It seems that babies born after the millennium are being taught set meal times, a strict bedtime routine and set naps during the day. Advice from elderly generations  coupled with baby books such as ‘The Contented Little Baby Book' by Gina Ford and ‘Feeding your Baby and Toddler' by Annabel Karmel, has led to mums adopting a more stringent approach to motherhood.

The past 50 years have seen motherhood evolve from a structured rigid approach during the 1960's to a more relaxed attitude during the seventies and eighties.

But mums of today are ditching the methods of their own mums in favour of their grandmother's fuss-free methods. Babies are even taken out and about more to ensure they get more than three hours of fresh air each day!

The poll of 4,500 mums of all ages, conducted by Kamillosan to celebrate the brand's 75th anniversary, revealed that modern mums find it difficult to practise a relaxed attitude towards raising their children.

Feeling under pressure to get it right, 79 per cent of mums of today say they have read tons of books about the best way to raise their child.

And 38 per cent rely on their grandmother's experiences and tales of old. As a result, 55 per cent of babies today are woken by their parents at a set time every morning.

Two thirds will then go on to eat their breakfast, lunch and dinner at set times during the day, and 57 per cent will have one or two scheduled naps.

In the evening the average mum will bath baby, give them a bottle of milk and then settle them in bed after a bedtime story and nursery rhyme.

But despite the fall back to routine, there have been some major developments in the way women approach motherhood since the 1960's.

Most importantly, mums of today have the added pressure of juggling part time jobs and motherhood.

However, although they didn't go out to work, 52 per cent of 1960s mums did send their children to a playgroup or childminder or nursery.

Today's mums are more likely to breast or bottle feed on demand, believing that a baby under six months should be fed whenever it is hungry.

And although sixties mums fed a on a strict four hourly routine, if their baby was screaming for milk 67 per cent would give in and feed the child regardless of the time.

Government guidelines for children's car seats are stricter than ever before which is why 86 per cent of mums are absolutely stringent with making sure their baby is travelling in the correct car seat.

Fifty years ago, only 57 per cent of mums would worry about the way their baby travelled in a car, and 41 per cent frequently just had the baby on their laps.

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