OUR BABIES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1812, 26 July 1913, Page 9

OUR BABIES.

fßr HTOEIA.I Published under the auspices of the Society for the Health of Women and Children. "It is wieor to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an amoulanoe at the bottom." MASTICATION. ■CORRESPONDENCE. The following letters show the keen interest which parents take in the fundamental problonis 'which havo been discussed, and also the- difficulties which confront them:— Letter I. As a parent, I, like hundreds of others, am much indebted and grateful to "Hyffeia" for the useful information contained in "Our Babies" Column. The articles on mastication are particularly instructive. Might I aak ''Hyßcia" to supplement the instruction by giving next week a list of articles of diet which will provide With ndults who concentrate their minds and are determined to masticate it is less difficult to find materials for mastication, but what is there that cam be given to children that will force them to masticate whether they wish or no? I nave been puzzling over the problem with little success so far. Letter 11. I should be oxtremely obliged if you will post me any of your literature on the feeding of children. My child is three years old, and has so far been fed on "slops," as the doctors cull soft foods nnd milk. Wβ want to know your opinion upon the feeding of children of this age, and I will gladly pay for. literature, etc., upon receipt of same. Letter 111.

I have read with much interest the article on mastication. Tor some time I have had the same ideas about bo much soft food being given to children, but I find it hard to think of a diet for my boy of 20 months—that is, a diet that demands a fair amount of mastication. REPLY. The problem how to provide the modern human being with food that will ensure full mastication is a very difficult one. The crux of tho difficulty lies, as one of our correspondents says, in bringing a child to masticate properly vrlio has not been trained to. do so from the beginning, find who has not reached the age when the will can be involved to bring about tho chewing of -food when it is not of a character which' necessitates mastication prior to swallowing. Don't Miss the Golden Opportunity. If we fail to satisfy a baby'e natural

desire for something hard to masticate at the time when this instinct first asserts at about six or seven months of age, when a bone may be given to munch at, followed by hard food a fenmonths later—tho instinct tends to die out, and there 'is great difficulty in reestablishing it; but it must be re-estab-lished if we wish our children to have strong, serviceable jaws and teeth, and if -wo wish them- to escape the modern tendency to adenoids, swollen tonsils, and the chain of other evils which follow on "pap , ' feeding. If the habit of merely swallowing food has been formed, not only is the instinct to chew lost, but if an effort is mado to masticate properly the jaws Boon become weary, and refuse to do their work completely. In adults the habit of proper mastication can be developed by gradually and persistently using the jaws and teeth. If this ia done the task becomes less irksome day by day, and soon passes into a natural, unconscious, routine habit, no longer needing to be actuated by the will. However, for a long time vigilance must not be relaxed, because of the tendency to fall back again into laziness, and the swallowing of half-chewed food.

Take Foot) That Needs Work. 'i'he great aid in this matter is to tako at each meal •' a fair proportion of food that can scarcely be swallowed without a considerable amount of chewing and insalivation. It is true that by the excrciso of a strong will ono can force one's self to chew a meal of solt, mushy food, but the task is much easier and the results are much better in regard to the pioper pouring out of digestive juices if a fair proportion of the i'ood is more or less dry, and of such a texture as to offer sufficient resistance to tho jaws and teeth. This is specially the case in early child-? hood. If all the food; given is more or less- soft and moist a baby cannot be trained to chew thoroughly, and the glands cannot be induced to fully insalivate sucb food. On the other hand, if the jaws are properly exercised from the start by giving bones to gnaw or munch at prior to tho eruption of teeth, and if the first solid food allowed is such as requires munching—crusts, dry toast, rusks, etc.—the masticating, reflex or instinct will be developed. Then even when some soft food is given in l addition, this also will be more or less chewed instead of being merely gulped down. Glaxo Builds Bonny Babies.—Advt.