OUR BABIES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 141, 26 March 1928, Page 2

OUR BABIES.

(By “BYGEIA.”) Published ; under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children. j . “It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” j

“MOTHERCRAFT” FOR GIRL guides. In response to requests from the Girl Guides’ Associations, the Plunket nurses in many districts from time to time instruct companies of Girl Guides for their "Child Nurse Badge. A short series of talks and demonstrations is given covering the - simple essentials of child care. At the end a few questions are set, and trie answeis are often strikingly good, and prettily expressed, too, as will be seen from the following answers, which are typical of many written by schoolgirls from, say, 14 to 17 years of age. Question: Give your reasons way artificial feeding of babies is" inferior to natural feeding.

Answer: “Artificial feeding is not the way Nature intended a baby to be : fed. it is unnatural. It is inclined ’ to be insanitary. Bottles, teats, etc., if not treated with the greatest care, can accumulate germs dreadfully, which are thus introduced into the baby’s system. It may- largely do away with ‘mothering’ of the baby, whereas ; the natural way makes a strong bona i of love between the mother and baby. ; Babies fed artificially are more prone to disease than naturally fed babies. More artificially fed babies die than naturally fed ones. Artificial feeding inclines baby to colic, indigestion, etc. The milk of the cow is not so digestible as natural food, and it is too strong in protein element. The baby’s digestion ! is made and formed for human milk, and the strong curd of cow’s milk is J ruinous to the kidneys. Question: Describe how you would look after a little girl of about three years old from first thing in the morning until last thing at night, mentioning what you might give her for breakfast, dinner, and tea. Answer : Betty woke up at 6.30, and began to talk to the animals on the wallpaper. I left her till 7 o’clock, and then gave her her cool sponge-over while I tried to answer her questions. I dressed; her, putting on her long singlet and tiny bodice, her little panties (which fastened on to buttons on the bodice), her flannel petticoat, and fcer favourite blue rompers with rabbits round the neck. I 6at her in her high chair and put on her mackintosh feeder. Betty loves porridge, and does not think of having sugar on it. -She‘very soon had a delightful mess on her feed- 1 er, but I let her try to feed herself, to learn, until I had to rescue the spoon, and she soon finished with my . help. Next came crisp toast and butter, a drink of milk, and last a piece of raw apple for her teeth. After breakfast I ‘sat her down’ till her bowels moved, and then let her play out on the lawn till she came in for a ‘dink.’ I only gave her some water, and she resumed playing- until her daily rest soon after 10. I took off her rompers and jpetticoat, and covered her - up, and she was soon fast asleep. Betty woke just in time to have her face and hands washed for dinner. She loves to imagine what she is going to have, and by the look of delight she , gave me i when I brought in her potato and spinach and gravy I think she was quite satisfied, and she enjoyed the plato of stewed fruit and milk and the crust and apple which followed. After dinner I ‘sat her down’ again, and put on her afternoon frock, and presently we went out to see the big cat which lived in the next street. When we came home Betty had her warm hath, ! and was quickly made to glow all over. She looks sweet in her little flannel nightie and her warm blue slippers and dressing gown. Then I put on her egg to cook, and took it off when the white was just set. I took out of a tin, some of the strips of bread I had previously baked in the oven, and Betty had them with butter. After this she had a. piece of brown bread with a scraping of honey. She is quite capable of drinking her milk and water out of the little cup with ‘Jack and Jill’ on it, and how she loves her apple at the end, too. After tea a little I play, and then, quickly kissing her ‘Good night,’ I nopped her into her sleeping-hag, and called her father to kiss her ‘Good night,’ too. Betty sleeps on the wide verandah, as she is quite healthy and strong. Before I went to hod I stole out to- see if she was quite warm and ‘comfy.’ She was as warm, as toast, and her little cold nose and cheeks assured me that she was gaining the benefits of the fresh air.”