7 Craziest Parenting Techniques Throughout History

Do you live in a crowded area in downtown Manhattan in the 1930s and your baby needs some air? No problem, let him crawl right outside the window into this cage, hovering over the city below. A whole bunch of NOPE.

Obstetricians in the 1960s said smoking during pregnancy was totally fine...as long as it was limited to only half a pack a day.

Back during medieval times, the water was so unsafe, that parents gave their children beer for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They didn't know it at the time, but the brewing process killed off all the bacteria. Damn you sanitary city water of 2015.

Good old Hammurabi's Code. Fathers could cut the tongues of naughty children or even sell them off to repay debt.

In Sparta, babies who were premature or deformed were killed. Those who survived would be trained in military camps till they were adults. As I'm writing this, I'm lying down on my couch.

In 500-600 AD in China, it was wildly important to do well on written examinations. It would determine everything from education, to jobs, to marriage prospects. One poor examp would literally ruin your life.

Our final one is from today. Many people think television is an appropriate babysitter these days. While child programming is becoming more educational, don't leave your child home alone!