OUR BABIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24419, 3 October 1940, Page 14

OUR BABIES

By Hygela 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.” MAKING CLOTHES FOR TODDLERS The following is an extract from an article from the English maternity and child welfare magazine Mother and Child on the subject of clothing for older children: — Children’s Overcoats A wide range of good quality woollen materials are suitable for children’s overcoats, but they must be light in weight, porous, warm, and washable in all cases. In the case of the two-year-old to five-year-old child the materials should be easy to brush also. Fur trimmings and braiding should be avoided. Suitable materials for lining are sateen, Viyella, or artificial silk. Overcoats for young children should be double-breasted to allow for letting out later. They should close to the neck, except in the case of light summer coats. Ample turn-up must be allowed at hem, wrists, side seams, and sleeve seams, both in the outer material and in the lining. Armlmles must be large and well cut. Sufficient width for movement and sitting should be ensured by a wide inverted pleat at the back in a straight-cut coat or by a flared shape and by ample wrapover in front. The lining at the hem of the skirt may be finished separately or hemmed on to the material. The raw edges of seams in unlined coats should be bound. Collars should be turned down; neckband collars are undesirable. Every coat should have a small pocket. If side pockets are found to be undesirable, an easily reached inside breast pocket with vertical opening may be substituted. The fastening should consist of buttons and buttonholes. When sewing on a button work a shank sufficiently long to allow room for the thickness of the material to be fastened to the button. The buttonholes may be tailored or embroidered. Machine sewing is recommended, but children’s overcoats may be made satisfactorily by hand. Dresses for Toddlers and Little Girls Materials.—The following materials are recommended for dresses for little children: For cold weather —Viyella or any other good woollen, wool and cotton, or wool and silk material, provided that it is light, porous, warm, and easily washed; for not weathercotton, including cellular cotton, silk, and artificial silk.

Pattern and Craftsmanship. The pattern of the dress should allow for plenty of freedom for growth and movement, but unnecessarily wide or “ bunchy ” styles of dresses should always be avoided. There should be good turnings for lengthening the skirt and bodice, also at the side seams and sleeve seams. Avoid tight armholes and wristbands. Every dress should have a patch pocket. Necks should be fitted carefully and must never be fastened by draw strings. Warm dresses should always have long sleeves. These should be gathered into wristbands, preferably with cuffs that can be turned back. Summer dresses should have short sleeves. Elastic must never be used to hold up a puff sleeve. If properly cut it will keep in position perfectly, and it should not be lined. Short Magyar sleeves, cut in one with the bodice, are cool and comfortable, but must be cut amply loose, and care is required to avoid dragging under the arms. Epaulette sleeves are suitable for dresses of muslin or other very light material. Dresses may be fastened in front, at the back, or on the shoulders. Buttons and buttonholes make the best fastenings.

Knickers for Little Girls

Material. —When cotton, Viyella, silk, or artificial silk dresses are worn the knickers are best made to match. For general summer wear woven cellular cotton material and artificial silk stockinette are recommended. For winter wear artificial silk and wool stockinette is warm and easy to wash. Pure wool stockinette is usually unnecessarily warm, and tends to thicken with washing. Pattern and Craftsmanship.—Back of knickers must be cut longer and slightly wider than fronts to allow ample room for bonding and sitting, and there must be plenty of length from waist to fork. Avoid clastic at waist and knees. Under no circumstances must elastic be used across the abdomen. Waists and knees may be finished with bands of materials, but the waistbands should be cut as wide as the child's body and the kneebands wider than the legs. It is not necessary that a knicker waist should be tight enough to hold the garment in place. The knickers should hang from a liberty bodice by means of buttons and buttonholes at the sides. Girls’ knickers for summer wear may be shaped as boys’ knickers are, being cut very much narrower and requiring no kneebands. (To be continued.)