Any old Catholic books on taking care of infants?

[Jacinta Fulton]

I have not found many old books that deal with taking care of an infant, the information available now can make your head spin, but I have been curious if anyone knows of old preferably Catholic books that deal with that subject.
I would like to know things regarding breastfeeding, feeding on demand, the whole letting a baby cry it out at 6 months thing, etc. No matter what I read or hear I am always uneasy that advice today is not good. Advice in the past 100 years has been craaaaazy, I can't believe they got so many people to believe formula was better then breast milk..

I have collected many Catholic books regarding raising children, but none touch on that subject. Any help would be great Or if you do want to recommend modern books I am for that too.

[Theophilus]

All I can say is go with your gut when unsure and I DON'T recommend
To Train up a Child

[erin is nice]

All I can say is go with your gut when unsure and I DON'T recommend
To Train up a Child

This. And no Babywise, either.

[MamaOwl]

All I can say is go with your gut when unsure and I DON'T recommend
To Train up a Child

This. And no Babywise, either.

All I can say is go with your gut when unsure and I DON'T recommend
To Train up a Child

This. And that.

And I'd avoid anything starting with "What to Expect..."

[verenaerin]

 I just go by my gut.

[Genevieve]

I'm going to be a little contrary here and write that if the question is "old" (meaning traditional) one should not dismiss books like To Train Up a Child and Babywise, as much as I hate both books. We're pretty AP and use gentle discipline but I think we need to be honest that this is a very modern way to parent. Modern is not always bad and this is an example of that, at least IMHO.

I think it is very important that mothers who use AP not fall into a primitivist trap by believing that pre-modern families were not "tainted" by modern things like cribs, and formula, etc. Not only is it historically inaccurate it's grounded in romanticism which is not compatible with any traditional kind of Christianity.

For example, the early life of St. Therese was very typical for a middle class European child as she sent away to live with a wet nurse untiil she was weaned. Wet nurses were used by many upper and middle class families until formula was available in the 20th century.

[erin is nice]

For example, the early life of St. Therese was very typical for a middle class European child as she sent away to live with a wet nurse untiil she was weaned. Wet nurses were used by many upper and middle class families until formula was available in the 20th century.

One of the Popes actually spoke against wet nursing, because it was causing poor health and even death to so many babies (wet nurses weren't always taking as good care of other babies as their own).

[Genevieve]

One of the Popes actually spoke against wet nursing, because it was causing poor health and even death to so many babies (wet nurses weren't always taking as good care of other babies as their own).

Yes but that only re-inforces my point that it was very common before commercial formula was available. People often try to argue that it was formula that caused women to stop breastfeeding their children but the truth is that many women were using other means to feed their infants before commercial formula was available. Formula served a need and then in turn created greater demand for the product.

[verenaerin]

One of the Popes actually spoke against wet nursing, because it was causing poor health and even death to so many babies (wet nurses weren't always taking as good care of other babies as their own).

Yes but that only re-inforces my point that it was very common before commercial formula was available. People often try to argue that it was formula that caused women to stop breastfeeding their children but the truth is that many women were using other means to feed their infants before commercial formula was available. Formula served a need and then in turn created greater demand for the product.

Not to derail but...

The advent of formula came to be because of mainly 2 reasons. First, with the birth of suburbia, families were not living as close as they used to. they were spread out and mother's didn't have the same kind of support their mother's had had. So new mothers turned to their doctors for advice on BFing. Which, of course, they had none. It's a lot easier to hand over a bottle and formula then to teach a mother BFing.

Second, formula companies/ "scientists" came out saying that thier formula was just as good, nay, better then breast milk. Mothers were told that you were hurting your child if you didn't use formula. My MIL remembers women coming to her door giving out free formula. They were dressed as nurses ( though they were not) and would hound you to death about how horrible BFing was.

As far as the hippie movement, the idea of birth and BFing, and going back to the way it was was one, if not the only, great thing that came out from that time.

While it's true that upper class used wet nurses, most people are poor. I don't know if you could really say "many" people were using substitutes. But I understand your point of people romanticizing the past.

[Jacinta Fulton]

Sadly St. Therese's mother couldn't breastfeed though she desperately wanted to.

The information I am hoping to find has more to do with things like how long did women breastfeed centuries ago, when did the baby begin to eat solid food, did babies co-sleep etc. I know each culture is different so the information out there will likely vary greatly but I still plan to dig anyway.
I don't condemn all modern information, but over time I have become very cautious in what I will trust after being told to many erroneous things along the way.

[verenaerin]

I would think that information from real life women I admire as mothers would be most helpful. As far as BFing, from what I am told, some babies just decide on their own. One mother I knew had a son who stopped at 8 months and that was it. Every kid is different and has different needs. As their mother, you will have the instincts to make the right decision for them. Each of my children have different personalities, and I have to treat them individually to get the best results.

Co-sleeping I find is more of a preference. Personally I don't like sleeping with my kids. I like to snuggle with them. But I rest easier when they are in a crib right next to me, so I know I won't smuch them with my 100 pillows.

[Genevieve]

While it's true that upper class used wet nurses, most people are poor. I don't know if you could really say "many" people were using substitutes. But I understand your point of people romanticizing the past.

It wasn't only a choice of wet nurses or formula. Plenty of poor families used things like sugar water or even milk. There was definitely a concerted effort to sell formula which only lead to greater demand for formula. But the fact remains that there have always been a good number of children who were not being breastfeed by their mothers.

I know this is derailing the thread here but it fits in my with larger point that you can't fit the square peg of AP practices into the round hole of Catholicism. I've seen people claim that AP is the *only* Catholic way to parent which is completely untrue and historicaly inaccurate since people didn't do AP (at least as we define it today) until recently.

And like I wrote above, we need to be cognizant of the romanticism and primitivism underlying the philosophy of AP both of which are heresies.

[Genevieve]

Sadly St. Therese's mother couldn't breastfeed though she desperately wanted to.

The information I am hoping to find has more to do with things like how long did women breastfeed centuries ago, when did the baby begin to eat solid food, did babies co-sleep etc. I know each culture is different so the information out there will likely vary greatly but I still plan to dig anyway.
I don't condemn all modern information, but over time I have become very cautious in what I will trust after being told to many erroneous things along the way.

Catholicism is too broad to have teachings on things like this. We live in an era when people (mothers really) are very dogmatic about these issues; e.g. "good mothers ONLY do XYZ..." but throughout history these kinds of practices change with time and culture.

[verenaerin]

Sadly St. Therese's mother couldn't breastfeed though she desperately wanted to.

The information I am hoping to find has more to do with things like how long did women breastfeed centuries ago, when did the baby begin to eat solid food, did babies co-sleep etc. I know each culture is different so the information out there will likely vary greatly but I still plan to dig anyway.
I don't condemn all modern information, but over time I have become very cautious in what I will trust after being told to many erroneous things along the way.

Catholicism is too broad to have teachings on things like this. We live in an era when people (mothers really) are very dogmatic about these issues; e.g. "good mothers ONLY do XYZ..." but throughout history these kinds of practices change with time and culture.

I agree with this.

While it's true that upper class used wet nurses, most people are poor. I don't know if you could really say "many" people were using substitutes. But I understand your point of people romanticizing the past.

It wasn't only a choice of wet nurses or formula. Plenty of poor families used things like sugar water or even milk. There was definitely a concerted effort to sell formula which only lead to greater demand for formula. But the fact remains that there have always been a good number of children who were not being breastfeed by their mothers.

I know this is derailing the thread here but it fits in my with larger point that you can't fit the square peg of AP practices into the round hole of Catholicism. I've seen people claim that AP is the *only* Catholic way to parent which is completely untrue and historicaly inaccurate since people didn't do AP (at least as we define it today) until recently.

And like I wrote above, we need to be cognizant of the romanticism and primitivism underlying the philosophy of AP both of which are heresies.

I have to disagree unless you can point me to some sources. A baby cannot live on sugar water and will die on cows milk. In cases where the mother dies in childbirth and there is noone to help, goats milk could work. AFAIK, goats milk is the only thing that a newborn could tolerate. So with that, I don't see how babies weren't being breastfed. If I was nursing a baby and got ill, and my sister was able to take over, I don't see that as the same as getting a wet nurse, unless you are lumping those types of situations together.

Also, what the heck is "AP"?

[OCLittleFlower]

Also, what the heck is "AP"?

Attachment parenting. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attachment_parenting