OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 220, 11 June 1921, Page 5

OUR BABIES

(By

"Hygcia.")

Vubliehed under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children. "It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice thou to maintain an ambulance at the bottom."

BABIES' RIGHTS AS REGARDS FEEDING. The following article appeared In this column nearly six years ago and is reproduced Intact with a slight addition on vitaminea, which brings it up to date. In the feeding of infants from birth onwards the most essential points are:— (1) A. sufficiency of suitable food—excess is more harmful than deficiency. Memo—May, 1921.—Th0 food must contain not only the right proportions of sugar, fat. nad fleshlforming material (protean), but also enough of tho no-called "fresh elements" or vltamines. and tho necessary salts. Overfeeding is more common than underfeeding-, and in general proves more damaging. When the daily ration comes to consist largely of cereals, it is specially important to ensure that a considerable proportion of the breo/L used is made with wholemeal and not -with refined white flour—the latter being practically devoid of vitamines. However, it must not bo -supposed.that tho several kinds of vitamines needed for proper nutrition and growth are contained in any of the cereals; everyone needs to take, in addition, a fair proportion of fresh fruit and vegetables. Further, it is of special importance to the child that, his food shall contain a larger proportion of fats and oils than would be needed in the case of an. adult.

All aniii.nl fats contain special vitamines without which healthy, normal nutrition cannot bo maintained; in vegetable fats and oils vitamines are less abundant and may lie almost- wanting. This~is specially the case with olive and linseed oils. The oils pressed from peanut and cot-ton-seed. on the other hand, are much better; they agree with babies and young children remarkably well. However, animal fata and oils such as butter, drioping, and cod liver oil are more protective against rickets than any vegetable fats or oils. On this account a-. child s fat allowance, should not bo limited to margarine unless more than half the contained fats and oils are derived from the animal kingdom. 2. Feeding at regular times, no food whatever being allowed between the appointed meal hours. Tho intervals sliould be long enough tn ensure the stomach and other digestive organs complete rest between their working periods. The prevailing faults have been irregularity, too frequent feeding, and allowing food between meals. The improvement of digestion, nutrition, growth end all-round development are very marked when these errors are rectified and proper regular habits are establisneu. 3. The form of feeding and tho natuje of the food must be such as to ensure active exercise of the mouth, tongue. Jaws, etc. . , „ .

During the milk period Nature ensures the baby two hours' hard work a day in the form of sucking After have not only to see that the food is such as will afford active exercise for mouth, jaws, teeth, and salivary fflande. but it is also our duty to train the child properly—to make sure that he takes due, time over his food and chews and insalivatiee it thoroughly. The Feediner Bicht.s of School Children. We will suppose that tho child has been reared on the above simple, sensible lines, that ha has not been “spoiled in any way. and that he has his reward in the form of sound teeth, rood digestion, a well-built body, and a sunny,, contented disposition, witn high vitality in the day time, and unbroken sleep at night. Granted all These blessings at the start and in the home (and we a-re granting much more than most children jvhnt probability is there that the healthful training conditions of an ideal home will be maintained under the teachings ami practices of school life? Kindergarten Stage. A large number ol children nowadays are sent to kindergartens, where, unfortunately, in tho v&Bt majority of cases, the giving of food between meals is a part of the regular routine It is no use protesting that such practices are utterly contrary to the spirit ol Pestalozzi and I’roebcl, that reverence for the laws of physiology and Nature lay at the root of the reforms aimed at- by the founder of the k-jidergarten system. All such protests are met either by thp reply that th egrowine child needs ' sunporting,” or that the giving of something between meals is expedient, because it leric. as a means of attracting children to the school. Another reason assigned is thsu the function and ceremony of handing round food and attending to. one another s wants affords a means of civilising children and teaching theta to behave nicelj almost hopeless to contend with such arguments, because they show such an utter lack of appreciation of what is for the child’s ultimate Rood- A similar excuse .louid be found for a1m0... every fond and foolish indulgnco and ‘‘spoiling” of children. Mo have no right to P treat a child with tto lack of consideration we show towards monkeys in the zoological gardes; and in any case there is some restriction placed upon us by the keepers in any well-regulated menaeerie. The race .will never have good health and good digestion unUl it forms to tho simple laws on which the human organism is designed and on winch it* is intended to be run.