OUR BABIES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 15 January 1931, Page 10

OUR BABIES

SUMMER DIARRHOEA (By HYGEIA.) Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). “It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom/' What Can We Do to Prevent Summer Diarrhoea ? First.—We must see that every baby has “the 12 essentials” in his daily life. We must see that every baby has what every baby needs. The first two pages of the Society’s book, “Feeding and Care of Baby,” should be perfectly familiar to every mother in the land. If the baby who has lived in fresh air. been naturally fed, trained in regular habits, and lias received all the other essentials for good health chances to get ill, he “throws off the germs as the bow of an ocean liner throws off the spray”—he is ' pretty well germproof. “ ' Secondly.—We must specially consider the matter of food. Natural feeding is the great preventive. Professor Budin has shown that in Paris, out of 250 deaths of infants occurring in one midsummer week; less than 30 were of breast-fed babies. As we have said, humanised milk is the hest substitute; but in hot weather special precautions are necessary in the preparation and keeping of milk.

MAKING AND KEEPING MILK IN HOT WEATHER

It may be best to bring the baby’s milk up to .the . boil, and keep it about that temperature for 10 minutes, instead of only pasteurising it (i.e., keeping it at a temperature of 155 deg. Fahr. for 10 minutes). Whether boiled or pasteurised the milk must be cooled quickly and at once to well below 60deg. Fahr. if possible. Germs multiply with extreme rapidity in warm milk! Cover the jug loosely with damp' butter muslin', and stand in running or frequently changed cold water. (Needless to say, if ice is available the problem is solved.) In the country a running stream or artesian well may be handy, but in the towns it may be impossible to get tap water below 60deg. Fahr. A pailful of water left outside in the air all night away from the early morning sun will be quite cold for some hours. Select the shadiest, draughtiest, cleanest place for the milk safe, and stand the jug of cooled millc in a shallow dish of the coldest water available in the safe. Be sure the damp muslin dips into the water all round so that it will keep damp, and so cool by evaporation. This method always ensures some cdoling. especially in lio.t. dry weather. When there is any doubt as to whether the milk has remained below 60deg. Fahr., always rescald what is left of the day’s supply in the evening, and again cool quickly, and place in the coldest place available for the night. Naturally, if :it is posible to obtain fresh milk twice daily, it is best to make the humanised milk morning and evening. There are various kinds of safes and coolers, details of which may be obtained if wished from the Plunket Nurses or Karitane Hospitals, but the simple, easily available methods suffice in the great-majority of cases if carefully carried out. Thirdly.—Extra special care must be taken with regard to cleanliness during hot weather. Billies, jugs, bottles, and teats must be washed absolutely free of all traces of stale milk. _ An almost invisible amount of stale milk may render a whole day’s supply of fresh milk poisonous. Vessels which have contained milk should always be washed in cold water first; and then in hot water and soap. Hot water “sets” the milk on the utensil, and makes it difficult to remove. BEWARE OF FLIES. KEEP EVERYTHING UNDER COVER

Remove soiled napkins at once, and cover. Wash the hands after, changing baby before again handling him or his food. ____

Wash the nipples thoroughly before nursing baby. Fourthly.—Be extra careful to ensure regularity of the bowels; and see that baby has freedom of movement in the open air as much as possible. Let him be out of doors practically all day, and all night, too, if it can be’arranged, but avoid overheating him. Lastly.—Do not worry about baby, but be ever on the watch for warning symptoms of trouble, and ready to take prompt measures.

WEANING

If possible do not wean baby during February or March, especially if the weather is very hot. If weaning cannot be avoided it should be done gradually, with great care in the preparation and diluting of the artificial food, which should be humanised milk, made and graded according to the directions in “Feeding and Care of Baby” or the instructions of the Plunket Nurses. Even one breast feed a day during the hottest weather is better than none, delaying complete weaning until cooler days come.

INDIGESTION

Indigestion, due to overfeeding or to unsuitable food or irregular feeding, is the main predisposing cause of diarrhoea; therefore mothers should be eternally viligant, especially during summer. They should be perfectly regular, and should give the children nothing unsuitable or likely to disagree. Unfortunately, it is just during the summer holiday months—the warmest time of the year—that the feeding of both babies and older children tends to become irregular and unsuitable. When travelling or away from home the usual routine is broken, often with disastrous results. Many a child makes no progress during January or February for this reason. The disordered digestion and lowered resistance leave him easy prey to any infection —ripe for an attack of diarrhoea. He may not die, he may completely recover, but at least bis progress will be checked, perhaps for months, and there is grave risk of life-long damage. Some hints on food for children when travelling were given in these columns a week or two ago. When away from home make every effort to secure good jure milk. Always boil it before use ‘or the first few days, and continue to do so if there is any doubt as to the freshness of the supply. Spare no pains to keep all feeding utensils scrupulously clean. For the older children beware of “pieces” of unsuitable food—cakes, sweets, bananas, and other unripe or over-ripe fruit, etc. Next week we shall go into the simple treatment of a threatened attack of diarrhoea. 1