OUR BABIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22986, 15 September 1936, Page 15

OUR BABIES

By Hygeia,

Published under the auspices of the Koval 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 main, tain an ambulance at the bottom." SOME PRACTICAL POINTS FEEDING THE CHILD AFTER NINE MONTHS (Continued.) Very often a mother wonders whether the baby should have foods other than his milk mixture or cereal jelly and crusts from nine months to twelve months. To this we would reply that the normal baby needs only orange juice or other fresh uncooked fruit or vegetable juice. This should be given in twice the quantity of water (boiled), midway between any two meals, and at the same hour daily if possible. Frequently mothers find 4 p.m. a convenient hour. About one tablespoonful of orange juice or two tablespoonfuls of carrot juice may be given at this stage. N.B.—Never add boiling water to the fresh orange or carrot juice, as it destroys the fresh properties. If baby has four teeth, and has learned to chew, start raw, ripe apple —under supervision and tuition, of course. One cannot lay down a hard-and-fast rule as to what exact age raw apple may be given for the first time; it all depends on how the individual baby learns to masticate. Usually one can begin when he is about 12 months of age by scraping a ripe, peeled apple on his teeth or grating some fine and feeding it to him by a spoon. ' Regarding the number of feeds daily, as a general rule five feeds daily, discontinuing the 10 p.m. feeding in the twelfth month. Some babies tend to drop the 10 p.m. feeding earlier. This is allowed only if sufficient milk mixture is taken at the other four meals, and the baby continues to gain weight satisfactorily. Baby should be completely weaned from the bottle during this nine to twelve months’ period. Learning to drink from a cup is an important part of the child’s education during this period. Children vary greatly in the readiness with which they accept changes, both as regards new flavours or textures in food and new methods of feeding. Some, naturally conservative in this respect, need tactful handling to avoid the development of an active refusal of all new foods or new methods. It is advisable to take steps in advance to accustom every bottle-fed baby to the transition from bottle to cup and spoon feeding, just in the same way as it is always advisable to accustom the breast-fed baby to the use of the bottle from the early stage by giving water in this way. With the bottle-fed baby give orange juice by spoon from the beginning, and from six months teach him to drink water from a cup. By nine months he should in this way be able to drink quite neatly, and (which is even more important) be prepared to accept milk from a cup without a struggle. Discontinue the bottle by degrees—first for a few ounces at one feeding, then for a whole feeding, then two, and so on. The 6 a.m. bottle may be discontinued last for convenience sake.

Introduce each new food in very small quantities, and increase slowly. It is far better to let baby want more than he gets for a time than to force a given amount on him. The former stimulates appetite, while the latter may set up a troublesome refusal of the new food.

During this period the milk is still the most important food in the baby’s diet, and he should be receiving about one pint and a-half daily. It must be properly modified by the addition of water, and sugar, and fat in the correct proportions. One cannot lay down absolute rules, but mothers may appeal to Plunket nurse for help and guidance in dieting baby over this period. Next week we will discuss the period between 12 and 15 months along the same lines.