OUR BABIES

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 12887, 13 June 1936, Page 10

OUR BABIES

(By “Hygeia.”)

Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunkefc Society). “It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.”

THE ESSENTIALS FOR HEALTH. (Continued.) Tho next essential to consider for baby’s welfare is “muscular exercise and sensory stimulation.” In order that muscles may have the necessary “tone” to perform the work required of them, they must he exercised. To ensure fibis, bahv must have a certain amount, of freedom. When speaking of suitable clothing, we stressed how important it is that no restricting hands, or garments, should hinder free movement of the limbs, chest, or abdomen. Baby uses his arms and legs whenever lie is .given the chance—in his bath, during the feeding time, and when he is allowed to lie kicking on to]) of his cot. unhampered by tho bed clothes. For an hour or so every afternoon, after baby is six weeks old, lie should be put down on .his back in a kicking pen (a large packing case is useful for this purpose, as this protects baby from draughts). Cover the floor of the kicking pen with a rug, and put him down to kick in suitable garments. In cold weather the limbs need to be covered. On sunny days the pen may he put out of doors, where baby can take bis exercise and a sun bath at tho same time. The idea of using a box or kicking pen is to provide baby with a firm, flat support for his back while he exercises, and he has also room to kick and roll about as ho pleases. Jaw exercise is as important as leg exorcise if baby is to have well-developed jaws and sound teeth. This exercise lie obtains" by being breast- fed. or. in the case of the bottle-baby® by being provided with a small 1 oled teat, through which he must suck vigorously to get his food. Later, when lie is six months old he is given one to chew on. when lie is nine months, wellbaked crusts. Every part of the body is under control of the nervous system, therefore some thought must he given to the maintenance of this system. The chief requirements in this respect arc to keep the nerves supplied with a healthy blood stream and to provide some natural stimulation. Stimulation is mostly applied through the sensory nerves, and is provided by the daily bath and tho cool sponge, sunshine on the skin, and sleeping in the cool fresh air. The taking of food is. also stimulating. These tilings combined, show their eifect in the colour, muscle tone, and general appearanco of activity and vitality of baby. Handling of baby is another v.ay in which lie will receive- stimulus. Ho senses very much the loving hands that touch him and the cuddling ho gels, but if baby is handled too much and too often, lie will become over stimulated, and demand excessive handling, and, instead of a happy, contented baby, we have one that is over-excited, restless, and discontented, who does not sleep as lie should, and consequently, is not developing normally, in later life this child will suffer as a result of instability, and tend to become mentally or physically upset on the slightest provocation. On the other hand, the sick baby, or one allowed to lie too much in one position in liis cot, who is not picked up and nursed for a period each day, 1.3 likely to suffer from lack of proper stimulation. This baby D 'Usually of the flabby type, and lacks the activity of the normal baby. Frequently the appetite is poor, and tho baby may suffer from weak digestion.

Next in importance is the training of baby in “regularity of habits.” The establishment of a regular rhythm in baby’s life from his earliest days, trains the mind and body in obedience to the fundamental laws of life, and lays the foundation of character. Regular hours for feeding, sleeping, recreation. bathing, and daily bowel evacuation, all play a supreme part in baby’s future happiness, and from the mother’s point of view result in an easier managed household. CLEANLINESS.

To try to protect baby from likely sources of infection is only reasonable when we consider that every minor ailment, quite apart from the major ones, will slightly undermine the structure wo are endeavoring to perfect. Cleanliness of baby’s person — his clothing, and the bed he sleeps in —must be ensured. Clean food must also be provided. If baby is breastfed, his mother should carefully spongo her nipples before feeding him, and she must also he clean in h.er own person. With the bottle-fed 'baby, great, care should be taken to obtain a clean milk supply, and to keep baby’s food scrupulously clean throughout tho various stages of preparation, and when once prepared, to keep it cool, clean and covered.. The feeding bottle ancl teat must receive careful cleansing after each feed, and must ho thoroughly clean when used. Hands must bo washed before feeding baby. AVhenevcr a soiled napkin is removed, it should be placed in a covered receptacle immediately.

MANAGEMENT. Everyono appreciates the importance of managing a business. To ensuro success, wo must employ good methods; haphazard, slipshod ways of doing tilings mean possible failure. But, how many .mothers recognise the importance of good “management”, and its influence on young life for future success or failure? Method and habit iustilled into baby’s life from the earliest days will greatly influence liis success in later life. Let us say management with kindness and wis-' dom, because there are various ways of interpreting “management.” In the caso of the baby it involves gentle, consistent guidance of liis daily life from the moment of birth, and throughout infancy and childhood and the establishing of, regular hours for all the daily functions and the providing* of occupation of the right kind

for tlio active young brain as baby grows older and reaches the adventurous toddling age. This is more easily done when W 6 make the right start, and determine for baby’s sake to “stick to it.” "Which one of us enjoys the spoiled child ? A tiresome, distracting little person who frequently arouses our pity, certainly never our admiration. He is usually unhappy in himself—always demanding attention, or something that he should not, or cannot have, and ho is either being continually indulged, or being forcefully corrected by his parents when they are either ashamed or irritated by the little one’s behaviour. Can such a child grow up to ho a normal person with a sane outlook on life? How seldom would the parents themselves be willing to admit that they were responsible for the child’s attitude to life. On tho other hand, “management” must not be exercised to such nil extent that, it destroys Hie child's ability to think for himself as lie grows to more responsible years. The cultivation early in life of good habits, eating, sleeping, playing, bathing, and so on, and tho provision ol suitable occupation for tho child-mind by gently training him to carry out little duties when he is old enough will help him to direct his own thoughts along certain paths when ho thinks for himself. Having done one’s duty so far, one can safely allow the child a certain amount of freedom, to enable him to expand, and to use his greatly developing powers of thought and discovery without any sense of restriction.

MOTHERING. Mother love is the greatest influence throughout life, not the over-in-dulgent or smothering solicitude v hicli many mothers envelop their young with, but the understanding, encouraging love, which is something firm and fast in the child’s life, to which he may turn for Help in his difficulties and support in time of need. Only the wise mother understands tlie particular help that the individual child is in need of. and only she is able to supply that need completely. “Nothing can ever replace the milk and heart of a mother.”—An old French proverb. REST AND SLEEP. To ensure the necessary hours of sleep for baby, we see be is provided with a comfortable bed, such as has been already described in one of our recent articles. He must be well fed. and his clothes arranged smoothly about him before he is snugly tucked up in his cot. Training him to regular hours will have established the habit of sleep. A well-ventilated room, ensuring a flow of cool, fresh air, will induce sounder sleep than a hbt, stuffy atmosphere. Tlio following is quoted from Sir Truby, King’s hook. “Feeding and Caro of Baby” : “Romanes has said, ‘Recreation is partial sleep, and sleep \z universal recreation (Re-Creation). Why, then, should the young man, whoso nervous system is the most complex, delicate, sensitively balanced, ami vulnerable of all created tissues, lie denied tho perfect fulfilment at tho appointed time of this most beneficent provision of Nature—especially throughout Dio early months, when sleep is the predominant feature of normal life.’ “Even as the child’s constitution (however weak or strong through heredity) may be markedly changed by fresh air, suitable feeding, proper clothing, and an abundance of sleep and exercise, sj tho child’s character (whatever the inherited tendencies) may bo transformed for good or bad bv training. Tlio child at birth lias a brain which is the physiological foundation of the adult brain. The child’s character, roughly fashioned by heredity begins to be moulded for good or ill on the day on which he is born. ’ ’