These examples of childcare advice may well seem bizarre, if not abhorrent, now but at one time they were accepted wisdom and printed in the advice columns of the country’s leading childcare magazine, Nursery World.

A review of child rearing advice from past editions of Nursery World is published today to mark the magazine’s 80th anniversary. It shows not only how approaches to teaching and caring for children have changed dramatically in some areas but also how others have stayed constant.

Today we may be surprised, horrified even, to find “fricassee of brains” (1946) on the nursery menu, but back in the 1940s, schoolmaster Eddie Williams, the Jamie Oliver of his day, advocated the dish as part of his campaign for better school meals and trained cooks.

But play has always been important. In 1926 readers were told: “Mud pies are much more important than the keeping clean of a pretty smock”, and were warned that a “safety first” policy could have a “paralysing effect on a child if pressed too diligently”.

In 1925, when the magazine began, the term nursery applied primarily to places in wealthy homes and the nanny usually lived in the house of her employer and wore a uniform. Today childcare is a multimillion-pound industry with 542,900 places available in day nurseries, the main form of paid-for childcare.

The concerns of the magazine’s early readers included what time of night a nanny might reasonably be expected to end her daily duties. One nanny from Glasgow wrote in 1926 to ask if others considered her finishing time of 9.30pm excessive.

It is tempting to think of the debates on work-life balance or state subsidies for childcare as new. But in 1945 the Government received a deputation from the London Women’s Parliament, calling for a 100 per cent government grant to meet the costs of nurseries and for “additional facilities in nursery schools for holidays to meet the needs of mothers who are at work”.

The biggest changes in attitudes towards childcare come in the magazine’s advice and tips columns. Liz Roberts, the magazine’s editor, said: “While Nursery World would never, of course, advocate some of the advice given in the past, such as smacking a crying baby to encourage it to sleep, it is really interesting to look back on what was considered acceptable in the past.”

TIPS FROM THE PAST

How to cure a fussy eater: 1926
You cut out feeding times for 24 hours. He has water in abundance, exercise, rest, peace. After that you will have no trouble with regard to food and the wicked boy may be transformed into a likeable young person who appreciates mealtimes.

How to get a good night’s sleep: 1936
A nanny writes: My (18-month-old) charge would wake up every night and cry. One night, instead of petting her, I gave her a smacking instead. Every night after than when she woke up and cried without reason, I smacked her. At the end of three weeks, I found I had undisturbed nights of rest.

How to reduce a child’s allergies: 1965
Cover pillows, especially feather pillows used by children susceptible to asthma and hay fever, with polythene bags of a suitable size.

How to gain a sought-after nursery place: 1986
The magazine highlights questionable practice: “It’s easy,” one mother said. “You just have to say you’re frightened that you’re going to start hitting the kids. Then you’ll get a place!”

How to encourage a full head of hair: 1938
A reader writes: My little girl is just two with quick-growing straggly straight hair. I wonder if shaving would make it coarser and easier to keep in order. I know it seems drastic, but the child will not mind in the least.

How to stop ugly mouth breathing: 1926
Breathing through their mouths not only gives children a vacant look, but is a frequent cause of nose, throat and even chest trouble. Tell the child to place its finger firmly along one side of its nose to close the nostril and to take three short sharp breaths through the unclosed one.

How to survive as a teacher: 1984
A delegate at a conference recalls advice given to her on her first day as a teacher: Always wear a hat, gloves, no lipstick and NEVER talk to parents.”

How to serve sliced bread: 1946
It should never be cut less than an inch and a half thick. There is nothing more plebeian than thin bread at dinner.

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