Overdressed Babies

Southland Times, Issue 21088, 21 May 1930, Page 12

Overdressed Babies

(From Our oCrrespondeut). London. “I see money wasted on the extravagant decoration of nurseries, on elaborate perambulators, and on uniforms.” This criticism of many modern mothers was made by Dr H. K. Waller, medical officer of the Babies’ Club, Danver street, Chelsea, at the annual meeting of the National Baby Week Council. It led me yesterday to tour London parks and gardens, where babies of all ages and sizes, rich and poor alike, take their daily outings. There I found many babies dressed in beautiful satin cloaks trimmed with fur, in lace and satin bonnets. They sat in all-white perambulators, covered with lace-trimmed and fur-edged coverlets, and were wheeled by nurses in immaculate uniforms, attended by undernurses and nursery maids. I found, too, toddlers with their mothers, who had obviously spent many weary hours in washing and ironing the dainty but un-

suitable white coats and gaiters they were wearing, the gloves and shoes which by one fall upon the muddy grass would be ready for the wash-tub again. The result was, of course, that these small people were not allowed to run about and play in freedom.

But I also saw the children of Society parents, dressed in sensible, knock-about coats and gaiters in subdued colours, without hats and gloves, romping about with a neatly dressed “Nannie” in attendance—-rosy-cheeked and care-free. These are the mothers who follow the example set by two young Royal matrons, Princess Mary’ Countess of Harewood and the Duchess of York.

Princess Mary early adopted labour-saving and sensible clothes for her two boys by accepting a set of three all-woolly garments intended to replace long robes and petticoats.

Later her sons wore simple shirts and knickers in which they could play and fall about at ease.

Little Princess Elizabeth has set a summer fashion in simple flower-patterned cot-

ion frocks, with knickers, and sun bonnets to match. In the winter she wears untrimmed woollies or a plain yellow coat and gaiters. In the garden behind her parents’ house in Piccadilly she runs about in the morning hatless and gloveless.