OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 4 March 1908, Page 70

OUR BABIES.

3t Htgeia

Ti is wiser to put up a fence S§ the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.

ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT. *' Anxious Mother." North Island, writer : "I ani writing to ask you if you wouM be co kind as to write me a few instructions) as to tho proper feeding of my little son (just on" year old exactly). He is my only child, and so I have no former experience to direct me. I have read the paper a good <ieal, anc'. have seen what a great amount you have done in instructing the public as to the proper nurture of infants. "My child is apparently very healthy, never having any sickness. I nursed him till about nine months, when the milk •went. I then gave him 's patent food, ■which I have given him for the past three months. It is now that I am rather perplexed, as people tell me this is not now enough, and to give potatoes, porridge, bread and milk, and in fact such a numerous variety that I am afraid I may regret not being a little more enlightened. We buy the cows' milk to make the iood with bat it is neither very rich nor particularly good. I occasionally add one teaspoonful of lime water. "My child is not fat, and is, I fhink, a little inclined to look pale, though he is very intelligent and active, and 1 am so anxious to do my utmost to see him develop into a bonnie boy." Answer. Tour baby owes you everything for the infinite advantage of being suckled and Jiot fed artificially up to nine months of age. fThis has laid a sound foundation for lite, and I quite sympathise with your desire to do nothing that will in any way mar "the good start he has had. In selecting 's patent foods for use afterwards you chose about the best of the ready-made patent foods, but none of these foods are as good as what you could' (prepare yourself from fresh materials at Only a small fraction of the cost. No one can restore to dried milks the living- properties of fresh cows' milk, and •; 's patent food is not nearly so good as fresh cow's milk and newly-prepared jelly made from cereals such as oats or wheat. 's patent food is simply a mixture <if "wheat flour and malt. When given with a proper quantity of milk this is a good Sorm of food for a baby a year old, and you can continue it if you prefer such a preparation to oat or wheat jelly. However, I should prefer either of the latter, ■and would recommend you to change gradually in the course of, say, 10 days to the line of feeding laid down in *t"he enclosed sheet. (See " Feeding after Nine Months,"' *'Fe>iding Twelve to Fifteen Months," etc.) Humanised milk No. II is extremely easy ifco preoare, and nothing can be simpler or knore "satisfactory than the cereal jellies. \A.a you are now using a. preparation of imaJted wheat, it would be best to start by making your jelly with, say, three parts twheaten flour (preferably whole meal) and 'one part oatmeal. In the course of a. week j you could use equal parts, and continue ,with this for a, few weeksj then, as the colder weather approached, pure oatmeal would be decidedly preferable, as it contains more fat, eto. You might find a tendency to eonßtipation result from the fact erf leaving off malt. This tendency could be met in two ways. In the first place, every baby after nine months of age ouglht to be given the juice of some fresh fruit daily if possible. The main benefit of this is that it improves the condition of the blood, promoting l*ealthv normal growth, and checking a tendency which exists to certain forms of malnutrition where only cooked food is used. The second benefit is in promoting activity of the bowels. Fresh orange juice is best, but the juice of apples, pineapi^res, or almost any perfectly sound, fresh, ripe frvisl, may be used. If there should be a teivlency to constipation in spite of the use of iruit juice you should pay special attention to the matters mentioned under the heading " Constipation." If necessary a teaspoonful of the best malt extract may 'be given on waking in the morning ; but il do not think you will find this necessary. All fluid foods, such as malt extinct, should be kept with rhe greatest care in a cool, open-air safe, and covered from dust and failing parti, -"eh, as they are otherwise liable to fai-mr-nr. Tt is import-ant, as you will see. to devote careful ;iucntion to teaching the baby to nibble and jnasticate small quantities, (graduallj increasing) of crisp biscuit-like toast, and biead which is neither new nor too stale. Tho masticating and insalivating of dry food Is very important, and nothing is more beneficial than careful training in this habit. On the other hand, it is very unwise to commence giving a yearold baby potatoes, porridge, etc., as your friends suggest. Of course many children flourish in spite of .such food, just as adults may continue apparently well though <hey take a number of things which they ought not to, and which generally cause more or less indigestion and trouble sooner or later. I am quite certain that children do best and lay the surest foundations for the future if fed in the simple, natural T^ay I have indicated, and not, made victims to the careless and indulgent treatment usually practiced. Nothing is more ■unfair to the child than our yielding as adults to the temptation which we all feel S>o treat a child as if it were a monkey (in a cage, ard unthinkingly give it scraps At wiy time of the day — especially cakes, e^oets, and other things it ought not 1o (have. We ought surely to consider the Child's ultimate welfare, and not our own immediate gratification or even the momentary whim of the child. Babies who are (regularly and properly fed are most contented, atid have better appetites and ensoy their food far more than those who are injudiciously humoured and pampered. {There is no organ of the body which deSfives more benefit from proper regular periods of uninterrupted work and rest ihan the stomaoh, and no organ which is so kjften ebueed in these respects. The foundations of irregular habits and indigestion %o whioh so many adults are jaartyrs are joften laid in infancy. You will realise from reading the society's sheet of instructions that fresh sunshine and exerciso are indispensable, and almost as important as good food. I shall be very glad to hear how you are getting on in the course of a month, and enall expect you to let me know if there ss smy matte; on wliicr you would like BuU-ioe. If you feel ihat you vouUl caie fo join *iie Society for the Promouou of the

Health of Women and Children we shall be very glad to have you as a member, And hope that you will use your influence locally in helping the work the society has undertaken. The subscription is ss. I enclose a book of rules. We hope that readers of the column will take the last paragraph as applying to themselves also, as the society wants as largo a membership as possible. The hon. secretary (Mrs Carew, 8 Heriot row, Dunedin) will be glad to receive names and subscriptions. Practical instruction in matters bearing on the rearing of babies and care of young children will be given at the Karitane Home for Babies, Anderson's Bay, by Dr Truby King, the matron, and Nurse M'Kinnon on Thursday, sth March, and the two succeeding Thursdays. Instruction will commence punctually at 3 p.m. It is intended to make this series of three lectures and demonstrations cover the field indicated in a simple and practical way by taking up a different position of the ground each time. The first half-hour will be devoted to a lecture illustrated by optical lantern and apparatus ; an hour will be given to practical work, including the preparation of baby foods, feeding, and instructions as to materials, clothing, bathing, ventilating, warming, and, in general, what to do and what not to do with a view to the welfare of the baby. The last half-hour each day will be taJken up in answering questions.