OUR BABIES.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17975, 21 March 1930, Page 5

OUR BABIES.

Vt/HAT IS A PLUNKET BABY? (By Hygeia). Very often nowadays one 'hears the remark, "Of course, he’s a Plunket Baby,” or ‘‘What a beautiful baby! is she a Plunket baby?” One catches the echo of the term even when one is not listening to it—on tram and train, in the country, under the best and worst conditions the towns afford. One looks at the babies for whom the claim is made, and at the mothers who make it, and, if one did not know, would greatly wonder what really makes a ■'Plunket baby.” A Contrast. Let us look at two babies for a little, each, generally speaking, typical. A True Plunket Baby. The mother of this first baby may, and does, proudly and lovingly assert the claim to Plunket babyhood. The “beautiful one"/ is naturally fed, as it is his right, and her delight, that lie should be. lie is fed regularly every four hours—five times in the 24 hours—and not at all during the eight sleeping hours of the night. The actual feeding times are adjusted (u suit the household, hut the intervals and the hours are always the same. So you see, he is having the only perfect food, his digestion is having time between the meals to make full use of that, food and time to rest before the next meal, and lie is having the unbroken rest at night which he so greatly needs for every part of Ids rapidly growing little mind and body. Of course, lie is thriving- like any other Jitiie creature under the best conditions, lnil. ho is not too fat. Every bit of bis iiesli is firm and clear, his eyes arc bright, and one lias only to hold him a moment to appreciate his muscular tone. lie is not treated as a plaything, made to laugh and crow, or shown off to every visitor to please his parents’ vanity; yet lie js the happiest tiling alive, gambolling with his natural play tilings, ids own hands and toes, as interested in the new and wonderful things that come within the range of his vision, as full of abounding vitality as the puppy playing in the yard. Ho sleeps and kicks out-of-doors as much as the weather allows, and sleeps at night in the airiest bedroom, though he is carefully protected from draughts. Ho sleeps all the morning after he lias gone through his regular performance of hath, being ‘•held out,” and having a normal movement, and his breakfast. If he wakes a little before his next meal time, probably all one. knows about it will be a suddenlyglimpsed fat little leg and foot lifted energetically from his rot for exercise and inspection, or a vigorous jerking of his pram. Hi; likes and expects his outing and his nursing in the afternoon, hut lie has a sleep also, and is 100 well and 100 happy to grumble if he Iras to entertain himself alone more than usual. Indeed, he is one joy from morning (ill night and from night till morning, .to himself and all around him—a perfectly beautiful, truly “Plunket baby."' A So-called Plunket Baby. Now, here is our other baby, whose mother also makes the claim. lie loks “nervy,” he is never still; his little face totally lacks the sweet, contented, satisfied-with-his world expression our first baby habitually wears. He is fed on humanised milk, made according to the directions given by the Plunket nurse, and on that his claim 1o “Plunket babyhood” is based.,But that alone is not enough. His mother has thought the food was all that mattered, and that it was unnecessary and merely foolish fussing to follow the carefully-Lhought-out advice for building her baby sound and healthy through and through. Perhaps there is a tradition in the house that the baby is fed every three or every four hours, but really the clock is not much regarded in timing the intervals. If he is awake and fretful’he is fed more often, and if he is asleep “it is a pity to wake him.” and Ire “will not” sleep ail night without a bottle. He demands attention whenever he is awake, and seldom lies good for many minutes, tie is bored by bis fingers and locs, the waving of a curtain, the rustic of the leaves have no fascination for him—he Iras learnt thus sadly early to want excitement and amusement. He has learnt, too, that he gets what he wants if he cries hard enough and long enough, and this he regularly does. But presently the fun wearies him; ire thinks he is hungry, and so docs iris mother, and he is fed before lie is ready for food, when all he needs is rest and sleep. But Ire sleeps little and irregularly, because of tire over-stimulation and nervous excitement to which he has been subjected, and when he does his little circle tip-toe round, afraid to disturb him. I think he has a dummy, Ibecaus “he will not go to sleep at all witho- j it,” and his mother “can’t ho so oru<T’ as to teach him the rudiments of selfcontrol in anything. Which is the Better Baby? Which of these babies is the happier? Which is “mothered” in the truest sense, most wisely, kindly, with the longest vision? Which baby is boina given Hie greatest advantage Inwards fulfilling the ideal of happy, healthy, , self-controlled, and useful citizenship, mind and body equally balanced ? Can there be any question? Then let us all help to sweep away the old misconceptions and prejudices which make lire opportunities so unequal and hamper our children’s progress. _______________