A PAGE FOR WOMEN

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 80, 28 December 1929, Page 18

A PAGE FOR WOMEN

OUR BABIES (By “Hygeia.”) Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women aud Children (Pluuket Society). j "It is wiser to put up a fence at the ’ top of a precipice tnan to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." THE HOLIDAYS. Many families, llttie and uig, must now be preparing for their annual migration to seaside or country, or to stay with relatives anu friends, and perhaps many mothers are loosing 'forward to tong train journeys with a good deal of dreau. To these we Offer the tollowing hints on ’travelling with children:— FOOD. i For the Baby. . Of course, the simplest of all the problems is cue breast-ieu oaby; in tact, ne is not a problem at all in this connection — all he needs Is his mother and rational management. The bottle-fed baby .presents more difficulties. His 24 hours’ supply of humanised milk should be ireshiy made as late as possible before starting uu the journey. . If it is usually pasteurised, it is Wisest, when travelling, to bring It to the 'boll and then keep it not for ten minutes. It is extremely difficult to keep milk cold enough to be safe for baby when travelling in warm weather, and the dangerous rate of . growth of germs in lukewarm milk- or imperfectly-washed bottles aud teats should never , be forgotten, With proper precautions, the thermos flask solves the greatest problem as far as milk goes. If the milk can be cooled well below ISUdeg. Fahr, with ice or very cold water, it may be put into the clean, scalded cold flask at that temperature, and will' keep quite safe if properly corked. This necessitates obtaining hot ■water or other means by the way for heating enough milk for each feed. The alternative method of keeping the baby’s milk safely when travelling is to keep It hot. Germs do not grow and (■■ multiply, In milk which is kept well above 130 deg. Fahr. Thoroughly wash aud scald the flask, and pour Into it the boiled humanised milk when just a, little below boiling-point. Keep the flask well corked, and When pouring out sufficient milk for each feed do so as quickly as possible and recork immediately, to prevent the milk in the flask falling appreciably in temperature. Naturally, if it cools to . anywhere near blood heat the flask becomes a positive menace. The milk poured out for baby's feed can quickly be cooled to. the right temperature, and by this method he can have his bottle whenever due, without regard to stations where hot water may be obtained. It is a ’good thing to take an ordinary bottle of bojjed water also, as baby is very likely to be thirsty,, and it is useful for Anally rinsing out bottle and teat. A. jug of hot water obtained at a.refresh-ment-room serves to heat water for drinking and to give the various utensils in use a good scalding out, , . Bottles and teats, etc.: It is a good plan to have two or more bottles and teats, so that if it Is difficult to wash them properly en route fresh ones can be used. A handy way to carry them is in a small. tin box, such as certain brands of tea or fancy biscuits are packed in. Wrap the bottles and teats' in a piece of clean, boiled butter musllp, and pack and keep them in the tin. A spoon and any other small utensil may keep them company.. A measure marked in ounces or small Jug is necessary to transfer milk from flask to feeding-bottle. This also must be kept clean and covered. N.B.—Never keep any milk which lias been left in the feeding-bottle. If baby does not finish his feed, throw away what is left and pour fresh from the flask for the next feed. Nothing is more dangerous than milk which has been lying in the bottle from one feeding time to the next ' !

If the journey will take more than 21 hours and it is therefore necessary to obtain a fresh supply of humanised milk en route, consult the Plunket nurse in the town in which you live. She will write ahead to the nurse in the place where you will break your- journey, giving her the recipe of baby’s food and arranging a suitable time and place for you to get the made-up humanised milk for the next 24 hours. For this a small charge is made to cover the cost of the materials. Thus In travelling, say, from Dunedin to Auckland a fresh supply of milk may be obtained in Christchurch or Wellington by special arrangement beforehand. Food for the Bigger Children. Undoubtedly the little runabouts are the most difficult to cater for, but a little forethought will save much worry and trouble. - r Remember that a day on somewhat short rations will do no harm at all, whereas a day of unsuitable food—food from restaurants, aud odds aud ends of cakes and sweets—may do untold harm. Pack a tin with rusks or twice-baked bread and oatcake,' ready buttered if liked, and folded slices of brown bread and butter. Some sandwiches of cress or lettuce and scrambled egg make variety, and add to the nourishment of the meal, and a. few dates or raisins, separately or in sandwiches, are excellent. With a drink of milk and a raw apple to "top off with,” a perfectly nourishing, satisfy.ing, and digestible meal is provided for any youngster—one, moreover, which will while away a considerable amount of time and furnish amusement as an entertaining novelty. So much for the subject of food. Probably every mother will have her own suggestions to add to the foregoing, which, however, have been found thoroughly workable in actual practice. CLOTHING AND WRAPS, Etc. Railway carriages are draughty places, and yet are bard to ventilate and apt to be stuffy. A good deal of ingenuity aud tact arc necessary to make the best of the conditions. It is risky to let children get overheated. Try to adjust their clothes to suit the time of day and the temperature, and take them out for a run on the platform if possible wherever there is a sufficiently long stop. Needless to say, a plentiful supply of napkins is a necessity. A mackintosh bag is the ideal way to keep wet nappies when travelling, but if this is ..not procurable it is a good plan to make tight little parcels of them in several thicknesses of old newspaper. (By the way, a bundle of newspapers will come in very handy in more ways than one.) A light rug and cushion are necessities when, travelling with small children, aud with these and a spare seat the matter of a daytime sleep is simplified. ‘ 3 SLEEP. It is all-important to assure some sleep for the little ones if over-fatigue and fretfuluess are to be avoided. ! This .may be very difficult if the train is crowded, but sometimes a bed may be improvised by placing a wide board between a seat and the one immediately in front of it. Pushed up against the outer wall of the carriage, and with a cushion and rug upon it, this makes' quite a comfortable enough bed for the toddler—one which is perfectly safe if the boqrd is well wedged and a suitcase is propped up on the outer side to prevent a tumble. ' The Useful Dress-Basket.

A dress-basket is perfectly invaluable when travelling with a young baby, making as it does a comfortable . bed and a receptacle for all the baby’s clothes. We have travelled with babies by train and boat — healthy, ■ normal babies and tiny weaklings — and have found that they need not be nursed at all except at feed-ing-times, but will sleep and lie awake quite contented, rather enjoying the constant movement. The result is the minimum of fatigue Tor mother and baby—-

very different to the utter exhaustion of both when the baby has been nursed all day, restless add Irritable because of the complete reversal of his ordinary routine. TLny babies may be "packed” in the dress-b.asket before starting. The improvised cradle can easily be carried short distances by one person, and the baby is kept uniformly warm and protected from wind and draughts. Next to the dress-basket, probably the most useful piece of luggage is the canvas carryall, which conveniently accommodates all the knobby aud awkward last articles. TOYS AND PLAYTHINGS. A few simple toys and picture-books, q puzzle perhaps, and a block and pencil form part of the necessary paraphernalia, but most children will be Interested lor hours in watching the novel sights out of the carriage window. CONVENIENCES. On the through express the ladies’ compartments help to lighten the difficulties of travelling for the mother with,children, providing as they do more privacy and larger, , better-kept lavatory and wash-basin arrangements. However, it is never safe to allow children to use any lavatory in the ordinary way when travelling. Ah excellent .plan is to make a circular pad of several thicknesses of paper wide enough to completely cover the ordinary seat: mark the top side of the pad. This will make things safe..and folded in half and itself wrapped in paper, it will pack quite easily. Otherwise an ordinary-little, enamel chamber may be taken. Some pieces of *old linen, damp and dry, will come in most handy and save hankies and tbwels. SEA TRIPS. A sea trip (unless the mother is a bad sailor) docs not present nearly so many difficulties as a long train journey, especially if it is a night passage, as so many of our inter-island passages are. Children are comparatively rarely seasick, and there is room for them to spread out and lie down comfortably. TRAIN .SICKNESS. Very occasionally children are habitually train and car sick, when the only thing •to do is to give very light food before starting and do manage some means of allowing the child to lie down. In conclusion, one might remark that the mother who has trained her children tn obedience, regularity, and good habits generally will reap her just reward when holiday travelling time comes round. The long day will pass without unbearable exhaustion on anybody’s part — parents, children.' or fellow-travellers. , But alas! for the all-too-common experience of the ‘‘fellow-traveller” who observes little . families on the move—scrambling over everything, consuming an apparently endless supply of cakes and sweets, grubby and tired, ignoring all parental attempts nt control, nnd presently, fretful and crying from sheer ex- , haustlon and discomfort!' Mrs. Philip Snowden, wife of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, varied an old-time formula at a luncheon in connection -with the Radio Exhibition at Olympia. She .was replying to the toast of the British Broadcasting -Corporation, of which she is a governor, nnd she prefaced her remarks with the words: “Gentlemen and ladies.” This provoked laughter and applause. ‘‘l thought it was only fitting I should do so,” she remarked afterwards in explanation. “It. is the I result of changed modern conditions in public life. If a man were speaking it would be quite right for him to say ‘Ladies and gentlemen.’ But for the women it is obviously correct for anyone in the position in which I found myself to give men the first honour."

WELLINGTON WOMEN AND THEIR WORK

LADY LUKE, C.B.E.

Few womeq have such a record of public work as Lady Luke, either in Wellington or elsewhere, for though she is known largely by her wonderful work as Mayoress during the whole of the war years, she began work for the benefit of the public many years before, and has continued ever since. One of the earliest members of St. John Ambulance Association, Lady Luke formed the committee which inaugurated the Nursing Guild of St, John, in 1904. and under the late Mrs. S. A. Rhodes worked strenuously to es- _

tablish the fund which has created an endowment for district nurses in Wellington. In the early days it was hard work, and Lady Luke often assisted the only nurse in visiting patients and other ways. Her ambulance continued in the Nursing Guild ' Wellington for some years, and she became president of the St. John Committe' (Centre). . When Sir John Luke was elected Mayor, her training in ambulance work became of practical use, for during the time of the big strike in Wellington an ambulance depot was established and ambulance workers were on duty attending to accidents and also conducting canteens for the volunteers. It was a time almost as busy as war time. Then came the war, and from the first week, when Her Excellency Lady Liverpool issued her appeal to the women to come forward and help, Lady Luke, as head of the Wellington committee, never missed a day’s work. The depot of the Lady Liverpool Fund was established at the Town Hall, and very soon Lady Luke Tiad a large body of workers round her, making and sorting articles of clothing and comforts, which were packed and sent in separate parcels to the Wellington troops at the front. Every boat took away parcels, and the work became very strenuous as more and more troops left for overseas. The work did not ••naked and tinned and sent to the men at the front. Soon the wounded called for attention, and hospitals had tobe , Red Cross began work, the Women’s Committee under the piesidency of L.JJ Luke first, in conjunction with the Town Hall Committee, and later at e •* P ‘ in Mercer Street, loaned by the City Council. Lady Luke s work on that body continued well after the war. She remained president of the Wmneuis Committee for some years, and was a representative oil the New Zealand Executne, and still acts on the Council, having been made a life member of that body. -Phen there were men returning, and again Lady Lukes band of workers came to fore and prepared a welcome to the returning shiploads in the Town Hall. 1 who were there will forget the first of these functions, whenithe hist; men to return to these shores —mostly Gallipoli men—entered the Town Hall with the little band of nurses (Australian) who had looked after them on the way out. When the sports bodies of Wellington established a fund for gifts foi the soldiers, it was to the Mayoress they looked for assistance, and Lady Luke became president of that fund, and no appeal that she ever issued remained unanswered. When’ Lady Luke asked for a gramophone for a troopship or a hospital, sue received about half-a-dozen next day. , With the Armistice came the influenza epidemic, and tired as the Majoiess and all her helpers must have been, they at once turned their energies to helping in that emergency, and when the Citizens’ Committee was established at the rotvn Hall, Lady Luke was head of the nursing and helpers’ section, and from the depot sent out comforts to all emergency hospitals, providing whatever was needed, however hard to obtain. Even after this Lady Luke did not rest on her oars, being an ardent worker in the Red Cross and taking an active part in securing the Red Cross Home for permanently injured men. Lady Luke presided at the first meeting called to establish the Citizens Day Nursery, and became its president, a position she held for some years. She remains a vice-president and an active member of the committee. . Lady Luke was a foundation member of the Young Women’s Christian Association. She acted on the Board of Directors for some years and still remains on the Advisory Board. She was also on the c.ommittee of the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Y.M.G.A. for some years. She joined the committee of the Levin Memorial Home for Girls in 1906, and has remained there ever since, being a vice-president at the present time. Another society of which she was a foundation committee member is the Victoria League in Wellington, and she is still a vice-president of that body. She is. also a vice-president of the Pioneer Club. Some time ago Lady Luke was appointed a member of the Board of He.alth, and in that capacity served on the commission appointed to study the question of social hygiene, and also that appointed, to inquire into maternal mortality. She was also appointed a member of the Advisory Board of the Macarthy Trust. Recently Lady Luke was appointed to the Cancer Research Commission. She received the C.B.E. and also the St. John New Zealand Badge for service during the war.

GENERAL HINTS If new tinware is rubbed over with fresh lard and then thoroughly heated in the oven before it is ued it will never rust afterwards. Rub mirrors which have become cloudy with a cloth wrung out of cold water and dipped in dry whiting, and then polish them with a dry duster. Copying pencil stains on silk, cotton, or woollen fabric can generally be removed by soaking the fabric in methylated spirit. If necessary lightly brush the stained part with a soft nail brush and rinse in a little clean methylated spirit. For cleaning white paint there is nothing to equal a flannel wrung out in warm water and dipped in whiting, using as much as will cling to the flannel. Wash the paint well with a clean cloth dipped iii elean water afterwards and wipe dry. Fruit tins' are useful for holding dripping, as they can be easily cleaned. A flat biscuit tin enamelled white aud about two inches deep will hold four dripping tins, and will prevent any grease from marking the shelf. To mend mackintosh .place the torn part with the edges together face downwards on the table, then take a strip of adhesive plaster a little larger than the tear, and place on the wrong side of the tear. Press firmly into position with a cool iron, and the tear will hardly show at all on the right side. Pictures hanging on walls inclined to be damp may be considerably protected by tacking a disc of cork at least quarter of an inch thick —cut from an ordinary bottle cork —to each of the lower corners of the frame. The pictures are thus held a little way from the wall, and the air is able to circulate freely behind them. For cakemaking look to your oven first. Then prepare your cake tin. grease and line it with greased paper. Have all ingredients ready weighed before beginning to mix. Bake large cakes in a moderate oven and small cakes in a quick oven. The time for larger cakes to bake depends on the depth of the mixture in the tin. Always test them with a warm iron skewer before taking them up from the oven. In districts where the water is hnrd it is difficult to keep a bath clean. The following is a useful cleansing mixture: —Put into a large jar one handful each of washing soda and whiting and of soft soap. Fill the jar with boiling water and stand it on the stove, and stir the contents frequently until well mixed. When required for use pour a small quantity into a basin and rub it on the sides and bottom of the bath with a coarse flannel.

If apples are cooked before they are' put in a tart,the results will be better. For pastry have a hot oven and a cold slide. Keep in the kitchen a tin of large nickelled safety-pins with which to fasten stuffed meats and poultry and the sides of roly-poly cloths. When peeling and slicing pineapple, use a different knife for each operation, as the rind contains a sharper acid than the centre of the fruit. If the spring of a roller-blind is useless, take off the material, fix the roller on brackets to the wall of the kitchen and use it as a towel-rack.

Economy and cleanliness go hand in hand, where NO RUBBING LAUNDRY HELP is used. A Is. packet does eight weekly washings perfectly. Wairarapa Farmers’ Co-op. Assn. —Advt.

IN THE KITCHEN HOW TO COOK FISH. The following recipes are taken from M. A. Blackmore’s Cookery Book, “How to Cook New Zealand Fish”: — Red Cod.—Red cod is cheap, and in the south usually plentiful. If carefully prepared and cooked it is delicate in flavour and texture. As it contains a large amount of •water it should be lightly salted for some hours before cooking to extract the water and make the flesh firmer. The connective tissue is delicate, and on this account the flesh breaks easily when cooked. It is not a suitable fish for boiling. For frying it should be lightly salted for some hours, then coated with batter and cooked in deep fat. It is excellent fried in this way, when steamed, or when baked under a crust. Baked Red Cod’ Under Crust.—Scale and clean the fish. Remove fins and tail. Sprinkle inside and outside with salt and allow to stand for some hours. When ready to cook, brush the outside with melted butter or dripping. Put two or three strips of bacon inside the fish and place in a greased baking dish. Take about Jib. flour and add enough water to form a paste that will roll out. Roll out to about half an inch thick, and place this over the fish, pressing it firmly round. Bake in a steady oven about thirty minutes. To dish, remove the crust and carefully lift the fish on to a hot dish. Add about one tablespoon of flour to the fat in the baking dish, stir over the fire until well browned. Add a cup of water, and stir until boiling. The sauce should be rather thick. A little Worcestershire, anchovy or tomato sauce may be added, or a slice or two of tomato may be cooked in the gravy. Season well and strain over the fish. Russian Fish Pie (suitable for small quantity cooked or shellfish). —Fish, small quantity ; flaky pastry, Jib.; white sauce, one teacup. Have a thick white sauce well seasoned. Add the baked fish, or if shellfish is used chop rather finely.’ Roll the pastry to Jin. thickness and cut into large squares 6in. to 7in. Put a spoonful of the fish mixture in the centre of each square. Damp each point of the pastry and fold over to the centre, pressing the points only together over the centre of the filling.' Pat a small leaf or star over the points and brush with beaten egg and milk. Cook in a sharp oven about twenty minutes. Serve hot. (Sliced cucumber is very good with Russian fish pie. Crayfish Salad.—Crayfish, one or two; hard-boiled eggs, two; lettuce; mayonnaise dressing. Break the prepared lettuce into a salad bowl. Remove fish from tail, and with two forks divide into small pieces. Mix in the cream and any pickings from the body. Put the fish into the dressing and pile roughly on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle with the chopped white of egg and then the yolks worked through a sieve. Decorate with the crayfish claws and legs. Sliced and prepared cucumber is a very good addition to crayfish salad. FISHERMAN’S TRUE STORY. “It’s wonderful stuff, Sydal!” writes a fisherman. “I was out fishing some years ago and my hands got into a dreadful state. I tried several things with no effect, when someone recommended Sydal. I rubbed my hands with It that night and they, were better in the morning.”—Advt.