Baby gear has come a long way since the 1930s and ’40s. A really long way! Back in the day, many of the items that were designed to hold your precious bundle of joy were out made of metal and wood, and offered little to no protection or support. From a baby cage that could be strapped onto any window, even several stories high above the pavement, to a heavy leather child leash used to keep track of wandering children in a crowd, we’ve found 17 bizarre baby gear inventions that’ll make you wonder “What were they thinking?”