CHILDREN TEETHING.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2227, 18 April 1881, Page 4

CHILDREN TEETHING.

This is a very trying time for the littlo ones, and for that matter, it is trying for their mothers too. Dear little things, thsy feel uncomfortable, and have no idea what the trouble is, and so they worry and fret ; and it is a wonder if mamma don’t get crass too. I have one piece of advice to give young mothers, that if they will bear in mind, and practice, will be of more real value to them than gold. Never get nervou* and irritable with yonr children. Sleep calm and cool, whatever happens. Tou think it is impossible; but it is not ; it has been done by many mothers, and more can do it if they only try. A baby cannot be hushed to sleep if its mother is all in a flutter ; the little thing will cry and worry, till it is all tired out, and goes off to sleep through clear exhaustion. It does not have a good restful nap, but starts and jumps, and its mother has to rook it to keep it tolerably quiet. Young mothers, this is not an old woman’s whim, it is truth ; try for yourselves and see. There is a sympathy between a mother and her babe, and if the mother’s nerves are all unstrung, baby’s will be the same. But I was going to talk about teething. Children suffer terribly sometimes, even to death; and if mothers only understood how to manage them, they would be spared a great amount of pain. In the first place, keep soft flannel next the body, till they ore two years old, certainly. Then never neglect to keep close watch of the little month so as to know if the gums got inflamed and swollen. It is often a great relief to have the gums lanced ; it should always be done if there is a purple hue upon them. The bowels should be kept open by a suitable diet oatmeal gruel, chicken broth, beef tea, aro all good and proper food for little people—neither candies nor sweets of any kind are healthy, they cause the food to coagulate in the stomach and the result is pain, then, of course, baby cries in distress. A very nice thing to draw inflammation from the gums is to take the feelers on lobsters (they are the long slender things that grow from the head), and out them up into pieces, a little more than a quarter of an inch long, and string them like beads and put them on the babe’s neok. You will be astonished to see how quick they draw the inflammation from the gums, and causa a fine eruption of the skin all around the neok; ■ponging the head in cold water is very soothing ; but above all things let the child be out of doors all that is possible. It gains strength and then its mind is diverted from its uncomfortable sensations, and a baby is better every way for enjoying the sunshine and pure air. It is better than medicine of any kind. Where one lives in the country there is no excuse for shutting children up in the house. I do not know how city people do manage to raiee children, I should think they would all die for lack of air and sunshine. I do not wonder that oity-raised people are puny and dwarfish, 1 think it more of u wonder that they live at all. Open air is needful to make any living thing develop and grow, and sunshine gives animal and vegetable nature strength. Oar minister’s wife was a nice sweet woman, and she had a pretty babe about eleven months old, but it was a delicate child. Its mother was so afraid that a breath of air should blow on it, that she would Insist that every window and door was kept closed. I wanted to tell her sho was spoiling the child, but somehow it did not come handy to do it, and I never like to give counsel unless asked for it. One day she sent for me to come quick, as baby was in a fit j so of course I wont; the poor woman was crying and wringing her hands : “ Baby will dio ! baby will die!” and baby lay in its cradle in convulsions. “ Oh, I hope not; do try and bo calm,” said I, taking the little creature on my lap. I got my finger in its mouth so as to see its gums. The eye teeth were cutting, and the gums were swollen fearfully and ulcerated. “ Here is the trouble. Q-et a lancet, quick.” But they had none, neither a sharp penknife, and the village physician was five miles away, “Well, give ms a darning needle." They had that, and I pierced the ulcerated places and they discharged fearfully. I then soaked the little feet in warm water, wilted some burdock leaves fop drafts on the feet, and put a mustard plaster between the shoulders, and in just fifteen minutes from the time I came in the house the baby was nestled in its mother’s bosom, looking a little pale, but its fever was gone, and in two days those eye teeth were cut through all right. "I think baby would have died, grandmother, if you had not come; how can I thank you enough?” “By learning how to take care of her yourself,’’ and then I had a good chance to talk to her about training up children ; and she was a good sensible woman, and remembered what I said, and practised it too. The rest of the children fell into the the hands of a wise mother, and she had no more trouble about convulsions or fits, or even delicate babies. The younger children cut, their teeth the easier they come, but there is a great difference in ago about cutting teeth. Some have four teeth through at four months, while others do not have more than that at a year old. Opiates of all binds are injurious to children. A little sago or catsup tea is bettor than a gross of soothing syrup or n gallon of paregoric. Burdock loaves are a grand thing to use with children, and grown-up people too. I would never bo without them in the house, they allay inflammation and ease pain so quick ; if they bad not been so useful, Ood would cover have spread them so plentifully around every every houro, so that they could have been gathered readily. I have seem them applied bo the bowels in cases of inflammation, and never knew thorn fail in giving relief. For toothache and neuralgia they are excellent; for sore throat they are good. If green, you want to wilt them on the stove before apply, ing ; if dried, you want to warm and soften them with either warm water or vinegar. They aro better than doctor’s stuff at any time and can bo got quicker. A mother must have her thoughts about her and not get frightened when the children fall sick. No one Deeds presence of mind as

much as a mother; and she must learn to think quick and act promptly when a sudden emergency comes up. Many painful hours and sick days could bo avoided if mothers would only tako proper precautions and nee suitable remedies when the little ones are first taken sick. A warm footbath is one of the bes f things in the world to allay pKin, > nd it is generally the lust thing that is thouu’ht of in cares of fever or ir.fljmmstnn. Just have your thoughts about yon, and learn what to do. Grandmother.