Children and Education Agrarian Europe Woman married late Had children rapidly Infant mortality was high 1 out of 5 died Childhood was dangerous Adult indifference, neglect and abuse Poorer children did not get a lot of education Many children didn’t learn to read

Child Care and Nursing Women would breastfeed children for much longer Breast feeding reduces the chances of pregnancy Russia tried a sweetened rag for the babies to suck on ½ babies died before the 1 st year Upper class women did not breastfeed their own children They felt it was crude, common, and undignified Hired wet nurses What is a wet nurse??? A poorer woman who breastfeed the children of another family for money Had very little contact with the family

Foundlings and Infanticide “Killing Nurses” Nurses would take a baby and the fee and let the baby die Killing Nurses and infanticide both common pop. control Parents would “accidentally” roll over and suffocate babies in bed Abortion was illegal Foundling hospitals were established but could not care for all the abandoned babies Some had up to 25,000 foundlings Was used as legal infanticide 50% died within in a year of being in the home. 90% never made it through their entire time

Attitudes Towards Children Attitudes towards children is different from today Frequent child death didn’t help Parents and doctors often indifferent towards children Children were often neglected and beaten Abuse was often used to teach the children discipline Enlightened thinkers began to call for a change Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Emile called for better treatment of children