OUR BABIES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 290, 2 September 1915, Page 3

OUR BABIES.

(BY HYGEIA.) (Published by request of the Taihape Plunket Society.) POOD (Continued). We hope that after what has been said in the preceding articles on Milk none of our readers will have any doubt as to the best food for the, roaring of young babies. No other form o* nourishment can compare with milk drawn fresh and pure direct from the mother’s breast. We showed how the milk of each mammal is specially designed for the young of the particular species; and Y a baby has the misfortune to bo deprived of its birthright, the milk used as a substitute ought to be so modified that it will approach as nearly as possible to human milk.

The recipes for modifying Cow’s Milk, to make it suitable for a baby, are given in the Government pamphlet “ Baby’s First Month, - ’ and also in the Society’s book, ‘‘Feeding and Care of Baby” (pages 23 and 25); therefore, they need not be repeated here. Advice and instructions with regarfr to Natural and Artificial feeding are given in “Feeding and Care of Baby.” This book should be Y the hands of all those who are entrusted with the care of infants. Wo have been asked to draw up a short summary with regard to the feeding of a normal, healthy child in the hands of all those who are entrusted with the care of infants. We have been asked to draw up a short summary with regard to the feeding of a normal, healthy child* in tnc first two years of. life. I give the following merely to remind the mother' of some addition or change which ought to be made at a particular month. She is supposed to have read and stud leu the Society’s book, and we shall refer to the pages dealing with the vanou*. points so that she may be able to look them up without trouble. All references in the summary aie to the book, “Feeding and Care of Baby.” SUMMARY. . First Few Days.—Follow carefully and intelligently the' instructions on png os (1 and 7 and 20. From Third Day on.—Mother’s milk or properly adjusted and graded Humanised Milk every throe hours in the daytime. Give no night feeding, and six feedings only in the 24 hour.-. (See pages 34 and 35).

At Three or Four Months. —If baby is . artificially fed, a change may be made to Humanised Milk No. 71. (See page 25). Every artificially fed baby should receive some fresh fruit juice daily. (Page 40.) At Four Months —Commence four-hour-ly feedings —i.e., feed five times Jn 24 hours. (Page 34.) At Six Months —Baby should be given a bone to gnaw at, in order to give exorcise to mouth, jaws, tongue, and developing teeth. (Page 38.) At Mine Months. —Give baby crust or toast or “pulled bread,” which has been slowly crisped in the oven, before giving milk. Give this first at

one, and later at two or more feec* ings. This must form part of the meal; but a reasonable time should bo allowed so that baby may take it slowly, say, 10 or 35 minutes. On the other hand, it is a great mistake to get.baby into the bad habit of dawdling unduly. The mother must be warned against ever allowing any form of food except at the appointed time. Never feed between meals. If baby is artificially fed, 3oz of Oatjelly or Barley-jelly may now be mixed with the day’s supply of food; or loz may be given plain by spoon, first at no feeding at which no borad is given—the remainder of the jelly being mixed with the milk. (Pago 38). If baby is fed naturally, the same quantity of oat or barley jolly should be introduced at this time, and baby ought to be gradually weaned. (I’ngr--15). At Ten Months. —The feeding should be somewhat as fellows: Mix 3oz o +- Humanised Milk No. 11. and lOoz of

Cow’s Milk. At (1 n.m.—Give Boz of mixed milk, with which 2oz of oat jelly has boon blended. At 10 a.m.—•Give v crust about 10,minutes before feeding time, and Boz of the mixed milk. At 2 p.m.—Give crust 10 minutes before the hour, then loz of oat jelly by spoon, and Boz of the mixed milk. At 0 p.m.—Same as 10 a.ra. At 10 p.m. —Same as 0 a.m. This is only approximate. Some babies may bo able to got more food from the crusts than other, and then they would not need quite so much milk or oat-jelly, while others Avould need more. Warning.—As the baby comes to take more starchy or ceareal food, don’t fail to replace more and more of the Humanised Milk with pure Cow’s Milk, as shown in the table. Mothers and even nurses have been known to keep on using only Humanised Milk at this stage, and by so doing have deprived the baby of its due proportion of flesh-forming material. After Eleven Months. —A thin scraping of butter may be spread on bread or toast and given instead of the crust. If baby will not take enough dry food the meal may be completed by bread or toast over which some of the milk, made hot, has been poured.

N.B.—Dry food should be given fivA. and if enough is taken no “mush” should be allowed. Once habituate a baby to “pap-feeding” and ho will become too lazy to make his jaws and salivary glands work for a living. No baby should bo left alone with a. crust, on account of the risk of choking. Fruit juice should be given daily. Year to Fifteen Months (Pages 47 and 48. —Decrease the daily allowance milk; give more solid food. At the third meal introduce some chicken or mutton broth, thickened with a little ground rice or semolina. The rice or semolina may be given in the form of wellboiled milk pudding, as a variation.

I A small quantity of baked apple, slightly sweetened with a little cream, may be given occasionally at the third meal.