Vintage Baby Advice From Grandma

Grandma shared her top seven most important pieces of advice when raising your babies, and they may surprise you!

With our world in a constant and rapid pace today, it’s been on my mind and heart lately to embrace every moment I can with my 95-year-old grandmother.

I asked Grandma to share with you some of her most important “vintage” baby advice for raising children from when life was running at a slower speed.

When I approached “Omi” a few weeks ago to help me with this article, she laughed and smiled with her first response, the most important piece of wisdom she could share: “Make sure you sneak lots and lots of belly kisses and laughter while you are changing diapers.”

Grandma’s response made me giggle and smile. Could this challenging thing called motherhood really be that simple?

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Here are Grandma's top seven most important pieces of advice when raising your babies. Hope they bless you too and remind you it’s OK to slow down. This season truly is fleeting, and time really does fly.

1. When changing baby’s diaper, make sure you have another one ready.

It seems like such a simple thing, but after six children, Grandma still counts this as super important. Be smart moms, and be prepared. I’m sure she didn’t have all the beautiful diapering accessories we have now like robin’s egg blue diaper and wipes caddy, Petunia Pickle Bottom quilted diaper bags with built in changing pads or the amazing selections of cloth all-in-one diapers we have available to us through modern convenience and technology. I’m sure she was washing old-fashioned cloth diapers non-stop without an odor blocking diaper pail. She states it matter-of-factly: be prepared, or be prepared to get wet!

2. Smile at your baby. She will smile back.

I know some of my most cherished times and memories with my babies were those sweet smiles exchanged in our nursing or rocking times. I love how Grandma thinks this is one of the most important things she can teach a new mom. A smile changes everything. “Peace begins with a smile.” ~ Mother Teresa

3. Sing to Your Baby.

I still remember Grandma singing to me “Jesus wants me for a sun…BEAM a sun…BEAM” with her sweet smile when I was a little girl. I can only imagine she sang that same song and more to my mom and her siblings when they were babies. One thing I know is this: joyful song brings joy to God and to your baby. I loved having a mobile, and especially loved “Beatles for Babies” lullabies and the Signing Time songs I’d sing to my boys.

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4. Talk to Your Baby, just not in Baby Talk.

Babies are incredible communicators and they certainly are sponges of everything they see, feel and hear in their environments. They need to hear the sweetness in your voice, but give those tones to them in real words! (I was amazed at the rapid pace my boys even began communicating through sign language as babies!)

5. Give and Get Plenty of Smooches.

 This one doesn’t need much explanation. Love conquers all. Cherish those sweet baby kisses, mamas. I used to tell my boys in a challenging moment, and still remind them today “you can’t laugh and cry at the same time!” Every time I eat a strawberry, I’m reminded of the delicious baby kisses I’d get from my sweet baby boys when they ate their favorite snack! Soak in those memories, moms.

6. Vintage Wisdom is the Same Yesterday as it is Today, There Was Just No Internet.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

~1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NIV

7. Enjoy Every Minute—they Grow up Too Fast!

Interviewing Grandma to get her take on the most important things when raising a baby reminds me how truly blessed our family is to still have her around. Mostly, it reminds me how God’s love passed down from generation to generation is the most important thing of all. When life and motherhood are challenging, get back to the basics of love. It never fails.

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Do you have any vintage baby wisdom, advice or tradition passed down from your grandma? We'd love for you to share it in the comments below.


Jen Reyneri

Jen Reyneri

Renaissance Woman Jen Reyneri and her husband Luis often live life on the road with their two home-schooled sons. Popular author and speaker, Jen is founder of WordTraveling.com. Spirited and spirit filled, she savors life, poetic words, sabbaticals and strong coffee.

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