OUR BABIES.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LVIII, Issue 10378, 16 May 1930, Page 4

OUR BABIES.

(By Hygeia.) .

Published under the auspices ' of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society), l THE APPROACH OF WINTER, j COLDS AND BRONCHITIS. j The first cold snap reminds us | that winter is at hand, and that it | is once more seasonable to consider how T best to fortify and protect the ; children from untoward effects associated with the change of season. Summer used to be the dangerous j season for babies and young child- i ren, here as in other countries; but serious diarrhoea is now very rare . indeed, because the mothers of New ’ Zealand have learnt so 'well how to i safeguard their babies during hot i weather. ; Winter now presents the greater ; clanger. Investigation into the , causes of death amongst babies un- 1 tier Plunket supervision shows bron- j chitis and pneumonia—causing win- [ ter deaths—to be the most serious } factor. | The Danger of the Common Cold, | The trouble is that we accept the j common cold as inevitable, and do j hot realise that it is the usual pre- j cursor of bronchitis and. pneumonia, and that it so lowers resistance that i the baby readily falls a victim to j even a mild infection. j Do not let a cold go on indefin- i itely without getting medical advice, j Especially if there is a chesty cough ; or any difliculty in breathing, if the | child remains feverish or drowsy, j or if there are any signs of ear ; trouble, send for a doctor without j delay. Don’t forget that a cold j “may be compared to a camp fire in dry weather —slight changes may produce disastrous results.” Many | serious illnesses, many perhaps fatal I cases of pneumonia or bronchitis, developing out of “common” colds, could be prevented if taken in time, ! the cold being placed under proper medical care in the early stages of the trouble. Resistance to Disease. If baby has been rendered really hardy and strong by good feeding | and - exercise and sensible clothing, etc., there is comparatively little to fear from infections in winter or at any other time. When colds, coughs, and Influenza are the order of the i day, one notices specially the very striking difference in resistance between the hardy baby and the coddled child. Start preventive measures now! The great thing is to increase the child’s resistance. The following are good - Preventive Measures. Keep the house well ventilated, and have the children out of doors as much as ever the weather permits. Make use of every odd halfhour of sunshine. Do not let baby sleep in the kitchen. Dress the children according to the temperature of the day, not the season. Constant overclothing is very weakening and lowers the re-’ sistance. See that the children have long, unbroken sleep at night, and a daytime sleep. Give a cool sponge-down and a brisk, vigorous rub after the oath every morning. When lifting from a warm bed after sleep protect the children from sudden chilling. Colds are infectious. Keep children away from anyone who has a cold or other respiratory trouble. Do not allow indiscriminate kissing and fondling. Treatment. If the child caches a cold, especially if he is feverish, remember the following simple suggestions:— The child's main need is for fluid —warm boiled water or diluted fruit juice. He needs less food and more water than usual. Cense- j quently do not press him to take all his ordinary food if he is disinclined for it. If there is any digestive upset dilute the baby’s milk mixture with a few ounces extra water, and give the older child only light diet. Drinks of water or fruit juice should be given frequently between meal times. The giving of sufficient fluid is an important point, and one which is often neglected, because the child is very apt to refuse drinks, probably because the throat is sore. If this is the case every possible means of inducing the child to drink must be resorted to. . If coaxing and wiles fall, strong measures may be necessary for the child’s own good. Never mind if the small patient does a partial starve for a few days, so long as you get him to take fluids. He will be all the better without solid food, but the body is much hampered in its fight against the hostile germs if it is not supplied with plenty of water. Keep the bowels regularly and well opened. Keep the nostrils clear. Raise the head and shoulders a litle higher than usual in the cot if breathing seems easier this way. Give a good warm bath to open the pores of the skin. Cool down the bath with cold water before taking the child out (to close the pores) and keep him warm or in bed. A warm bath should be given daily during the cold, but the warm water should be cooled down at the conclusion of the bath. Then rub the chest and trunk over with warm olive oil. The child should, of course, be kept warm and out of draughts. ■ The idea of bathing during a cold j is perhaps a little unconventional, for one commonly finds that babies or small children have not been bathed for days during the course of i a severe cold v One has only to think how important a part the skin plays in ridding the body of impurities to realise, that it is- doubly 1 necessary to keep the skin active J and cleansed during a time when poisons of a cold are circulating in the body. While the temperature 'is actually raised above normal it 1 may be as -well to sponge the child all over in bed, or on the lap in i front of the fire, instead of actual- ; ly bathing; but unless this pr.oced- ; ure can be carried out quickly and i deftly there is really .more risk of exposure and chilling than there is ■ from a quick full 'bath given in a ■ cosy, warm corner of the rgom. In any case the child should be tucked ! up in a previously warmed bed directly after bath or sponge. Convalescence. 'During convalescence be specially •' careful to guard the crawliug and toddling baby from chilling. It is well to keep the crawling baby off the floor for a few days. Remember that fresh air and sunshine are the best germ-killers known. Don’t keep children with colds cooped up in stuffy rooms. , Let them be outside so long as they are kept warm and protected from cold winds. When they must be indoors, see that the room is well ventilated.