Pablum

I found these in a 1951 copy of Better Homes and Gardens Baby Book: a child care and training guide. I’m always on the look-out for old books that I can cannibalize for collage, and especially for those that have ephemera in them. I’ve found money, pressed leaves and flowers, name tags, post cards, letters and notes, and photos.

I think this batch of papers is interesting because of the dietary advice included. If you look at the dates, Dr. Wallace prescribed “pablum mixed cereal” diluted with formula for David when he was only a little over a month old. That’s awfully young to be starting a baby on cereal. Apparently it was common advice given at the time, but not anymore.

(I’ve pixelated the last name, because David and Billy are probably still alive. It looks like their father died in 1955, and their mother remarried in 1959. A third son, Ted, was born in 1961.  As always, click on the images to view larger copies.)