Baby’s Friend? That’s an interesting title and name for an object which may have been responsible for illness amongst babies.
It was the trade name of a baby’s drinking bottle and we have one of them in Market Lavington Museum.
Baby’s Friend – a late 19th century feeding bottle at Market Lavington Museum
This is the bottle. As ever, glass items can be hard to photograph.
The stopper comes out and a rubber teat could be fitted instead.
With stopper removed
Embossed writing on the bottle
There’s the legend, embossed on one side – Baby’s Friend and improved feeding bottle.
This item dates from the late 19th century when it was hard to keep the rubber teat germ free and this was a frequent cause of tummy upsets for baby.
