OUR BABIES.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14525, 29 November 1912, Page 10

OUR BABIES.

<By Hiasu.)

("Weekly Press and Rofereo.")

WHAT BABIES MIGHT BE. About a month ago, chancing to call at a doctor's house, I was much struck by tho perfect, all-round health and fitness of his littlo two-year-ojd baby girl, in whom seemed to centre everything that one could conceive of strong, rosy, radiant, joyous infancy—the kinl of much-loved, unspoiled child, who fills a homo with its.natural, happy, winning ways. I felt it would be a privilege to know just how tho little gin had been reared, and tho father wab kind enough to write mo out tho sho-i; and simple annals of her life, which will be found subjoined.

I found myself in a -wide, openedwindows household, fresh air being not merely a prevailing feature, but stuffy, used-up,muggy air an unknown quantity. Tho houtio was situated on a very breezy, exposed hillside; just tho place where most people would cell you that it was impossible to keep the windows open. Hovever, a noble fish, such as a trout, loves pure, cool, rippling streams and scorns polluted ponds—indeed cannot live in such. Moreover, the doctor had had a very- largo practical experience of the almost miraculous healing of consumptives in open-air sanatoria, so ho had no manner of doubt na to what was duo to tho baby—indeed to every member of his family, but tint, and foremost to "her majesty tho baby." Florence Nightingale said half a cen-. tury ago, in a little pamphlet addressed to the mothers of England:—

PURE COOL AIR

Baby will suffer from a closo room ■when you don't feel that it is close. If baby sleeps even for a few hours, much moro if it is- for nights and nights in foul air, baby will, without any doubt whatever, be puny an-i sickly, and most likely have illnesses, and not get well through them. Baby will feol tho want of fresh air even moro than you.

Before the ba by ( could talk, sho would welcome the wind, throwing her littlo head up to the breeze, and sniffing it in with obvious delight, when an ordinary adult would bo inclined to turn asido in fretful irritation; one of her earliest spoken expressions of joy was "Lovey wind."

However, many other factors go to the building of a royal and perfect baby, especially proper food, proper feeding methods, proper exercise, regularity, etc. Fortunately none of these wero kicking; the lucky infant not only revelled in pure, cool air, but she was also breast-fed, and thus had plenty o' natural exercise for tongue, mouth, jaws, and embryo teeth. Further, she •was early trained how to chew properly —indeed, had made such progress in mastication by the time she was a, year old, that she was then promoted to the "Raw Apple Standard"; and before she Hid reached two years of age wa3 allowed three raw apples a. day—one at tho closo of each meal. Long before this she had accepted full mastication as a rule of life for everyone, including her father, and if ever ho ventured to hurry, she would round on him with an imperious littlo "Chew, daddy, chew!"

HER-'MAJESTY'S RECORD.

FOOD.—Breast-fed entirely up to nearly seventh month, and partially -up to nearly eighth nioiich, then ou humanised ipiik. This was gradually modified until by about fourteenth month; then plain milk with a little water added was used, undiluted milk being given from about seventeenth month. Bones were given to munch from sixth month onwards. Orange juice was given as soon as humanised milk was begun, and was always relished, no matter how sour it was. About end of ninth month barioy jelly and oat jelly we™ begun; also crusts. At about twelve months bread and butter was given (a good deal of butter has always been given since it was first born), and some raw apple after. . „ , „ MEALS.—Oat jelly was gradually replaced by well-boiled and stiff porridge, given with salt. At first tho porridge was strained, but very soon given unstrained. ■ ■ From five to fifteen months five feeds a day, from fifteen to eighteen months four and since then only threo meals— viz., at 7.30 a.m., 12.30 p.m., and 5.30

After fifteen months, egg, potato and gravy baked apple, and soup -were Kraduallv added to diet. At very rare intervals a little minced chicken was jriven No other meat was given until two years old, and now only a little onceor twice a week. In the early months of lifo a little plain water was given from a bottle, consequently, there was not the slightdifficulty m giving milk from thebottle when the time came for it.