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Mom's adorable 1993 baby picture is a modern pediatrician's worst nightmare

Our parents were really doing their best with the information they had.

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Blanket, pillows, and toys in cribs used to be totally normal back in 1993.

I love learning about common parenting techniques from generations past. We've probably all heard some of the classics, like giving baby a tiny bit of alcohol to get him to sleep, or rubbing whiskey on sore gums to soothe a teething infant. (Upon reflection, it seems that a lot of parenting hacks back in the day boiled down to giving children liquor). These weren't hush-hush under the table tactics. Doctors frequently recommended these things to new parents. Now, of course, we're horrified at the thought and we know the significant risks of alcohol exposure both in the womb and out of it.

Crib set ups are similar. Decades ago, parents were hyper-worried about baby's limbs getting caught in the crib bars, so the solution was to line cribs with thick, soft bumpers. Inside the cribs, pillows and blankets kept baby comfortable and from rolling around too much. It made sense! At the time at least. But, wow, have times changed.

One mom is going viral for posting a fascinating side by side. Her as a baby in 1993, sleeping peacefully in a crib, versus her daughter in 2025.


babies, parenting, motherhood, fatherhood, pediatricians, newborn safety, SIDSThis was basically parenting in the 1960sGiphy

The comparison is definitely illuminating.

In 1993, there's millennial mom Alanna Clark, sleeping comfortably on her back in her pajamas. She's surrounded by a cocoon of comfort. The key thing to note is the fluffy crib bumpers to keep her from reaching through the bars. Bumpers were meant to add decoration and comfort to a baby's crib while also keeping them from getting injured by the bars. This was especially true back when drop-cribs, or cribs where one wall could drop down, were popular. The American Academy of Pediatrics officially began recommending parents never use crib bumpers in 2011 due to their being a suffocation risk highly associated with SIDS.

The photo of Clark's daughter from 2025 is striking. Her crib is completely empty! She's sleeping on her back with a fitted sheet on the mattress and a snugly-fitted sleepsack containing her legs. That's it. There are no bumpers, toys, pillows, or blankets according to the latest pediatrician guidelines.

As a bonus, Clark shared a picture of herself riding in a (rather flimsy looking) front-facing car seat while her daughter in 2025 rides in a rear-facing "tank," as she calls it, which fits current standards.

Clark's caption captured a beautiful sentiment about the "outdated" standards. Instead of judging her parents for dangerous choices, she understands that they were doing their absolute best with the information they had at the time:

"When I explained modern sleep practices to my dad, he explained to me that the bumpers were to keep me safe from breaking an arm or a leg. I’m glad that when my family talks about the 'new' way of doing things we focus on how much more information we have to keep babies safe. Anyways, enjoy these little snippets of me as a baby with my parents doing what they were told was best. I wonder what practices will be outdated when I’m a grandma one day"

See the fascinating photos here.


tiktok, babies, 1993, 2025 , parentingTikTok · Alanna | First Time Mom 🇨🇦www.tiktok.com

Clark's post went viral and commenters were so appreciative of how infant safety standards have improved. They were also grateful to previous generations for trying their best:

"yep, and hopefully our kids have even better info and technology when they raise their children."

"Doing their best back then, so we can keep doing better today!!"

"I love your take on this rather than bashing practices of the time which genuinely were what they thought was best"

"It's reassuring knowing that our kids will look at their baby pictures in the future like 'We're you trying to kill me?' and proceed to do differently, as will be best practice then"

"I was trying to explain to someone the other day that our kids are going to say they can’t believe our recommendations were legal it will have changed so much"

Others shared some of their favorite parenting methods from their own parents and grandparents. One commenter wrote that her grandma would put her babies in dresser drawers to keep them safe. Another said her grandpa "didn't believe" in car seats! Somehow, they both lived to tell the tale.

Are there things we're doing with our babies now that will one day be viewed as Hard Nos?


babies, parents, moms, dads, infants, newborns, safety, infant safety, parentingThis baby has nothing in his pack 'n play at all. Well done parents! Photo by Alex Bodini on Unsplash

Again, you have to remember that doctors, pediatricians, and fellow parents were all telling the older generations that this stuff was not just OK, but highly recommended. They really believed those death-trap crib bumpers were safe! You can't help but wonder what kinds of things parents today take for granted as safe, that our kids will look back on one day as reckless and dangerous when it's studied further.

"I'm 100% convinced that 'cry it out' will be the thing that future generations are appalled by," one commenter opined, referring to a controversial method of sleep training infants.

Another user joked that in a few decades, babies will sleep levitating in mid-air via magnets to avoid contact with potential hazards.

Me, I think it's likely that the next generation of parents will be appalled that they were ever allowed to watch cartoons or use a screen, as more research into screentime begins to take shape. I also wouldn't be surprised if pediatricians decide we can't be trusted to make our own baby food at home anymore. But these are just guesses. We won't really know until the science rolls in.

Overall, there's a powerful message here for parents and even those grandparents who might insist on being defensive about the older ways:

"What some grandparents don’t understand is that following modern standards is NOT a condemnation of their parenting," one commenter wrote. "They did what was best according to contemporary standards too." That's all any of us can do.

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Here's why American parents are now ditching expensive cribs for a simple, cardboard box.

Gibraltar. Malta. Lichtenstein. These are a few of the places with better infant mortality rates than the good old U.S. of A.

Don't get me wrong, the U.S. is pretty good overall at the pivotal task of keeping young children alive. But we're still lagging behind a number of nations, including those at the very top of the list, like Singapore, Sweden, and Finland, just to name a few.

One of the biggest problems new parents in developed nations face is SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, which is exactly as frightening and unpredictable as it sounds.

Experts can't always pinpoint the cause of every death from SIDS, but more often than not, it has to do with unsafe sleeping environments that accidentally cut off the baby's air supply with blankets, toys, or other obstructions.

For years now, many of the world's leading countries in this area have had a secret weapon in the fight against SIDS: cardboard boxes.

Or "baby boxes" as they're known.

The simple, unadorned box acts as the absolute perfect place for a new baby to sleep.

It all started in Finland, and once people caught on to the program's unprecedented success in lowering infant mortality rates, it spread to Canada, the U.K., and beyond.

Finally, baby boxes have arrived in America.

New parents in New Jersey and San Francisco can now get a free baby box just by completing an online educational program.

Anyone, anywhere can buy a box for themselves or a friend, but San Francisco and New Jersey have become some of the first places in the United States to partner with the Baby Box Company to give out the boxes for free to parents who spend a little time online learning how to prevent SIDS.

#babyvan 💙#babyboxuniversity #sleepsafe #3weeksold

A post shared by KLerno💖 (@katlerno) on

The program goes against our nature, which might be why it's taken so long to catch on here. After all, every new parent wants the nursery to be perfect. The perfect crib, decor, bedding, maybe cute little crib bumpers that tie it all together.

But the safest thing for a newborn baby truly is an obstruction-free box.

The baby box program is about so much more than just safe sleep, though.

The boxes also come with a handful of essentials, like diapers, wipes, and a few other things you'll need to get through baby's first weeks.

This kind of basic support is immensely important. One of the universal truths of parenting is that leaving the hospital with your newborn is a massive shock because you quickly realize you are now completely on your own. There's no instruction manual to tell you what to do.

Then there's affordability. Some parents just can't afford a state of the art crib right away, and having a starter supply of diapers, clothes, and other items can be a huge help while they adjust to their new budget-busting baby.

"I don't have to spend crazy money on a bassinet, and when baby has outgrown it, I can give it away, use it for storage, or recycle it. It's incredibly practical," says Krysti, a mom from Canada.

The baby box coming to America is great news because it might be about to get a lot harder to be a parent in the United States.

In its current form, Trumpcare — the proposed repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act — threatens the existence of Planned Parenthood along with gutting access to vital services like breastfeeding support and STD screenings, all of which can negatively affect infant survival rates.

Beautiful boy #babyboxco #babyboxuniversity #babybox #baby #safesleep #babiesofinstagram #ruben #boy

A post shared by Emma Louise (@the_journey_of_ruben) on

Free baby boxes for new parents may seem like a simple idea, but its impact could be huge, and it couldn't come at a better time.

If we want to make America "great again," taking care of parents and children would be a good start.

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What I want all parents to know about delivering premature babies.

Something just didn’t feel right. My stomach churned, and the nausea set in as I realized the unimaginable: I was going into labor.

Nurses rushed to my hospital room as a flurry of chaos surrounded me. I tried to stay calm, but as I looked at my husband, the tears and sobs set in.

I glanced over at the wall where nurses had made a chain link, counting down the days to viability. Two little links left on the wall. Those two days would get me to 23 weeks, our goal for my failing body. But, we didn’t make it. At 22 weeks 5 days, I went into labor with our triplets.

Image courtesy of Stacey Skrysak.

We had been preparing for this moment for weeks. At 20 weeks gestation, my water broke with our first triplet, Abigail. I lay in my hospital bed, unable to sleep as I pondered what might happen in the coming hours. To our surprise, my children were content; the warm blanket of my body provided the comfort they needed to continue to grow.

As the long hours stretched into days, we began daily meetings with doctors, discussing our best and worst case scenarios. For each week that my pregnancy progressed, the better chance our triplets had of surviving.

We heard endless statistics and the challenges we faced if our children were born at 23, 24, 25 weeks of gestation. The doctors were practical, not sugarcoating the prognosis, but they still gave us a glimmer of hope.

While many hospitals won’t intervene until a baby reaches 23 or 24 weeks gestation, our hospital believed in giving our children a chance if possible. And that was the case on June 23, 2013, when I delivered my children at 22 weeks 6 days.

Our story is far from picture perfect. Our first triplet passed away within two hours of birth; our second triplet died just shy of two months old. Our surviving triplet spent nearly four months in the NICU, overcoming a mountain of hurdles, before finally coming home to begin her life.

The long, bumpy road is now a distant memory. Our 22-weeker is happy and healthy today. Peyton is our one-pound miracle, and according to her doctors, she is completely caught up developmentally at 3 years old.

We know she is the rarity. Our children were given a less than 10% chance of survival. If they survived, their chances of leading a healthy life with few complications were slim. Luckily, fate was on our side. Our doctors gave our children a chance at life. But, many families are not so lucky.

Over the years, I’ve heard from hundreds of parents of premature babies. Some share their miracle stories that mirror my daughter’s journey, but oftentimes I hear stories of lost hope.

I hear from parents wondering why my children were given a chance when their hospital only offered "comfort care," allowing the family to hold their baby as it died in their arms. Every time I hear those words, a little piece of my heart crumbles. Every time I think about a child not given a fighting chance, I look at my daughter Peyton. I imagine what life would be like if I had walked out of our hospital empty handed, always wondering what if? Even though two of my children eventually passed away, each one of them was given that fighting chance. However short their lives were, we created memories, and that’s only possible because our doctors stepped in with lifesaving measures.

There is no way my triplets would have survived without the intensive care they received. Babies born between 22 and 24 weeks are in a grey area, hovering between life and death. But research has shown that a baby this young can survive, and in rare cases like ours, the child can thrive.

Image courtesy of Stacey Skrysak.

So what can be done? I’m not asking all hospitals to lower their viability standards. Many hospitals are simply not equipped to treat babies that tiny or young. But, more can be done, and that starts with education.

No mother plans on having a premature baby, and oftentimes, the complications happen in an instant. We need to educate parents and let them know their options. In some cases, they can be transferred to other hospitals that can better treat the youngest babies. In other cases, it comes down to communication and a better understanding of the hospital’s policies.

June 23, 2013, and August 16, 2013, are the two worst days of my life. Those are the dates that two of my triplets died. But with the heartache comes happiness as I think of the memories I created in their short time here on Earth. Abby and Parker may have been tiny, but they are making a huge impact in so many lives around the world.

As for my miracle survivor, we know that Peyton could face struggles down the road due to her premature birth, but we’re ready and prepared. Peyton continues to climb mountains, conquering everything that comes her way. She is living proof that miracles do exist, and she’s the poster child for why even the youngest babies should be given that fighting chance at life.

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Sevenly supports a new cause every 7 days. Here are 7 of our favorites.

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When it comes to business, making a profit is cool. But making a difference? That's even cooler.

In fact, consumers expect it from today's brands. If you sell a really awesome product and make the world a better place, everyone wins!

Think about the number associated with Snow White. GIF from "Saturday Night Live."

Here's a question though: How often do you see your donation in action? Better yet, how well do you know the actual cause behind the brand?

Sevenly is a social good company that puts the charity front and center.

(Literally. On all their products.)

Founded in 2011 by Aaron Chavez and Dale Partridge, Sevenly's mission was simple: Every seven days, they feature a different charity and sell custom-designed apparel promoting it. Then, for every item sold, they donate $7 back to the cause.

Currently on deck. Image via Sevenly/Facebook.

It was a bold plan in the beginning. But with a little elbow grease and a lot of Facebook marketing (they have over 400,000 fans!), they soon got close to a million site visitors every month. As of today, they've raised over $4 million and have significantly expanded their product line.

What's truly inspiring, though, is seeing exactly how they're helping nonprofits around the world.

Here are some of the amazing stories that Sevenly was a HUGE part of. (And to keep in the spirit of things, we picked our seven favorite ones.)

1. Helping this family preserve the beautiful memory of the baby they lost.

Image via Sevenly/YouTube.

For every 1,000 babies born in the United States, six are lost to infant mortality. It's a painful ordeal, but Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep gives families another way to cherish the memory of their child. With a network of over 1,700 professional photographers working for free, they capture images meant to aid in the family's healing process and to honor the child's legacy forever.

2. Giving this young boy with seizures a service dog to protect him.

Image via Sevenly/YouTube.

4 Paws for Ability provides service dogs for children with special needs. Not only does that assist the family, but it gives the child a stronger sense of independence during their formative years.

3. Connecting kids with the support groups they need.

Image via Sevenly/YouTube.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. among young people aged 10 to 24. Enter Love is Louder, a support community for children struggling with bullying, discrimination, body image, anxiety, or depression. When it's hard to speak up, sometimes you need a little help to raise the volume on important issues.

4. Fighting to end gendercide in India.

Image via Sevenly/YouTube.

A staggering 50 million girls and women are lost from India's population because of gendercide alone. The Invisible Girl Project is trying to put a stop to it once and for all. They also bring much-needed attention to this important issue and continue to empower survivors.

5. Helping rescue people forced into human trafficking.

Image via Sevenly/YouTube.

According to some reports, there have been over 25,000 reported cases of human trafficking in the United States since 2007. The Polaris Project is at the forefront of the fight to end this despicable form of slavery. These people are victims of circumstance and deserve the freedom to live a normal life.

6. Delivering clean water to Haiti.

Image via Sevenly/YouTube.

Close to 40% of Haiti's population has no direct access to potable water and even fewer have access to a toilet. But Water Missions International is doing its best to improve those conditions. They bring safe water to developing countries in need all around the world — whether it's for sustenance or sanitation, clean water is a human right.

7. Working to fix this young boy's legs.

Image via Facebook Stories.

According to the World Health Organization, there is a severe lack of medical providers, especially in developing nations. But help is on the way! Mercy Ships is the world's largest private hospital that travels through sea. With their team of professionals on board, they perform life-saving surgeries for children in need all around the world.

You know what, though? Sevenly does so much good that it's pretty hard to name just seven stories. So here's one more just because.

8. Helping rescue dogs from abusive owners.

Image via Sevenly/YouTube.

Sadly, the laws protecting animal rights are not as strong as they could be in some states. Despite that, the Humane Society of the United States has saved the lives of countless animals. No matter the species, all living beings deserve to be treated with respect and kindness.

When you put a face to a cause, it makes the message that much more powerful.

It allows us to come together as one and to better understand the reality of the problems at hand. Lucky for us, Sevenly has made it its mission to show as many faces and spread as many messages as possible. All we have to do is listen.

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