Vintage Baby Carrier Advertisements

Baby carriers were not commonly used in Western countries throughout most of the 20th Century. There was however a small and short lived revival of babywearing in the 1940's led by a shortage of new prams (caused by World War II). Quite a few brands of baby carriers suddenly appeared.  The Cuddleseat invented in Australia (by a retired test pilot) was successful enough to export to the US and the UK. These  small brands didn't last beyond the 1950's but left behind some interesting advertisements.

The ads encourage mums to babywear for the same reasons they do today, although easier queueing is a benefit not often mentioned now.  Using a baby carrier was the 'modern' and scientific way and as a nice bonus it would not wrinkle your dress.   One ad pointed out that using a carrier was like having your own private car. The Cuddleseat claimed to carry your babies weight evenly and could be used up to 2 years.  Using a baby carrier was seen as a great way to navigate public transport and for shopping, and left you with hands free to carry your parcels and handbag.  The ads were proud to proud to point out that the carriers were light, strong, easily adjustable and washable, and of course stylish, with several colour options available.

Cuddleseat advertisement  November 1953 (The Nursey World - UK)

1950's

1947

The Australian woman's mirror. Vol. 20 No. 49 (31 October 1944) pg 13

1947

Cuddleseats were not the only baby carrier around although maybe the most popular judging by the number of ads compared to the other styles.  There was also the Margaret Shaw carrier pictured below (previously named the Women's Weekly Carrier as it was fist available to buy through that magazine by mail order).  There was also the Cuddle-Bye plus a few other similar carriers which I haven't been able to find newspaper ads for but you can read more about them in my article Mid Cenury Baby Carriers and Vintage Baby Carriers

The Australian woman's mirror.​ Vol. 24 No.47 (13 October 1948) pg 16

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/47226553/4782698

A hip seat style baby carrier (not sure it was ever comercially made).
Pix. Vol. 11 No. 17 (24 April 1943)