27. The Decline of a Hazardous Fad That Terrorized and Endangered Many Unfortunate Children
Baby cages hit peak popularity in 1930s London. They were handed out by neighborhood communities, such as the Chelsea Baby Club, to all members who lacked a backyard. Even The Royal Institute of Architects pushed for the increased use of baby cages. In 1935, it all but called for making baby cages mandatory. The organization, which warmly praised the Chelsea Baby Club’s practice of giving contraptions to members, wrote that fixtures for the cages were essential features that should be standard in all middle-class housing windows.
World War II and the years of German bombers, rockets, and missiles, ended the use of baby cages in London. They made a comeback after the war, but were not as popular as before, and sales gradually declined. The world, and attitudes towards safety, had changed. There was growing awareness of the immediate risks of the cages failing, and sending babies plummeting to their doom on the street below. There were also long-term health concerns. Increased automobile traffic led to an increase in exhaust fumes and other pollutants, which made city air anything but “fresh”. Since getting fresh air was why baby cages existed in the first place, the contraptions lost their chief purpose.