Bubby pot for infant feeding, England, 1770-1835
This tiny teapot was used for feeding infants. It was made by famous Staffordshire pottery firm, Wedgwood. Before dried and condensed milk were introduced in the 1860s, mothers or wet nurses used a combination of breastfeeding and other foods to feed their babies. The latter included a liquefied mixture of bread, flour, milk and sugar. This teapot was known as a ‘Bubby pot’. It was filled with liquid food. The child sucked upon the perforated spout like they would on a baby’s bottle today. The spout was often covered in cloth.
Object number:
A600084
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: childcare
The caring for or supervising of a child or children.
Glossary: bubby pot
Forerunner of the modern feeding bottle, named after the old English word for breast. Made of pewter or ceranic the perforated spout of the pot was covered with cloth to act as a nipple when feeding an infant cows milk or similar.