At first glance it looks scary. However, properly secured in studs, with 3 inch lag bolts, you could stack 300 lbs of bricks in there safely. That thing is made out of steel mesh. A 15 lb baby is nothing.
How many people have a walk-out balcony from their master bedroom? You are out their drinking coffee, reading the newspaper, and sitting on a similar structure. Except, you have a solid plywood floor, instead of steel meshing.
back in the 1930’s the concept of healthy fresh air was a medical mainstay for centuries. TB patients were taken to country estates for fresh air therapy. Asthma patients today are still urged by Doctors to relocate to a desert like Arizona for the dry, clean air.
Tiny 500 sq foot tenement apartments. It’s a Brilliant place to keep baby out from under foot.
No Air Conditioning in the 1930’s. Coolest spot in the house
As a guy trained in engineering, I’d use this thing on pretty days.
At least until my wife got home and kicked the crap out of me.
Provided the cage is securely attached, and provided the baby hasn’t reached an age where it will try to climb out of the cage, it looks pretty safe to me.
The main drawback is you can’t trust a homeowner to install it correctly. Some nitwit uses 4d finishing nails (instead of lag bolts) and you have a tragedy.
No, it wasn’t really a dumb idea, it just looks odd these days.
Of course, this was smoky, foggy, smog-laden London in the 30s – I don’t know how much “fresh” air was actually available. And there wasn’t much need for air conditioning, either, generally.
I seem to remember that the actual impetus behind these was an attempt to reduce the incidence of rickets, caused by children getting insufficient sunlight.
Oh trust me, a baby will find a way to crawl around the side. They practice in the dead of night, so you have no idea of their new found mobility skills until they’re ready to make their move. Next thing you know the baby who you thought could barely pull themselves up on the crib wall is in the basement, watching TV with your credit card & phone in hand, ordering porcelain angels from QVC. Or in this case, they’ve braided a rope from their diaper & blankie, lowered themselves to the pavement, and gotten a job driving a cab.
