OUR BABIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 May 1940, Page 8

OUR BABIES

Published under the auspices o£ the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). “It is wiser to pul up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” THE HEALTHY CHILD LIVES ON THE TIP OF HIS TOES. A healthy child is a piece of quicksilver. vital and joyous. He lives on the tip of his toes. He dances, leaps, hops and skips. His little back is erect, his head held well. Of course, good posture is only achived by slow, slow stages. The babe has first to learn to raise his head; then to turn it purposefully; then to pull himself into a sitting posture; to find his feet; and finally to accomplish the amazing athletic feat of walking. The complexity of this mechanical achievement is rarely appreciated by the average mother; but in actual fact every one of the muscle bone levers controlling the muscles has to learn to take new strains when the lying, sitting and crawling postures are given up in favour of standing. . Good Posture. How is good posture gained? Well, first and foremost by freedom. Nature will do her own work best if she is not handicapped by clumsy, human aid and artifice. It is still not unknown to receive letters asking what sort of •'support" a baby needs from his clothing. The answer, of course, is none. Support means constriction. Baby's muscles can onlj r develop as they should when perfect freedom from pressure from clothing is attained. Care must be taken to avoid "close fits,” tapes, constricting elastic, outgrown socks, and so on. Whenever possible, the feet should share in the general liberty, though in these days of pavements this is not by any means always feasible. However, feet are such a vital foundation to the whole framework that I mothers must be on the alert to cover them aright, and to let baby have barefoot exercise daily. A broad welt) helps with balance, and shoes should fit snugly at the instep, but be generously broad at the toes, so that each can wiggle freely: there should be no slipping at the ankle. Remember feet, hip,'back, leg, shoulder, chest, and abdominal muscles, one and all, need developing and co-ordinatingr so don’t keep baby in a restrictive position when awake. Bone and Tissue. Then, of course, the whole question of good bone and tissue comes into consideration. While it is always advisable to keep a child who is unduly heavy off his feet a good deal in the early days it is, of course, imperative to do so when the bones are unequal to their task. Unless the bloodstream is rich in minerals, the bones cannot get the building units they need for strength, and poor posture of one kind or another is inevitable. Then there is the question of muscles. There is a characteristic general slackness of ligaments and muscles in a child who is poorly nourished and under-exercised. Exercise must progressive include learning the arts of body control, and this is only possible by constant experiment. Pity the child whose mother will not allow him to climb on the sofa, or pouffe, because he will fall, closes the stairs entirely to him, and generally restricts his urges and impulses. Not a Bad Plan. It is not a bad plan to fix your protective gate to the fascinating stairway three steps from the bottom. The child then has the opportunity to master the art of climbing and descending these three without much risk of a serious fall. One knows the temptation of the busy mother to have the child in a fixed spot, and not under her feet, or up to mischief, but somehow the need for continuous movement must be provided. The really healthy, happy child must, like a puppy, tumble and gambol, make his mistakes, and be at once a trial and a joy for full development. Let us give the little ones freedom and fresh air, and follow a good balanced diet sheet whenever possible, and posture will take care of itself.