Since beginning this podcast in early 2020, Jen and Diane haven't been able to see each other in person. In this episode, they are reunited and recording for the very first time in the same room! And Jen has a very special surprise for Diane. They take a stroll through a hospital magazine for new mothers circa 1950. In this episode, you'll hear lots of the excellent and not so excellent advice from a bygone era.

Our Parents Did What?!

Episode 42: Congratulations!

In this episode, we have a very special guest joining us to explore a topic that the three of us are highly invested in. LaWann Moses, from the More Than a Mother podcast, joins us to talk all about the history of women in the workforce. LaWann provides some amazing insights and also shows us how recent this history is. In many ways, we are living this history today.

Episode 41: Moms in the Workforce

Way back in February of 2020, before the pandemic and before we had honed our sound quality, Jen and Diane recorded this episode about the origins of gripe water. So join us as we travel back in time (TWICE!) to remember when it was ok to give babies alcohol and when the biggest concern when visiting Disney World was whether or not your kid could withstand your favorite ride.

Episode 40: Gripe Water

Jen provides some personal and timely research in this episode in honor of Pride. We discuss the practice of conversion therapy, how it has changed over time, and the impact it has had on the queer community. At the end of the day, this practice is torture and we hope that this episode plays some small part in ending the existence of conversion therapy.

Episode 39: Conversion Therapy

Helicopter Parent. The term is usually uttered with rolled eyes and snide remarks. But when you take into account the circumstances of the 1980s & 1990s, it seems that this shift to overbearing parenting was somewhat inevitable. Come along with us as Diane details the history of the rise of the helicopter parent.

Episode 38: Rise of the Helicopter Parent

What do the history of women in America and Jell-O have in common? More than you probably realize! In this episode, Jen explores the incredible road to the Jell-O salad and how this bizarre status symbol eventually fell out of favor. Come for the Perfection Salad, stay for the Jellied Veal Loaf!

Episode 37: Jell-o Salads

It all started when Jen bought Diane’s daughter an adorable unicorn and rainbow themed play tea set for her 2nd birthday. It got Diane thinking about how much she loved her own toy tea set growing up. Why was pretend tea time such a staple of growing up as a child in America? How long have miniature tea sets been marketed toward little girls, and why have they never gone out of fashion? Tune in to today’s episode to find out more about the history of the children’s toy tea set!

Episode 36: The Tea Party

Snow White. Hansel and Gretel. The Frog Prince. Stories that are well known and beloved the world over. We can thank the very famous and very prolific Brothers Grimm for collecting and sharing these tales with the world. In this episode, Jen shares what she has learned about these brothers and why you should read these stories ahead of time before story time with your littles.

Episode 35: The Brothers Grimm

In this episode, we are joined by friend of the show Rachel Kuberry, who tells us all about the history of the baby cage and the historical importance of airing out babies. Why did these devices ever seem like a good idea and why did they fall out of fashion? And what are we still doing today that is essentially the modern equivalent?

Episode 34: The Baby Cage

Birth control is ubiquitous in society today. It is so commonplace that we just refer to it as "the pill." But have you ever wondered how that pill came to be? Like many medical advances, its history is much darker than you may imagine. The history of modern day birth control centers around the horribly unethical mistreatment of Latine people with a uterus in Puerto Rico. They don't teach you this stuff in high school history.

Episode 33: The Dark Origins of Birth Control

Throughout visual media, there are countless examples of the big window looking over a room of newborn, swaddles babies. The hospital nursery is a sight that most people are familiar with, but has really only been around since the early 20th century. Jen presents her findings into why they were created, some fascinating inventions to make them better serve the hospital community, and why they have become less popular in recent years.

Episode 32: Hospital Nurseries

Few things are as quintessentially American as child beauty pageants. And it turns out, they also originated from our home state of New Jersey! In this episode, Jen takes us back to the mid 1800's to the beginning of the child beauty pageant craze. It goes through many evolutions until we get to the modern version and every step along the way is absolutely fascinating.

Episode 31: Baby Wearing

Episode 30: Child Beauty Pageants

Note: Today's episode contains some sensitive content related to infant deaths.  Please use caution when listening. If you had asked me 2 years ago what an infant inclined sleeper is, I would have told you I had no idea.  If you had asked me if I knew what a Rock n Play was, I would have said of course!  It was the #1 must-have recommendation for my registry from all my mom friends.  I was told it would be a life saver.  A little over 2 weeks before my daughter was born, the Fisher Price Rock n Play was recalled, and linked to the deaths of many infants across the country.  How could this beloved product be the death trap the AAP claimed it to be?  And if so, how was it approved and sold to trusting moms and dads for nearly 10 years?  In this episode, we lay out the history of the Fisher Price Rock n Play infant inclined sleeper.  It is a devastating story of willful negligence of big businesses who put profits over safety, and the heartbreaking effect it had on unsuspecting families.

Episode 29: Infant Inclined Sleepers

Spit has seemingly endless examples of cultural significance throughout the world. It's with that in mind, that Jen travelled down the spit in parenting rabbit hole. At times shocking and gross (especially in our Pandemic World), these traditions also have a primal, earthy beauty to them. Jen makes the case for the poetry and intimacy of spit.

Episode 28: Spit

A Tour of the Parenting Perils of Yesteryear

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Our Parents Did What?!

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