The Changing Nature of Child Rearing

BIRTHDAYS:
First baby: Tuesday, January 26, 1956, 7:34 a.m.
Second baby: July 28, daytime.
Third baby: the year the grocery store burned down.

NAMED AFTER:
First baby: grandmother and paternal aunt for political reasons
Second baby: Daddy
Third baby: Daddy's boss

GODPARENTS:
First baby: Bernard Ryan and Joy Smith
Second baby: Martha Dunn and either uncle Fred or Fred the Barber
Third baby: relatives

FORMULA:
First baby: fortified prepared infant formula w/ 1.25 water
Second baby: heated cow's milk poured from a carton.
Third baby: cold milk, Cokes, and Kool-Aid

BOTTLES:
First baby: boiled 10 minutes, removed with tongs and rubber gloves.
Second baby: boiled five minutes, removed with fork
Third baby: rinsed in cold water and dried on apron

HANDLING:
First baby: right hand behind head, left under knee, clutch baby close to body
Second baby: place hands under armpits and lift
Third baby: one arm around stomach

LENGTH AND WEIGHT AT ONE YEAR:
First baby: 15 pounds, 14 1/2 ounces; 26 1/4 inches
Second baby: 16 or 17 pounds, same height as vertical knob on TV set.
Third baby: Heavier than a bowling ball. Short.

SANITATION:
First baby: rubber gloves, face mask, scrub floors weekly, mosquito net
Second baby: use air freshener weekly, swat all flies
Third baby: keep the dog out of the playpen