THE CHILD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 39, 15 February 1930, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE CHILD.

SUITABLE / CLOTHES.

EFFECT ON AFTER LIFE.

(By! MARGARET GRAY BLANTON.)

Children's clothes are taken much too casually by society in general. Clothes may not make the man, but they surely sell him to the public. They get his personality over," or they don t get it over; or, with a child, they may get the wrong personality over. Too few mothers realise what an enormous opportunity for training lies in clothing. We hunt the world over for equipment with which to educate the child/while at home in his own dresser drawer and on,his own person is a wealtli of unused material.

The world of children's clothing is a topsy-turvy world.' When they are very young we have little shirts for them that button in.the front, so that their arms have almost to be/ dislocated in order to get them in, but when they be<nn to get old enough to make some effort with their own buttons, the style is changed and they button down the back where they cannot be reached.

It hasn't been long since a child's clothing was designed as much like a crown person's as possible, except smalfer. You remember the charming old portraits of children in clothing as like their elders as possible. The sweetly serious faces of the children aimed to look as much as possible like the sweetly serious faces of their- elders. Changes have come slowly; but although the garments are better suited to the anatomy of the child when they are once on the child, they are by no means so much improved from the angle, of the child's capacity to put them on himself. Learning to Dress. Almost the first training of- a 6hild (after he has learned to eat and sleep) can be given in the dressing period. It requires knowledge and skill to know when to give and when to withhold aid, and, of course, it takes patience and sympathy to watch a child fumble awkwardly through tasks that an adult could do in no time at all. It is a rare ability to be able to watch an awkward beginner without impatience. As soon as the child can begin to help at all, and that is surprisingly early, he can take off his sleeping garments after they have been unbuttoned, and help put them on a chair back. Then if his clothing follows certain easy rules of construction he can help get into them and slowly take over the buttoning function. At night \yhen he undresses his sleeping garment should be put on his chair with his bedroom slippers and dressing gown. certain things that are very hard for a child, although adults do them automatically. Children under five have great difficulty in learning to distinguish the right shoe from the left. A large red L and a blue R inside the shoes are a great help in telling the shoes apart. , As to type of clothing, those of little economic value are best. Pity the poor child who comes home clean —it means he hasn't had any fun. Suitability and Fit. The weight in pounds and ounces of the clothing is important. Sometimes one finds children so < heavily dressed that they cannot play because they arc .too stiff with clothing. The sun suit has brought another extreme. Fine if not overdone, it is destructive unless properly handled. "Goose flesh" never does anyone any good. Nor do blisters. It is necessary to use keen judgment about bare skin, Either on warm or chilly days.

Children's clothes should fit, too. This is not for aesthetic reasons only. If you have ever had a garment that persisted in slipping off the shoulders, or caught on your knees, you can sympathise with the child in clothing too loose or too tight. Children develop habit movements under such conditions that may take years to eradicate. Clothing Fads. Be careful how you follow clothing fads ..for children. Avoid the brothersister and the sister-sister costumes. Even identical twins are better off if they have different haircuts and different clothing. Because two persons happen to be born of the same.parents is no reason why they should be made to resemble each other like Easter eggs dipped ■ into the same dye. Clothing that fits each child, that is suited to his own body and own personality, is an invaluable aid to • development. Clothing for children should have gaiety, colour and lots of it if they like it. Clothing should offset their poor points and emphasise their good ones just as with adults. If the children love pink and the mother likes them in blue there should be a compromise. Buying the Right Garments. The child ia active, not passive. Select its clothing for activity. Mifch of a child's skill in games and grace of manner depends on suitable clothing. Don't buy clothing in 1929. "Fewer clothes and wear them out, 1 is a good, rule for both child and aduit. If cast-off garments and ugly cloth must be used up, let it be by a grown person. Don't wish them off on the child. Do not make your child a stalking horse for your vanity, but remember that many a woman's reputation for beauty and chic has been established in early childhood by a wise mother ("Star" and A.A.N.S.)