Special Delivery: The Great Baby-Mailing Loophole

The Great Postage Stamp Parenting Hack\n\nOn July 1, 1913, the U.S. Postmaster General increased the Parcel Post weight limit, inadvertently launching the shortest-lived (and weirdest) transportation trend in history: mailing your children.\n\nBecause stamps were often significantly cheaper than train tickets, frugal parents realized they could simply slap some postage on their toddlers and hand them to the mailman. Since there was no specific rule against 'human parcels' yet, the post office was technically obligated to deliver! \n\nThe Hilarious Highlights:\n- The 15-Cent Infant: One Ohio couple, the Beagles, mailed their 10-pound son to his grandmother's house just a mile away. It cost them 15 cents in stamps and $50 in insurance (just in case).\n- The Long-Haul Toddler: The most famous 'package' was Charlotte May Pierstorff, who was shipped 73 miles across Idaho for a mere 53 cents. Her 'carrier' was a relative who worked on the mail train, and she spent the trip hanging out in the mail car like a very small, very confused suitcase.\n- Official Nannying: Mail carriers were surprisingly chill about it, often carrying the children in their arms. One carrier even reported a baby he delivered was 'asleep and very cooperative.'\n\nBy 1915, the Postmaster General finally had to issue a formal decree that humans were not to be considered 'malleable matter' for shipment. So, if you're looking for a cheap travel hack today, unfortunately, the 'Stamp-on-the-Forehead' method is officially out of service!