OUR BABIES.

Franklin Times, Volume XIX, Issue 40, 8 April 1929, Page 8

OUR BABIES.

(By Hygeia.)

Published under me auspices of j the Royal New Zealand Society for j the Health of Women and Child- | ren (Plunket Society); "It is "j wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom."

FEEDING THE SMALL CHILD. We have selected the following useful hints for mothers from resent issues of the Australian magazine Life and Health: —•

"Preparing dinner for the adults and school children of the family and a

separate meal for the about two-year-old requires more time than the average mother can afford, and yet it is essential for a child of this age to have specially planned menus. After study

of the problem. . . the decision reached is that the best thing to do is to adapt the meals of the grownups so that they are suitable for th 3 pre-school child. "Of course, it is possible that in this some of father's food habits may need a bit of modification, but that will usually be to his advantage. "The great thing to do is to adapt the food so that the child will not feel that his portion is very different from the rest of the family's.

Avoid Giving Just a Taste of Unsuit-

able Food.

"It should be emphasised, however, that giving 'just a taste' of anything not on the youngster's menu should be strictly avoided. There is no need to acquaint him with foods which are highly seasoned and which will make him discontented with his simple fare. Must a taste' of chocolate cake is not going to make Jimmy anxious to finish his bread and butter. It is far more likely to cause the next family war, and is unfair both to the child and to those who are attempting to establish correct eating habits.

Wise Guidance Needed

"Eating habits are learned from birth, and wise guidance is essential from the beginnings if desirable habits are to be formed. The child learns just what he practises. Practise is not mere repetition of outward move ■ ment. It includes what the child is thinking and feeling at the time he performs the outward movement which means that to make a child really learn

a desirable behaviour he must derive some inner satisfaction from the act.

"Second helpings are, or should be, always available, but it is unwise to discourage the child by putting more on his plate than he can cat. Certain foods, of course, appeal to the child more than others, but before he can have a second helping of his favourite he must eat the rest of his meal.

;A Food Hint,

"The food of a small child should be simple in preparation—elaborate concoctions are out of place—and bland in taste, and it is usually easy to adapt the family menu to the needs of, the' child by simply using a little ingenuity."

AVOID PLAY WITH YOUNG BABIES. "It is not for the baby's amusement that a grown-up plays with a baby: it is merely for the older person's own pleasure. Tire less, babies are played with at any age up to a year or more the better, unless the paying is well timed as to meals and bedtime. There should be no playing near meal times, either before or after, nor within one or two hours of bedtime or napping time. Injudicious playing with infants tends to make them nervous and cross, disturbs their sleep, disturbs their digestion, and perhaps causes undesirable conditions in other respects. If one must play with baby, let it be after six months, and make the playgentle, not boisterous, of short duration, and not with a whole family or gallery of spectators looking on—perhaps joining in."

Memo, by "Hygiea": We do not mean to imply that babies are not be allowed to play or to be judiciously played with. Play is the natural, joyous, overflowing expression of child life and activity, and as such should be encouraged : but the baby's early play should be mainly with his first playmate —himself —tin's own liny hands waving in the air—his own ten toes. Tooth Exercise.

"All dental authorities fell us that, to be kept perfectly healthy, teeth not only need to lie perfectly nourished, (hence the necessity of a diet containing all the elements of nutrition) and lo be kept clean hut they also need exercise, secured by the use of dry bard foods that compel exercise of the teeth and jaws. Wheatmea! Biscuits.

"Zwieback, or Iwice-liakctl bread, is pood for this purpose, and so is oatcake. Another excellent, thing is plain hard whealmeal biscuit. This is very easily made I'roni whole meal, water, and a little sail. Form info dousrh. roll out lliin. cnl into ihe desired shapes, and I mice iu a slow oven. Bran can lie added In the whole meal, il' ;■'•,.ess.'iry, say one cup nl' hran In four o!" wlmaluieal. j "'■'liese hard, dry hisruils are ;in e\-i < e||enl and most wholesome article o" >

diet, and will furnish Ihe leelh with IIk 1 exercise needed. They can he en len with butler, or butler and a lliin scrape of mnrinile.. A lash- is easily |'(H'in"d for llmm. and thev should r.onsliin'e a pari o film daily diet, particularly lhal nl' children."