the stroller and the other hand holding on to a squirrly preschooler.

Car seats they are a must I suggest you spend most of your money on these because it could be a matter of life n death. Car seats haven’t change in shape or size they are still heavy and awkward. They have changed the way they are fastened in and they have added a base that makes it easier to get in and out of the car. I had a walker for my kids to stand in and have support to learn to walk. Now not only do they have these fully decked out walkers but they have these things called exercisers. They look like walkers but they have bottoms so the child can’t move it. These things are monstrous with all kinds of crazy gadgets and toys attached. Toys one would think toys wouldn’t change much but they have. The colors are no longer blue and pink now they are black n white with lots of bright colors. They have chew parts and little tags for the baby’s to eat and rub between their fingers. Everything seems to be electronic with lots of lights and noises. They still have some of the old standbys like see and says they now have a handle and not a string though. The baby monitors are now more cameras so you not only hear the little one but you can see them too. Our camera even allows us to talk to the baby from the other room. There is an app so I can use my phone and even check in when I’m not at home.

There is a little rubber chair called a bumbie chair these are great for the baby to sit up in when they first start holding their head up. Bouncie seats and play gyms haven’t seemed to have changed they are still just like I remembered. I just don’t remember there being this much stuff. A diaper bag is also a must they too have changed a bit they now have one made especially for dad’s. They are called tactical diaper bags. Vaccinations have also changed what used to be just a couple of shots now seems like a lot.
Through all the changes one thing is still true all of these things cost lots of money.

Mind you if you shop for sales and choose ones with less bells and whistles you can save some money. I personally prefer to go the resale stores and yard sales to save a little money. Make sure you buy a carseat that’s new one that hasn’t been in accident and check for expiration dates.
Through all of the changes I’ve adjusted pretty well, my culture shock is wearing down as my little sunshine gets older. I’m still often shocked by some of the changes.
Feel free to comment below and share some culture shocks you experienced.

Thanks for following along as I raise these beautiful souls!