OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 11, 28 January 1918, Page 3

OUR BABIES

[BT HTGEIA.I Published under the auspices of tho ltoyal New Zealand Society for tho Health of Women and Children. "It is wiser to put up a fence at tho top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." HEALTH LESSONS FOB CHILDREN.— SECOND LESSON. Laßt week I told you the five chief needs for good health. What are they ? Jon ■ remember their names begin with the nr&t five letters of the alphabet. (Get the children to repeat them, marking off each on a finger.) A. AIR.-Breathe pure, fresh, clean, cool air bv d.iv and night. B. BATHING.-Plenty of water for cleanliness. , . . ~ 0. OLOTHING.—T.oosc, light, comfortable clothing—neither too much nor too little. D. DlET.—Proper food. Plain, siiiiplc food taken at regular intervals. Solid food must he thoroughly chewcd. Water should he taken after a meal, not with it. E. EXERCISE AND REST—A _ large amount of exercise in the open air and sunshine is nccessary for good health. Boys and girls, as well as babies, need rest and plenty of sound sleep. AIR. I shall tell you something about clean air. Pure, clean, cool air is the commonest thing we have, and the most valuable. When we are out of doors it_ is all around us—cool, pure, and life-giving. When we are indoors, if the windows and doors of the room ftre closcd, we soon make the air warm, moist, and unclean by the breath which comes from our bodies, and we soon feel tired and weary; therefore, we must open the windows wide, so that the pure, clean air may come iu, 'and the unclean air, which we b rent ho out from our bodies, may get out and be made clean again. There' rniist be a way for the cleau air to come in and a way for the dirty air to go out. If there is an open window and a fireplace in the loom the clean air conies in at tho window and the dirty air goes out up the chimney. Make sure that the fireplaco is not closcd with a damper, a board, or any other obstacle. Keep vour windows wide open all night long. If you have no fircplaco in your room open the window ton and bottom— the opening below will allow the clean, cool air to como in, the opening at tho top will allow the warm, impure air to get out. However, it is very much better to havo a stream of pnrc, clean air com- • ing in at, one sido of the room and the unclean air going out at the other side. You can arrange for this, even where there is no fircplace in your bedroom, by opening your window vide and keeping the door of your room open; now open the door of another room with a fireplace, and the olean air will come in at your open window and the unclean sir will go out through the doors and up the chim ney of the other loom. Parents should get the children to go round tho house, opening the windows in the various rooms and considering how the cool, fresh air is to get in and how tho used-up, impure air is to get out. The children should also be shown how to keep ofl direct draughts by means of screens or other devices. Remember that blinds and e.ven thin curtains keep out the clean air; therefore don't cover up tho openings in any way. ... Some people think that night air is injurious to health. This is a great mistake. Tho only bad night air i 3 inside your room, so let it out. Make sure of having at all times plenty of good, clean, pure, fresh air. Without air you would die in about three minutes. Without water you would died in about three days. Without food you could | live for three weeks. Tho Relative Importance of Food and Air. Some of you may be inclined to think that you could not live without food for three whole weckH. If you had to go without you dinner you would feci very hungry; and if you had to go without your tea as well you would imagine you wero being starved, and that you would die ir you did not get some food very soon. / Yet you could live without food for many £ days if you had air and water. I onco £ saw a man who lived on water and a lit- fi tie fruit juico for more than three weeks, f, He had 110 food at all, and although ho £ became very weak and cold, he recovered t and was able to to go about again and K seemed quite well. So you sec, it is pos- | siblc to do without food for quite a long | time. . ft But if you were in a close room into | which no fresh air could find a way, the p air in the room would become so im- gj pure that you would be poisoned to death, ri I daresay you have heard of tho Black fj Holo of Calcutta. When the British were ji! at war with the natives of India 146 Eng- ?• lish were taken prisoners and cast into B a room only 20ft. square. The room had ft two small windows, hut the air that could p trickle in through these was not nearly ji enough for so many people. In a very | short time tho good air had been used up, and the prisoners began to suffer great agony. Many of them died quite soon, and in tho morning only 23 of the whole number were alive. The others had died for want of pure air. The room in whioh this terrible tragedy took place is known in history as "the Black Hole of Calcutta," I hope you understand now how very important pure, fresh air is. One can always pick out the children who live in the fresh air day and night. Thoy have rosy cheeks, firm flesh, bright eyes, a merry laugh, and are full of life and gaiety. Remember that to bo henlthy and strong you mußt breath clean, fresh air day and night.