OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2618, 13 November 1915, Page 10

OUR BABIES

TBI Htgsuo

Published under tho auspices of the Royal New Zealand Health Society for the Health of lVomeiL and Children. "It is wiser to put up a, fence at the top of a precipice tlrnn to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." BABIES' RIGHTS AS REGARDS FEEDING. In tho feeding of infants from birth onwards tho most essential points are: 1. A sufficiency of suitable food—excess is moro harmful than deficiency. 2. Feeding at regular times, no food whatever being allowed! between tho appointed meal hours. Tlio intervals should be long enough to ensure the stomach and othor digestive organs complete rest between their working periods. The prevailing faults have heon irregularity, too frequent feeding, and allowing food between meals. The improvement of digestion, nutrition, growth, and all-round development are very_ marked when these errors are rectified and proper regular habits are established. 3. Tho form of feeding and the nature of tho food must be such as to ensure active exorcise of tho mouth, tongue, jaws, etc.During tho milk period Nature ensures the baby two hours' hard work a day in. the form of sucking. ' After weaning wo have not only to- see that tho food is such as will afford active exercise for mouth, jaws, teeth, and salivary glands, but it is also our .duty to train the child properly—to make suro that he takes due time over his food and chews and insalivates it thoroughly. The Feeding Rights of School Children. We will suppose that the child has been reared on the above simple, sensible lines, that ho lias not been "spoiled" in any way, and that lie has his reward in tho form of sound teeth, good ! digestion, a well-built body, and a sunny contented disposition, with high vitality in the' day time and unbroken sleep at night. Granted all these blessings at the start and in tho home (and we aro granting much more than most children get.), what probability is there that the healthful training conditions of an ideal home_ will be maintained under tho teachings and practices of school life ? Kindergarten Stage. A largo wumbar of children nowadays are sent to kindergartens, where, unfortunately, _ in -the vast majority of case.s, the giving of food between meals is a part of the regular routine. • It is no use protesting that such practices aro utterly contrary to the spirit of Pestalozzi and Froebel, that reverence for the laws of physiology and Nature lav at the root of the reforms aimed at by the founder of tho kindergarten system. All such protests are met either by the reply that tho growing child needs "supporting," or that tho giving of something betweon meals is expedient because it serves as a means of attracting children to the school. Another reason assigned is that tlio func-

tion and ceremony of handing round food and attending to one_ another's wants affords a means of civilising children and teaching them to behave nicely at table,

It seems almost hopeless to contend with such argumonts,. because they show such an. litter lack of appreciation of what is for the child's ultimate good. ■ A similar excuse could be found for almost every fond, and foolish indulgence and "spoiling" of children. We havo 110 right to treat a child with

the lack -of consideration wo show towards monkeys in the' Zoological Gardens ; and, in any case, tliero is some restriction placed upon us by tho keepers in any woll-regulated menagerie. In the midit'.of this great wax we dare not- forget that wo have had 40 per cent, of rejects among our sons presenting themselves for service, and that foremost among the' causes of this

deficiency, directly• or' indirectly, lie bad teeth and indicsst-ion. The, race will never have good tooth and good digestion until it conforms to.the simplo laws on which the 'human organism is designed and on which it is intended to be rim. W%en I receive such excuses as are given above for going directly contrary in teaching institutions to what is known to bs best for the health and fitness of the children; when I see the futnre sacrificed to mere expediency and temporary gratification, I am reminded. sadly of the following typical incident: — An Ever.y-day Story. We were travelling from York to Huddersfield. On ; the opposite seat of tho 1-aiLwa.y carriage were a working man and his wife, returning from a seasido. holiday with their two children—a girl of six and a boy of four. The parents looked strong and w?U, and wore obviously wrapped up in the children. But the children were stunted and singular!.! pale and delicatelooking in spite of their holiday, and both had extremely decayed teeth. Each child was sucking a stick of toffee. We spoke about their not looking well, and tho father at once entered fnto a description of what they had to, contend with in the way of bad teeth,' indigestion, and sickness in general; but clearly neither he nor his wifo had the remotest idea that there was any harm in what they were' allowing, and indeed providing—there was a ba" of toffeo in reserve. Wo tried, as gently as possible, to get them to understand Ifaat there wa-s such a thing as cause and effect, and that the teeth, the apPfttitCj the digestion, and tho nutrition of children were matterß of vital importance for their future 'health, happiness, and success in life. These North Country people took it in wonderfully good part—a thing by no means to be relied oil when one is intervening on behalf of oliildren—and after a ■ long pause tho father said, rather hopelessly, but resignedly: "Well! I suppose us'll have to find out. some other way of given oom. pleasure."

This appears to us to be precisely the problem with which tlje kindergartens are. confronted. Tho idea of using , tile "stomach" as a mere means of gratifying tho child at irregular or unsuitable times will have to bo abandoned if the interests of the raco and of our future men and women ccnie to be considered as of more importance than the temporary gratification of tbo appetite or mere questions of school expedieucy. Madame Montessori. The latest development and extension of tho Froebel idea which has claimed so much attention of late years is the Montessori system. I am far from quoting Madamo Montessori as % a reliable guide on the feeding of children, but on the question of the evil of giving food between meals what she says is en" tirely sound and sensililo:— Ono principle must dominate, and must bo diffused among mothers— namely, that the children shall be kept to rigorous meal hours in order that they may enjoy good health and have excellent digestion. . . . Outside of their regular meal hours children should not eat. On the wholo, it takes four or fivo hours for food to digest, and tho stomach should be left clean swept for tho succeeding meal.

A child does best on only three meals a day, and lio should have nothing between except a drink of water if Urn-sty. Mothers havo complained again and again to ns that the simplo and proper food habits which they havo established become broken and jio longer practicable. owing to tho feeding between meals introduced through goiii" to school. Thftt school practice should be misleading instead of a safe guide in ateli nuittol's is upthibg short of a pub. lie calamity*