Cradle, circa 1870-1890

By the 1800s, many American parents viewed the free flow of air as beneficial to a growing child. Parents began to abandon swaddling and the use of cradle lacing pegs designed to keep a child confined inside a solid wood-sided cradle. Slat and spindle cradles grew in popularity. This cradle let fresh air surround the infant, now dressed in loose-fitting garments.