HINTS ABOUT BABIES.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1788, 13 November 1879, Page 4

HINTS ABOUT BABIES.

[“N.Y. Weekly,”] Babies are such unusual things—so rarely seen or heard—that all creation are certain to be interested in yours. Therefore, when yours arrives, have a grand jollification over it. Talk about it as if there hadjnever been a baby bom since Cain first came into this world of “ sin and sorrow." Tell how he smiled and cried and kicked up his little toes, and opened his eyes as if he were so surprised to think he had got here I Turn the whole house upside down for him I No matter about the comfort of the rest of the household I The baby must be seen to 1 MufHe the door bell—it might disturb babyl Let Bridget go In her stocking feet—creaking shoes hurt baby’s nerves. Turn the cat out doors—she might suck baby’s breath. Kill the dog—he might run mad and bite baby. Take grandpa’s pipe away—tobacco smoke will stuff baby up so. Show him to everybody who comes in. Don’t alight even the baker or butcher; show them that you are not stuck up; you can let even a tradesman see your baby— 11 a cat may look at a King.” When you have callers take baby down to the parlor and display him to the best advantage. Let everybody hold him a little, and shake him a little, and kiss him a little, and chuck him under the chin, and pinch his legs, and feel of his bald head, and pull open his watery little staring eyes to see if they are the color of his pa’s or ma’s. Let them trot him, and toes him, and cry boo I at him to their heart’s content. By and by, when he gets older, and the troubles of life come thick upon him, it will comfort him to look back upon this period of his existence, and remember that after all there can be nothing more in store for him than he has already gone through—he has been a baby in a family that admired him. Fathers should cultivate whiskers to their fullest extent, so as to afford baby a chance to exercise its pulling propensities. Babies are notoriously “ good ’’ when they have such whiskers as they like to pull. Next to whiskers comes hair. Hair is almost equal to whiskers as a means of diversion for these little household pets. Fathers should never wear their hair short—it discourages baby, and is a great wrong to him. Babies have tights as well as elder people. A long nose is a splendid thing in a family where there is a baby. It affords baby so much innocent amusement in twisting and pinching and turning it up, and is such a help to thought and calculation, as to the best chance of seeing it unawares and making the moat of it. If you want your baby to be healthy, give him occasional doses of all the advertised nostrums of the day adapted to his age. He will be likely to have worms, so you will be safe in giving him worm syrup quite often, to warn the worms that yon are on the lookout for them, and that their fate is certain if they do come, Keep the catnip tea a-stewing, end the soothing-syrup handy, and let him cat all the candy and raw apples he wants, and you’ll find times lively and soothing syrup a convenient thing to have in the house. If he cries for anything, let him have it—no matter if it be his father’s watch or his grandma’s spectacles, or Aunt Sally’s favorite poodle, let him have it. Don’t cross him; you’ll -break his spirit. Take.him out with you whenever you go anywhere. Everybody will want to ace baby. And all the dogs and na*s in the houses you .visit will be delighted that they have got ears and tails for him to pull. That is if they ere brought up as cats and dogs should be. Never mind if your hostess does show a wry face when her favorite tabby is hoisted up by the scruff of her neck, and, yowling and spitting, is called by you 11 a nasty thing,” and told out to get out and stop growling at baby; let baby have his fun. He must play with something I Ha is so sweet and so cunning I Expect everybody to praise him, and see all the loveliness in him that you see, and ttespise all who do not, and call them stupid ©ld things, and say they are envious 1

Don’t try to make baby mind till he ia two or three years old. Before that time he is not old enough to know what you mean; and after that time he ia too old to know what you mean:; so you can save yourself all trouble in this regard, if you let him go his own gait till ho is threo years old. When he gets so as to talk, always let him help you tell everything. Children are such keen observers. If you say a thing happened yesterday, and he says it happened day before yesterday, let him have his wayi It will make bis temper sour to contradict him. If you begin a story, and he takes it out of your month, sit still in silent admiration, and be thankful that you have so “ bright ” a child. And by the time you have brought up a dozen children according to these rules (which are the rules by which most people seem to bring up their children) you will realise fully what a great and awful responsibility it is to have the training of an immortal soul.