It can be pretty mindblowing to think back on how relaxed safety regulations were in the 1960s and 1970s. These days, there are so many new safety features, products, and simple rules. You may hear people saying, “It is amazing we even survived back then!”
If you were a child in the ’60s or ’70s, what kinds of things do you remember doing that would horrify your kids now? Here is a list of some of the craziest things people did with their kids back in the day. See how many you remember doing or remember seeing in those days.
1. Pregnant women smoked and drank
Your mother may have smoked or drank when you were in the womb. Hey, it wasn’t her fault. She wasn’t trying to harm you because no one really knew how dangerous these things were. These days, women know to stop drinking and smoking when they start trying for a baby.
2. The “Mom” seat belt
Do you remember Mom or Dad flinging their arm in front of you if they had to stop suddenly while you were in the car? This also happened on other moving things like chairlifts! Often, kids were sitting in the passenger seat with no seat belt or even in someone’s lap. There were no fancy car seats or regulations like there are today. The 1970s and 1980s saw better car seats and seat belt regulations though.
3. Everyone smoked around kids
No one really knew the dangers of smoking cigarettes then like we do today. Cigarettes were everywhere. Do you remember going to the store to buy cigarettes for your parents? Or did they have you pose with an unlit cigarette or cigar in your mouth? It seems so crazy to think about today!
4. Dangerous cribs and sleeping habits for babies
In the 1960s, pediatricians told parents to have their babies sleep on their stomachs. We now know this isn’t encouraged. Cribs were also pretty dangerous, with choking hazards, places to get fingers or toes caught in, and other safety concerns.
5. Unsafe Trampolines
Do you remember jumping on a trampoline without a net? Without a net, there are so many different risks. Kids can hurt themselves very easily. Parks often had things to play on that weren’t really that safe either. It truly was a different time.
Read on to the next page for even more things kids would never be able to do now!
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