OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2808, 8 January 1908, Page 70

OUR BABIES.

By Hygeia.

It is wiser to put up a fence at trie top of a precipice than to mamtain, an ambulance at the bottom.

JErnst in Allah, but tie up your camel.—

WHAT TO DO IN SUMMER.

Kb ordinary milk is fit for the baby six Eours after it has 'been received in the home, unless it has been rapidly cooled down at once, and kept cool. Humanised milk 'will keep good" somewhat longer, but even In this case certain precautions should be taken. As received ready-prepared from the factory, humanised milk has been freed from living- microbes and cooled with ice. How is- the householder to keep Auoh. milk safe for fie next 24- hours ? HOW TO KEEP COOLED MILK COOL. -We^will aesuinei that- the mother procures &wo battles o£ humanised milk a day. On Seeeiving- them from the cart she should "Jemove the cardboard caps, and thus let in Uiir; but she should on no account allow any dust or falling particles to>^gain access. Tp prevent tihis cover loosely with the nretal lid or with a. cap< of perfectly clean paper twisted over* the top. Now place Dne- of the- bottles in a cool, shady place in the open air for use during the next eight or nine hoursr. Put the- other bottle in an ordinary wooden candle box. Place a clean, round $offee o£ cocoa tin upside down over the bottle. Fill the box with clean chaff or (jjawdusi. Now remove the tin and see fljiat the level of ,the chaff or sawdust . iff £bout an incE below the ton of. the, bottle. By this perfectly simple means the humanised milk delivered cool" at the- house fcan be kept cool and safe for a- whole day in- the hottest weatfter, provided the box is fcbt fiept in a warm room, but is. outside! msie shades' Ti»' render assurance 1 doubly fciim, when th« weaffier is- imueually sultry tfie mother can scald the" last one or two Je&dinga that she give* from! tnis second •bottle 'hy placing- fc&e 'bottle __ in warm water in a saucepan and bringing the/water in. the saucepan to the boil and keeping- it at that For a. minute. Then cool' as rapidly, as possible. People often make the- great mistake o£ placing the bottles of humanised milk re- , Sefved cool from the factory in ordinary lap water without patwing to think that tnis may be- actually warmer, instead of cooler, than the milk. In this way they soon warm" up what has been cooled and iept cool by ice water, whereas if they • ■used chafe or sawdust as directed milk received cool would keep practically- aa. well an warm weather as it does in winter, «nd the- greatest risk of summer diarrhoea {would be obviated. MILK PREPARED AT HOME. In the country the mother may be able 'to stand the mill: bottles- in. a cool stream (or spring -under, trees; or she, may have " iioiShina but tank to depend on. In $c latter case, whenTthe weather is warm, tie best plan is "«o keep, a pailful! of .water in the open night air shaded from the riclng *un. In this she can cool the mOk ■wnicfi has * tc^ Be set * for cream. The ifarmer t&e milk iff when set in the 1 cool water the 'quicker the fatf will rise. Onthe "very -warmest days, standing for cream thould not be continued for more than six Ebura, - except where there is specially cool Spring- water at hand for keeping down thetemperature.. Remember that cream rises touch quicker and be^er in a bottle or tall, narrow far ihan it would in a shallow 6an of bowl. , On no aocouflt Bet more than die exact quantity of " milk recommended, because Nothing Is more liable to give a- baby diarrhoea than receiving too muoh tat. She- tihifl ereain or top milk, should- loois. ■Jik& good milk rather than ordinary cream {see- sfieet of instructions). - ' WHAT STRENGTH TO GIVE. Above aU: things- mothers should beware iof giving the baby full-strength humanised jmilk at the start, whether the infant is aged, three weeks or three months, or even older. Always commence as advised in the society* sheet of instructions,, and work up. gradually. In. Dunedin the- mother is saved ,all trouble in this direction by leaving the erading to the nurses at the factory, after Celling them the- age of the baby, etc. SAVE THE BABIES. To save the baby from the curse of icliarrhoea during the next three months- the Another should keep herself in good health and breast-feed 1 if possible; failing this-, give humanised milk according to the sheets pf printed instructions, which will be forwsurded by the honorary secretary (Mrs 'jdarew, 8 -Heriot row, Dunedin) on receipt of -Bd in stamps. - . It is worth noting 1 that some babies thrive |>etteT up to three" or four • months of age Jf- given one part of new milk whey to fevery three- or four parts of humanised jnilk than they do if given humanised milk ~)pur©. This applies specially to summer time. On iha other han^ some babies advance noie quickly, especially in winter, if" c ; U-oni two to four ounces of boiled n<rT aulir with the day's- allowance of humanised milk. A gradual addition in this ' direction can be tried in any case where the baby's weight fails to go up at the >v.eragß " rate, and this allowance can. be Continued if it appears to suit. If any such ihanges are desired! they will be made at Jhe factory without extra charge. - Remember that heat, fermentation, and "Wpxoper food are the main causes" of infantile diarrhoea. Therefore secure the Jright food at once, and keep it clean and pool in a shaded,, open-air safe- Beware of tndensed milk, patent foods,, and simple luted cow's- milk witb or withqut cane jar or barley water. Mothers go on using bucß foods so. long as the baby seems to \e- doing- wiell, forgetful of the fact that gfoner or later the baby usually breaks Sown; and in any case will not thrive so will as on food properly adapted to the Meeds of Infancy. If the baby becomes ill, gall in. a <Joetor without delay. Bemember {hat though diarrhoea, is a common ailment 'H is- # thft one- broad avenue- leading 1 to 'debility and death in infancy. Most of the Epildrin- who die later of other ailments fcg,ve been maimed and weakened first of all j infantile diarrhoea. . ! BABIES' HOME.. !

The babies are well in their ffew home as they did at TPuketiraki. The [ye eldest^ varying- in age from eight aonthfl to a, yeftr ? are &JJ firmly established n health and strength, and tlte rest promrse h&} equally -welT. The nine younges;ji tejjfei »re now; . growing 1 at an average i psp « dyer <3b a month, the growth g){w «$ WA JStg of l£lb and the quickest

at 2£lb. These babies are all fed solely on, humanised milk, and are given no other form of food whatever.

Practical instructions and demonstrations for mothers and nurses will be given by the hon. medical officers, Nurse M'Kinnon, and the matron every Wednesday at the Babies' Home, Anderson's Bay, from 3 to 4- p.m., beginning on January 8.