OUR BABIES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 205, 10 May 1915, Page 3

OUR BABIES.

(BY HYGEIA.) • Puulihsed by -requ'e-sk of the' T..-lhapa Plunket Nurse Society FRENCH SCHOOL LESSONS IN MOTHERHOOD. Lust week 1 gave an account of what i s being done in France with a view to the regeneration of the. country by means of education of the rising geneiation of girls in Motherhood.'’ I explained tjhat the French idea is to teach the girls from the theoretical and practical standpoints in such a way that a knowledge of the essentials of Mothercraft and an increased interest in Motherhood may become diffused throughout the whole community. The intention is first to explain and demonstrate the loading principles by lessons given in the schools and then to provide that every gfr-1 before leading school shall ,spend at least tlO day s in a properly-organised institution devoted to the rearing of normal babies under the best conditions —in other w r ords, in a Pouporiniere. A Pouponniere is described - as “an establishment in which a e,hild is reared under medical 1 direction throughout the whole course of its first infancy.” Here the girl will have to tak e in hand the actual care of babies and learn to carry out in practice everything essential for the well-being of a normal healthy infant, whether the feeding be natural or artificial. At the same time she will naturally gain some knowledge as to minor ailments, and what to do where a baby is threatened with illness or is actually suf-, fering from malnutrition, constipation, diarrhoea, etc.

I'promised to give a few -extracts from Professor Pinard’s ■ little-, school bcok, in order to show what kind ol knowledge he considers that a girl should not be allowed to grow .up in ignorance of (Quil ne Leur est pas perniss d’ignorer.) ■

FIRST LESSONS. CARE OF THE NEWBORN'' ' r “The first thing to understand clearly is this: at the tim e ,fo birth the human being i s the least provided of all young beings. “When -it comes out. of . the es-g; the little chidden has down: it (has a warm covering and has no need to, be dressed. Further, it has the power to walk and run right away. It is even able to take and choose its food without assistance. , “The tiny duckling, which, is destined to live on the water, knows [how to swim- and even to dive. ... “The little human being has no-clo-thing He is quite naked. -,H e has neither the power nor the knowledge how to walk. The only thing he-does know how to do is to suckle—that is to say. to take food. But even in this matter, as we shall se e presently: he hasn’t the slightest power of choice between what is good and That is'bid ■tor him. It is clear, then, that v.must know evervtjhing that is ’ necessary for the baby—wo must know all for him.

PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE FOR THE EYES OF THE NEWBORN. “It is impossible to l>,e too careful in ensuring that nothing unclean or infecting shall come in contact with the eyes of babies. Impure water or an imperfectly cleansed cloth or sponge, coming into contact with the eyes of the new-born is kuite enough to bring about the gravest disaster in the course of a few days, making the baby a ‘poor little blind child’ —BLINDED FOR LIFE. N.B. —More than 600 of the 6000 blind persons in the State of New York ai’e totally blind from inflammation of the eyes of new-born babies. —- (From the New York Health Department's Bulletin of Suggestions to Mothers, on “How to Sav e the Babies.”) PREPARATION FOR THE BATH,

“Every one of you girls will have to take a baby on her knees, covered with a towel. If the temperature is low, you will jhave to take special care to use a towel warmed before hand, and to select a warm, cosy corner, be cause you must never forget: Cold is the Great Enemy of the new - born baby.” Twenty pages, Avith a dozen excellent illustrations are devoted to the bathing of the baby, and the last page of this chapter contains a summary of what has gone before, followed by a scries of simple questions for selfexamination or for oral or written exercises. SUMMARY OF CHAPTER I. . “The baby wjhen h e comes into our world is naked, and his little body has need of our most careful attention: above everything he shrinks from the cold First of all, then, w e must put h!:n In warm wrappings beside the lire. After having attended to him we must make sure that notjhing infecting or imperfectly claused in any way touches the delicafe eyes of the newcomer.

“Tjlie next step is to place the baby in a bath of boiled water, which has been allowed to cool down to a temperature of 9Sdeg. Fahr. The vessel used fer this purpose must be very clean, and ought to bje filled about two-third's full, sc that the baby’s body may be completely immersed. The bathing ought not to last more than a few minutes —just long enough for cleansing. •The baby is then enveloped in soft, warm wrappings, and his little body Is tenderly dried, tjhe utmost care being, taken with even the tiniest folds o p skin. “FA'-gr use new wrappers or napkins which have not been perviously '-ashed, because the skin of little babies is wiry tender and easily injured.” WRITTEN AND ORAL LESSONS. “ (1) What kind of water do we use for bathing the newly-born? “ (?.) Hew can we be sure that the temperature'is rigjht when we have no 'berm '.-meter? “ (.T) What mint wo attend to in ■ I v-v-herjs hoik.re bath- -• f- ;■ . in using • ‘ ’a?- I sue use far the IV a :VfW? “ ■ "'O- ■ "W U;. ■bi the bath 4 o fulfil?

“ (6) Indicate tjlie distadvantage s of new linen? “ (7) How would you hold tho child when bathing him? “ ; (S) What would you do if baby were afraid of the bath? “ (9) What precautions would you tak e before dressing him?”