OUR BABIES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2254, 14 September 1914, Page 2

OUR BABIES.

TBI HTGBU.I N j Published under tho auspices of the Society for the Health of Women and Children. . . "It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of g, precipice than ( to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." PREVENTION AND CURE OF COLDS IN INFANCY, 1 I have already dealt at .some length with the simple hygienio measures that tend to make a baby "robust and resistive to disease: and, on the other hand, 1 have'pointed to common practices ana mistakes which; lead to a, general lowering of vitality and repeated colds. 1 promised last week to answer a mother's question as to the best way of treating a baby when it has actually caught cold. This is not at all an easy thmg to do, .because so much depends on the way in which the baby has been habitually 'treated, especially in regard ,to fresh air, outings, clothing, bedding, •and even foods and feeding nabits. It is .extraordinary how people fail to realise that ■ tho proper • treatment of coughs and. colds, and, indeed, the treatment of most of the common ailments of children, consists essentially in extra care along these simplo lines. (See "What Every Bahy Needs," pages 1 and , "Feeding and Care of Baby.") BABIES AT KARITANE HOSPITAL. Ordinary Clothing for ■ Daytime.—l. Long-sleeved silk and wool singlet. 2 Short-sleeved knitted woollen singlet.. 3. Petticoat, bodice, and skirt all flannel. (Cheap flannel is best, as being more porous and elastic than higher grades.) 4. Dress of winsey or viyella. 6. Outside jacket made of wiaseyor woollen material, knitted or otherwise. Memo.—ln summer the sliort-sleeved woollen, singlet and the outside jacket are ordinarily omitted,--but it must be I clearly understood that there can ba no absolute routine in suoh matters. On a very warm day;in winter a baby may need loss clothing than on a, very cold day in summer. Hands and Feet. —When a baby is out in tho open air in winter, the hands are usually covered with fingerless gloves, , made of thin flannel. When a baby is taken out of bod and carried about, woollen bootees may be used. Great' care is taken to make sure that the feet are completely enveloped and cosily wrapped up when the "picking T up" "'shawl or ; blanket is wrapped round the bat-y. During ''kicking exercise" in a pen, in a warmed room, no bootees are used; but if a baby is outside in winter, say. in a pen on tho verandah, bootees, or preferably long' sstockings, as shown on page 83, ''Feeding and Care of Baby," should be put on. At the Karitane Hospital the babies are placed on four thicknesses of blanket m the pen,' or a thick nig and one blanket are used 1 . Baby's Bed.—The method of bedmaking in use at the Karitane Hospital is illustrated and thoroughly described on page 160 of the Society's Book, so I need merely . mention . the garments aud blankets used as night—viz. 1. Long-sleeved silk and wool singlet. . . , 2. Short-sleeved knitted woollen singlet. 3. Flannel nightdress. 4. Two good warm, fluffy blankets, or preferably a honeycomb shawl in place of one of the blankets. If the weather is specially cold an extra blanket may be used. * In warm weather, on tho other hand, uso only one blanket (the enveloping, bl&nket, see 2, fig. 64, page ICO, "Feeding and Care of Baby"), and tho knitted woollen vest should bo omitted.N.B-. —Tho day and night garments arq kept quite separate. No garment worn during the day is put on-again for .tho night. ' It must bo clearly understood that changes in clothing or bedding should be niado cautiously, but thero is no greater or more common mistake than a mere routine allowance of clotliing, without any thought as to whether tho particular day is bitterly cold or oppressively warm. Always bear in mind that a baby should ba clad rather according to tho particular day than according to tho season of . tho year, though, of course, the summer clothing in general should bo lights" than tho winter clothing. Tho of mothers is certainly to ovorclothe in warm weather, and very often babies aro carelessly taken out underclad on a cold or windy day. WHEN BABY HAS A COLD. If the baby has been sleeping in a room without a fire, it is better to put it in a slightly warmed room (not above 60dog, F.) for a few nights. On tho uthor hand, tho' common practice of

Seeping a baby in a hot kitchen, when it gets a cold, is highly injurious and jjften leads to serious brononitis. No extra clothing is needed, but special care should be taken to prevent undue loss of heat through the use of insufficiently absorbent napkins and failure W cliango napkins often enough. Babies would get rid of thoir colds much more quicldv if wo could make all mothers realise the importance of providing proper absorbent pads (see pages 75 to 77, "Feeding and Care of Baby") for napkins. Forego kicking exercise for a few days, but rub arms and legs once or twice a day to keep up tone. Do not givo up the warm bath, but take extra care to do.everything very quickly and be sure that clqthing and towels are warmed and ready to hand. The chest nuy bo rubbed with a little camphorated oil. As regards feeding, the "main point to remember—whether a baby is boing suckled or. fid otherwise—is the fact that during the active feverish stage of a cold tlio power to digest and absorb food is 'greatly diminished, and it is fchercforo quite a mistake to givo the; ordinary allowance at such a time." If tlio mother took tho" trouble to observe tho motions, she would find that, during a feverish cold, there is a •tendency lor undigested curd to show in the ! stools. It is best to dilute the food with water while, the child is feverish— the additional water itself being beneficial.