OUR BABIES. WC=

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 82

OUR BABIES.

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It is wiser to;put lip "a fence « the ,tC(p -of- » precipice.vthan -to ..maintain an (ambulance »t-tne J b6ttom. • .. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "Mother,", Oamaru, writes: — ".1 have been waiting for ,your papers on 'Wean--ing' to. see if "anything would suit' my haby. I have been giving him AUenbury c food about once a day as "well ac suckling him. He will Tpe a -year old on Boxing' Day^ I, tried, him for a week with' sops and- gruel instead of * Allenbury's, but he" would not take them, and" he would never touch Neave's food. - -Of course perhaps it is better that he will not take' these foods,- bufcil'give him a litle-porridgevwith-the other children at breakfast vtime. He is «. flue, fat.-baby^" but has given me T a lot of trouble, having a .rupture.. Baby hee only four 'teeth" yet, and I am, waiting, to wean him -wnen he , gets eight. Perhapsyou could advise me with^ a fixed diet .that would make -him need opening medicine. " He has been inclined to costiveness always, and I give him a ripe /banana of piece of apple now to help him. lam very thin myself, but as long ac I thought my milk would not disagree ' with him, I--would--not "consider myselt in. suckling him longer. •■ I would ' be much 1 obliged, if :tou could send me . the' sheets of instructions' you mention or advice to me for my' baby's food.- I. get. the Witness . mostly for" the \ Babies' Column.' " " Answe'b. - i'No .doubt" it is time' that your baby was weaned," but if all continues to-'gb welkand you have a full supply of breast milk- it; would be better, not to gress' the' matter during- hot weather.- ~ However," 1 if you take oare, - no- harm could result,' and "probably there would be benefit, from getting the baby to take first one prepared meal, then ] two, and later three, and so on, composed as follows: — Humanised milk No. 2, 4oz; oaj; jelly, loz; , boiled water,- 2oz. This is strong enough' to start with, but in the course of about 10 days you could ..reach the following strength, by gradually'reducing the water and increasing* the humanised milk! ajoA ,oat jelly.-' Nature makes ho sudden' changes, and her plan should "be followed as closely ae r possible: At end-^ of "10 days, ; for each prepared -meal give— j Humanised milk No. ~ 11, 6oz ; oat jelly, | ; l£oz. In the lOourse of "a few weeks you could feed" according to the scheme shown on the chart under -the, heading- " Feeding , after nine months," regarding your baby at first as two or three months behind the requirements shown in, the table, and work--ing* up" co that at the. end of a month or six -weeks" he would catch up ix> the table and ,be" fed thereafter, as closely as possible according to the scheme. - Seeing that your baby is healthy you may wonder why you should not at once give him what is recommended for a year-old -infant, butr you -must bear in mind, that the table is-. . intended for -a- baby .that -has been ficially fed for a considerable .time and -is ' therefore used . to "artificial: preparations. - Your -babyr's .digestiye. organs,. shoUld,,_be „ gradually- trained now in/ the " new direc- - tion, and if you ' go ''slowly . you T will no doubt find 'that the," suckling has i established a "sound and" normal constitution "which will enable him to digest well . and continue to .thrive without any interruptions or back-sets throughout the weaning period and onwards. - ' • An article has appeared under' the heading of "Our Babies" pointing out the special care that should be exercised to' prevent the risks of fermentation ,and

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diarrhoea during the hot, summer weather. Meantime, I ehould advise you {if .you have to set milk to obtain cream) not to allow the milk to 6tand foir more than, six ror seven hours. Ifurther, you sKbuld 'k"<jep-. the milk heated to about 155deg Fahrenheit for a quarter of an hour when: malting .your day's supply, and reheat $o' lssdeg.' F. any' remaining over- whioh has.r been*prepared for more than 12 hours.' Always^ remembe.r to ' 000 l rapidly after - beating, - and to* keep 0001. / ~-- li -„ "All this sounds troublesome, but in p^Fac*. tice" you will find it perfectly eas2fj">i&ntl : yotf .will be~abl_e' to do what is needed alorig-f ■with your ordinary 'household work/ "Slpu need not watch the temperature, minutely; ! only 1 make sure that you heat- to a», high -asC 155jle s g.,F;, and keep, between. lsodSg; _160deg for a quartet of an hour.' -'• ("\i s> j;'^ Bead care'fiilly ihrough the • sheet-- sind-^ follow direetiona as near as; pessible. *"jNof oil' particularly,;. what -is said 1 : regarding cos?stipation,' 1 and- try "the effect of a" teaspoon-.-, ful of fresh" orange .juice, diluted with' a," little water, twice a day, and if neoefesary" very, slightly sweetened. " This can be in-^ creased ttf a dessert spoonful or more twice [- a-,day. 7 <s."Bß.na'rta3|aj:e .T.ery^dangero.us.i and" 1 should not 'be--' given-' to Dabies^or^young Ichildron.;/. Balred; apple'. could", be.' given a" few- months-.hehce. i ' AVoid.i ; pdrridge, etc.. -an the, meantime. For" the iiext N few months give-- nothing, beyond prepared- , milk, oaf' ' jellyy 'tad: strained -oraAge iu?c^. *TKere 4» L special xisk in' Jgoing- beyond such -simple foods in summer] time; but' in the course of a'-month^or'-.'soHhere* would -be no harm ~TO-'-just?, cSomm«ncing to * train th« baby rto a Jittle ,bit of criap bread or rusk. Probably you will be able to spoon-feed,-and ■ need not resort to the u«e of a bottle." If .the baby is -allowed ' to' get a littlehungry it will be- glad lo take suitable food whichever way you give it. Adhere as strictly as - possible to the "Golden Rules" (p_age 3 of the sheet enclosed). You ask to be given instructions for- a foodr- that will' prevent .constipation, But on. carefully reading the sheet you will' realise fhat constipation,' like most other troubles of infancy, is dUe to 1 a number of causes acting .together. Of course, - proper food is of the _ firet importance," -but of scarcely less moment are perfect regularity of- feeding and habits," exposure, to-'opei>-air %nd sunshine, a current of fresh' air in the house day and night (the baby being, merely' kept out of direct draughts)/ loose --clothing,* 'exercise, .etc. .' Give- the baby ALL these advantages and -you will not only tend to cure the constipation; but will build up a sound constitution and. robust body, at the same time. /- ' - " Anxious "*__ (Balfour) writes :~"'Would you kindly send me any leaflets „o r.,o ther^ information available relating* to 'the >nanagement of- 'babies. - Our ■ little one is a, girl' within -few: days of month**--olcKvjShe -been T _rear"ed almost entirely on Highlander condensed xuillr, and -Hrs Ldorie^splendidly'on* lt. until- just about •»- ;; fortnight -ago,' -- since, "-when*., she l - 1 hasr\ beengradually getting more 'and . - more ■ coneti^ pated.~ We : Jiave^had' to -use' anenema* bo' her; she is so bad. W« are now giving- her Neave's^ Food, and\also oatmeal porridge well boiled, /and also occasional- feeds of". milk. ' 'We- would be v extremdly^ . for^ any instructions in -tHe^ matter '-that' would bring, about' the\ desired r results^ . Hoping to, s hear froaa- you' very soon; wb, are-very anxious." v " " r A.ffSWEB. Condensed milk has- been such 'a curs*^ to babies and has killed so many and mado weaklings of so~ many others- that on« finds some difficulty in speaking - calmly about its use as an infant food." Unquestionably the gr&at heat to which condensed t milk is subjected ■ in" preparation — a temperature "far above the " boiling pomt — makes it " sit on ' the stomach", without, being vomited, but the.g reat heat ueed^ In the factory may be truly said to kill, the milk 1 . Certain -vital principles and properties are destroyed by superheating, ana though a' baby will fatten and grow- on what remains together with the cane sugar xhich-is added, and bone are 'iofc properly \ developed, -and- condensed -milk babies' tend to be ' weakly later ' on; further, they show little resistive ■'recuperative power in the presence of disease-. If you could compare the effect of an ' attack of diarrhoea, whooping cowso. or measles on such a baby "with the effect on. . one properly fed you would realise, at once what I mean. <- Your best plan now would be to gradually train the baby to take humanised milk No. 2 and ion of oat jelly, at each feeding. It is^fartoo rearly in lifevfor ,you to thinkof giving porridge, which oftenl'proves too. irritating for adiijts "who have "any ten? , dency ta special- j6ensitivehe6s. of the mtes-; tine. Tn j'most-^osuses it is "not advisable to -giye. anything . "beyond ■ properly-prepared ,milk- up. to nine months, but as your, baby is already, getting some. pomdj?e v "eto., pnd. •re I; suffeHng. .from -constipation; it will be as ff»H' to- giye^ some' oscb-jelly* and to graduilly 'Increase the 'quantity- ' ' % - .Bead- carefully the-- enolosed sheet of instructions, dwelling especially upon^what i« . said tinder -the headings "Pure Air and Sunshine-,", " ' "Constipation," Fruit Juice," " Golden Rules;" etc., etc. To prevent repetition you are ««erretl to" the- answer driven- above to Mother, Oamaru, as it applies ako to a sreat ex« tent to your baby -'A. correspondent writes inquiring as to *i«, desira'bUJty of th& nursing motheif drinking cow'e( milk half an hour before suckling. - " ■ Answer. Though given recently in our'- '/Baby : Column " as part of an excellent summary., of. advice now issued to mothers m Xondon . by the St. Pancras health authorities,; I "da ' not think the practise the most desirable to follow. Any food taken between meals tends to' upset therdisieative organs. It m preferable for the mother to have the milk at mealtimes rather than between meale. Cow's milk taken by the_mother tends tof . increase the quantity and to improve the quality of her "milk. It ». therefore beneficial to-inoludf a pint or -so "m the dad* dietary, part' of which, may" be drunk wittt a • little water- just after m <*]».* a S d P»™ ' ■ taken- with porridge . or included va .milK . rpuddings". It is better to' take very-lrttle fluid of .any kind; during the actual oonrs* * •j>f ,the^meaL, '. i -.--*--•- . .-' r IL.J =a j '

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