FEEDING THE BABY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 22, 21 October 1907, Page 3

FEEDING THE BABY.

■VALUABLE HINTS AND gUGGEStfIONS. Below we print tho fourth section of an important circular on tho feeding and care of the baby, which has been issued by tho Christchurch and Dunedin branches of. tho Society for Promoting the Health of .Women and Children. Tho circular contains such a mass of valuable information itiat we propose to publish further instalments from time to time. .- ' •''■ ■ ■■ ' . iv. WEIGHING THE BABY. By whatever nieans ah infant is fed, it ought to be weighed regularly every week for the first feiv months, and at least every month, afterwards,, to .ascertain whether proper growth is taking place. No absolutely fixed feeding standard can be arbitrarily: laid down which will, be suitable f > all infants and under all circumstances. We can only give the. averago requirements, leaving it to the mother to make such slight alterations in quantity as may appear necessary or desirable' from the appetite, condition, and weight of the child. If it is not thriving proporly, obviously a doctor should be'consulted. . ■ -. ■ ■ • The mother should ; not worry about slight irregularities in the rate of growth, especially after'l2- months of age is reached, because when infants begin to take moro active 'exercise they tend to put on weight more or Mess'by fits and starts. During the first few days after birth a baby naturally decreases in-weight rather more than half a pound. After this, with *he best'artificial feeding, tho weight tends to remain stationary for one or two weeks; then there should bo a steady gain in weight. Professor Holt says: "Per-fect-health djUring the first year is consistent only with a steady gain in weight." A child may ■ not always gain rapidly, but it should gain steadily, and if it l does not, something is wrong.- All the conditions surrounding_ the infant should be investigated, but especially the'food. ■• From time to time, even with breast-feed-ing, and at any age, a baby will fail, to in,crease in weight, and may even lose for a week or .more, owing to some slight passing disturbance of digestion. Don't worry, but take extra care at such times. ''.' '.' " From thei second week to the fourth month aninfant gains one ounce daily, or one and a half to two pounds a' month; from the fourth to the sixth month it will gain half to two-thirds of an ounce daily—or)' say, a pound a month. Prom tho sixth to tho twelfth morith' the infant gains about half an ounce daily, or nearly a pound a month., An infant at tho sixth month should weigh twice its weight at birth, and at the end of the twelfth month a normal infaiit should weigh about 20 to 21 pounds. These are averages for babies of ordinary weight at birth.. A considerable margin on either side is compatible with health, especially in the direction of growing more quickly than tho average.' As a, rule a child who gains regularly in weight is thriving; an exception must, howovor, be made in tho case of infants fed on condensed milk, patent foods, etc;, because, though they may he fat and heavy, they tend to be flabby and wanting in stamina. ■■;■.' AND SUNSHINE.' These are as necessary for the strength and .-vitality of the baby as food itself. The infant should breathe pure air day and night. Children are rendered weakly and puny by being, kept in stuffy,' warm rooms. A j tendency, to catch cold is due not to cool air, 'but to coddling'indoors in aii impure, usedup, muggy atmosphere. : Tho advice commonly given to keep-the nursery at a temperature of _ 65deg. to 70deg, is a mistake. Cooler, air ' is" better, provided the baby is reasonably clad and safeguarded from decided draughts: Do not be afraid to have plenty of night: air passing . through tho sleepingroom, . but keep the .'baby out ■• of actual draught. .Nothing is more injurious than the common practice of crowding parents and children iiito a small air space, <■ especially if iinvcntilated. .. ■ In the daytime let the baby be out in the open air. and sunshine as much'as possible. A sun bath, does not stop at the surfaceradiant energy penetrates the -body and stimulates the vital processes. Clothe the baby sufficiently, but do not overclothe. ' . Bath as quickly as possible. There should be no dawdling in drying and dressing. ' : : BABY CLOTHING. The best all-ro'und material for baby-clothes is the cheapest pink flannel, costing retail about lUd. to Is. per yard. This is more porous and open in texture than expensive flannels, and not only shrinks less, but is decidedly, warmer, weight for weight, on account of the air imprisoned both in the meshes and , between successive' layers. It has the further advantage of being, decidedly olastie, and, in common with all woollens, does not take on and retain a chilly dampness like cotton. , : ..... i Next the skin it ■is ■ better to have some thin, soft, open material made of silk and wool, because some, infants suffer very much from irritation of the skin owing to the use of harsher materials. Irritability and peevishness; aro often due to this cause, and many cases of prickly heat and eczema would , be obviated if the material worn next to the skin wore of the same class as'that in comparatively in common use for women's underclothing,, and also procurable ready-made for babies. .•. . . , ' . Flannelette is inferior in all respects, except that, like other cottons, it can be boiled and does not shrink much. Owing to its being extremely liable to catch fire, flannelette is held' by many authorities to be too dangerous for baby wpar. • \ . , All clothing should be loose, and there should bo nothing to restrict porfectly free Play of tho walls of chest and abdomen. Enarge or" discard garments before'they have become in the least degree too small. ■ '.- EXERCISE. ; •■' ■:-"■ : ■ A largo amount of exorcise should be taken from a very early age in the form of kicking, waving the arms, etc., arid, later on, by crawling. Every, such activity should bo' encouraged. Professor Holt says: "At least ,-'x° L av tho illfallt s,lould bo allowed for' Io to 20 minutes the free use of its limbs by permitting-it to lie upon a bod in a warm room with all clothing except tho shirt, stock■S "I fi, nap, U' l r , omovecL Later . wllon >» : IS, nf S/ -u h °, by ma y bc P ut "Pf" l « «?nw r? r, ? B,lt ii lß,d , upo,l the floor °na bo allowed to tumble about-at will. Only bv 'exorcise such as this do the muscles Map'.-lii ■opportunity to develop properly." A clean h mat is much better tha a quilt, -nhich is too soft and slippery. Th» only precaution needed is a low screen ~c Bering!" ol, and V^