Book, 'Baby Record'

This is a baby record book from the early20th century. On the front cover is printed 'The Royal N.Z. Society for the Health of Women and Children. Inc. 'Plunket Society' Baby Record. Plunket Nurse's Advice to Mothers. Instructions written in this book are for YOUR baby only. Always bring this book.'

The cover also shows the Plunket logo used from the 1920s to the 1950s. It featuresa breastfeeding woman against a red background and the motto 'To help the mothers and save the babies'.

Inside the front and back covers is advice to mothers about the 12 essentials of baby care, which mentions 'humanised milk' as the best substitute for mother's milk. The inside page has handwritten details of the name and address of the child, which are mostly illegible.

The remaining pages contain a weight chart and space to record the date, age, and weight of the child, and the Plunket nurse's comments, advice, and instructions. Handwritten notes in ink and pencil appear throughout. The back cover also features the Plunket logo.

Significance

This Plunket baby book is part of a collection formerly owned by the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society. It is an early example of the baby books given to every child under Plunket's care from 1922 onwards. A child's growth was measured by the visiting Plunket nurse or at the local Plunket room and recorded in the book along with the nurse's comments.

The book refers to the '12 essentials of babycare' as defined in Sir Truby King's 'Feeding and Care of Baby', written in 1913. It also recommends the use of 'humanised milk'. Plunket advocated breastfeeding, as evidenced by its logo at the time, but when this was not viable the Society emphasised the importance of preparing cow's milk for infant consumption.

The Royal New Zealand Plunket Society

Sir Frederick Truby King founded the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children in 1907 in an effort to improve childcare standards, and it is still active today. It is, however, more commonly known as Plunket, after Lady Victoria Plunket, wife of the Governor of New Zealand at the time of the Society's establishment and a great supporter of King's work. In 1980, the Society officially changed its name to the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society.

Acquisition

In the late 1980s, Te Papa received a collection of objects and ephemera from the Plunket Society, including promotional leaflets, a 'Well Child' baby book, and a set of scales for weighing infants. These items date from different periods in the history of Plunket, from its inception in 1907 to the time of this acquisition.