Shortening a Baby

What did babies wear before babygrows were invented?

I bet you’ve never heard of “shortening” your baby. It does sound painful, all your elderly grannies and grandpas will undoubtedly have been shortened.
( and lived to tell the tale)

I remember vividly the 1st time I heard this expression. When I was 7, Mum showed me a photo of my Dad, as very young baby. He was wearing a long linen robe and I asked “ why is he wearing a dress”
Mum said it was because the photo was taken before he’d been shorted.
My Dad was now a grown man of around 5’10”. I presumed he’d always been destined to be this height. Could he have been meant to be 6’2”? Had someone cut him of at the knees at an early age???
I was horrified at the thought. My own Dad, shortened as a baby!
Mum explained. Before sleepsuits were invented, babies wore long dresses, both boys and girls. It was very gender-neutral. However once they reached the crawling stage, their long gowns became a hindrance, and so they were dressed in short dresses (for girls ) and shorts (for boys.) This was called shortening, and was a milestone in the baby’s life.

Modern fabrics and design means that now your baby can spend their first few months tucked up in soft cottton sleeping bags and wraps. I have adore collecting baby wraps for the studio. This little babe is totally zonked in his Little Seeds wrap.