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OUR BABIES.

(By Hygeia).

Published under the auspices of the Society for the Health of Women and Children. " It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." WHAT BABIES MIGHT BE. About a month ago, chancing to call at a doctor's house, I was much struck by the perfect, allround health and fitness of his little two year baby girl, in whom seemed to centre everything that one could conceive of strong, rosy, radiant, joyous infancy the kind of much loved, unspoiled child, who fills a home with its natural, happy, winning ways. I felt it would be a privilege to know just how the little girl had been reared, and the father was kind enough to write me out the short and simple annals of her life, which will be found subjoined. I found myself in a wide, opened windows household,fresh air being not merely a prevailing feature, but stuffy, used up, muggy air an unknown quantity. The house was situated on a very breezy, exposed hillside; just the place were most people would tell you that it is impossible to keep the windows open. However, a noble fish, such as a trout, loves pure, cool, riDplin streams and scorns polluted ponds—indeed, cannot live in such. Moreover, the doctor had had a very large practical experience of the almost miraculous healing of consumptives in open air sanatoria, so he had no manner of doubt as to what was due to the bahy—indeed to every member of his family, but first and foremost to "her majesty the baby." Florence Nightingale said half a century ago, in a little pambhlet addressed to the mothers of England:—

PURE COOL AIR. "Baby will suffer from a close room when you don't feel that it is closed. If baby sleeps even for a few huurs, much more if it is for nights and nights in foul air, baby will, without any doubt whatever, be puny and sickly, and most likely have illnesses, and not get well through them. Baby will feel the want of fresh air even more than you." Before the baby could talk, she would welcome the wind, throwing her little head up to the breeze, and sniffing it in with obvious delight, when an ordinary adult would be inclined to turn aside in fretful irritation; one of her earliest spoken expressions of joy was "lovely wind."

However, many other factors go to the building of a royal and perfect baby, especially proper food, proper feeding methods, proper exercise, regularity, etc. Fortunately none of these was lacking; the lucky infant not only revelled in pure, cool air, but she was also breast-fed, and thus had plenty of natural exercise for tongue, mouth, jaws, and embryo teeth. Further, she was early trained how to chew properly —indeed, had made auch progress in mastication by the time she was a year old, that she was then promoted to the 'raw apple standard'; and before she had reached two years of age was allowed three raw apples a day'—one at the close of each meal. Long before this she had accepted full mastication a" a rule of life for everyone, including her father, and if ever he ventured to hurry, she would round on him with an imperious little "Chew, daddy, chew!"

HER MAJESTYS' RECORD. Food.—Breast-fed entirely ud to nearly seventh month, and partially up to nearly eighth month. Then on humanised milk. This was gradually modified until about 14th month; then plain milk with a little water added was used, undiluted milk being given from about seventeenth month. Bones were given to munch from sixth month onwards. Orange juice was given as soon as humanised milk was begun, and was always relished no matter how sour it was. About the end of ninth month barley jelly and oat jelly were begun; also crusts. At about twelve months bread and butter was given (a good deal of butter has always been given since it was first born), and some raw apulea after.

Meals.—Oat jelly was gradually replaced by well boiled and stiff porridge, given with salt. At first the porridge was strained, but very soon given unstrained. From five to fifteen months five feeds a day, from fifteen to eighteen months four, and since then only three meals—viz., at 7.30 a.m., 32.30 p.m., and 5.0 p.m. After fifteen months, egg, potato and gravy, baked apple, and soup were gradually added to diet. At very rare intervals a little minced chicken was given. No other meat was given until two years old, and now only a little once or twice a week.

In the early months of life a little plain water was given from a bottle, consequenlty, there was not the slightest difficulty in giving milk from the bottle when the time came for it. Orange iuice was at first put into a cup and fed with a spoon, but baby of her own accord quickly started taking juice from the cup direct. There was thus no difficulty in giving milk from a cup later. She never made the slightest objection to changes of food or to methods of giving it. She was twice upset by bad milk (some of my patients were upset by same milk), otherwise there has never been the slightest trace of flatulence or indigestion. No food or drink has ever been al'owed between meals, excepting water and orange juice. Raw apples have been regularly given since they were first begun, when

given as a treat: Always much enjoyed, but second one rarely ever asked for. Teeth.—Appeared in usual order about usual time. She had eight or ten when a year old. Never any trouble with teeth, and, excepting the first, they were seldom noticed until they were well through the gum. Cleaning begun soon after teeth appeared. Brush used after seventeen to eighteen months. Now makes an attempt to use the brush herself. Weight.—lncreased steadily, always something above the average for age. Always plump and firm, but never had the rolls of fat on legs and arms seen in many babies, especially the patent fuod babies. Clothing. Binder removed as soon as cord separated, and never used afterwards. No constriction allowed about cheat or abdomen. Two rules übserved sufficient clothing for warmth without overburdening child; perfect freedom of movement of chest, abdomen, and limbs. Fresh Air.—Since she was about three weeks old she always slept close to open window, no screen used. At first slept in open work basket on a stand, no trimmings of any kind to basket, and child raised well up in it. Out of doors practically all day, and face always freely exposed to air or wind. Sleep.—Never kept us awake at night. Never a crying baby. Being healthy, probably had nothing to cry about. Always sleeps with mouth well closed. It seems almost an impertinence to make any critical comment on the above record, but I feel sure that the doctor would agree with me in the suggestion that, instead of mincing the chicken or meat, it would be better to give these in the form of a little left on the bones for the child to gnaw and chew. As for his commendation of bananas for babies, lam not quite sure. I should prefer other fruit, but perhaps I am prejudiced because a little girl of my own was made very ill indeed by eating a whole banana when she was four years old. However, I will deal with the question of the fruits most suitable for children in a future column.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/KCC19121123.2.6

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 520, 23 November 1912, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,271

OUR BABIES. King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 520, 23 November 1912, Page 3

OUR BABIES. King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 520, 23 November 1912, Page 3

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