This baby’s sucking bottle of glazed earthenware has an elongated neck finishing in a perforated nodule, through which the baby could suck its food. The bottle was filled via a circular hole in the front, which was originally stoppered with a disc or cork. There was a type of glass feeding bottle in use in the late 19th century known as a ‘killer bottle’ because it was impossible to clean properly, and many babies died as a result of drinking from such bottles. But earlier designs like this earthenware one were no different. It was impossible to see whether traces of old food remained in the corners, and if the stopper broke, a pad of rags often took its place.