#DidYouKnow The early decades of the 20th century saw a rather unusual practice take hold in the United States – the mailing of babies and young children through the Parcel Post system. This peculiar phenomenon emerged shortly after the launch of Parcel Post services on January 1, 1913, which allowed Americans to send packages and parcels through the mail in a convenient and affordable way.
While intended for inanimate objects, some enterprising and frugal parents quickly realized the potential to use this service to transport their children over long distances. At the time, purchasing a train ticket was prohibitively expensive for many families. However, the Parcel Post rates were very economical – it cost just 15 cents for the first pound and about 1 cent per pound for every additional pound after that. For cash-strapped parents needing to travel with young kids, mailing their little ones turned out to be the thriftiest option.
The first baby to be delivered via mail was one James Beagle, an eight month old who, at just under 11 pounds, was still technically under the weight limit that the postal service was imposing at the time. The child was mailed to his grandparents, who only lived a few miles away; so, fortunately for the tot, the journey was not arduous. (Indeed, sources claim that he slept most of the way there). According to the Smithsonian, James cost a mere 15 cents in postage – a “discount rate” if ever there was one. However, his parents also “insured” him for $50.00, which was no small charge back then. James’s journey created a sensation, and it established a child mailing trend that would continue for several years to come.
The process of sending babies through the mail was not as haphazard or dangerous as it may sound today. Their journeys were intentionally short, and parents were required to accompany and keep watchful eye over their mailed children during transit. Postmasters would simply affix the necessary postage stamps to the child’s clothing and have them ride along with mail clerks on trains and delivery vehicles. Upon arrival, the kids would be collected from the destination post office by waiting relatives.
While certainly an unorthodox practice through today’s lens, mailing babies was seen as a creative and acceptable solution for families with limited means in that era. Records indicate that at least a few dozen and potentially over 100 children were sent through the mail in this fashion during the mid-1910s before the service was eventually banned as being inappropriate and improperly taking advantage of the Parcel Post system.
The last documented case of a mailed baby occurred in 1915, when a young girl was shipped from Stratton, Oklahoma to her grandparents in Kansas – a journey of over 720 miles by rail! After this incident gained national headlines and public outcry, the Post Office finally prohibited the mailing of children for good in 1916. But it remains an amusing, if bizarre footnote in American history when sending kids became briefly acceptable postage!
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