OUR BABIES

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 18 April 1925, Page 15

OUR BABIES

By i Hygeia. Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (PlunSociety). SCALDED; BABIES. The other day two of our Plunltet Nurses asked wlietiier we would draw attention in this column to the great risk 'babies run when their mothers take them to their laps and sit up to the table with them. Some of the most careful and devoted mothers do this, little realising what grate injury may ensue. The story the nurses told was very pitiful. A most devoted young mother sat down to tea with her first-born on her lay—a beautiful child. Before the mother realised that anything was happening, the baity reached out and drag, ged the hot tea over its arm and hand. Of course, it screamed, and the distracted mother sent at once for the doctor, who attended to the injured arm. All seemed to be going well,'but suddenly at the end of six days the babv died. The shock to its system had* been too great. The nurses' feel strongly that this daifger should be emphasised, because few inothers realise that such an accident may happen at any time. As a rule little is said about such happenings, only the «immediate hearing of these occurrences. If the baby recovers it usually suffers from shock, and its nervous system is frequently so much upset that the effects may fast for a lifetime. In any case there is the grave liability to serious direct damage to the skin and underlying structures, resulting in permanent scars, ouckerings, and other incurable distortions and disfigurements.

AVOIDABLE ACCIDENTS. Of course, it is almost impossible to ensure absolutely that any baby or young child shall be perfectly su e against the risks of some kind of avoidable accident. We use the term ‘•avoidable’’ advisedly, because theie are some forms of accident which a: 3 in no sense avoidable, though these a:e extremely rare-and do not come within the range of practical consideration. They are such accidents as insurance companies expressly describe as outside the sphere of their responsibility, on the ground of their being due “to the hand of God,” and therefore inevitable —for instance, being struck bylightning, or being killed by earthquake shock, tidal wave, etc. Practically speaking, no serious accident will ever happen to a baby or young child if the mother or nurse exercise eternal vigilance, and grave accidents would be of very rare occurrence if, in addition to ordinary care and attention, the guardian fully realised the main- -sources of dangerous accidents in’ early life. The commonest accidents are associated with i falling or being dropped, but the damage iii these cases in rarely so serious as the results of deep burns or scalds. Unfortunately, any concussion of the head or brain may lead to various forms of nervous instability, such as convulsions, fits, or epilepsy, though the latter may not show itself until adolescence or maturity. THE COMMONEST ACCIDENTS. It will be helpful if we enumerate the commonest accidents which befall babies and some means of avoiding them. (1) Dropping the Baby.-—Don’t allow little children or irresponsible people toilift or carry yotir baby. (2) Falls.—Don’t leave your baby in any precarious position. For instance, never leave him in a perambulator which might run away or out of which he might fall. Neyer put the cradle on a eoiiple of chairs if the baby is onlyold enough to move about, or lie maylean over the side and overbalance the cradle. Never lay baby down on your bed. It is surprising how early in life a baby may roll oyer and fall to the floor. (3) Burns and Scalds. —Never leave a baby in a room with an unguarded lire of a tub of boiling or very hot water or a pan of hot fat. Never sit up to table with a baby on your lap. Never take a cup of tea in your hand if the babv is on your lan. (4) Choking —Make sure that there are no objects lying about which a babv could choke oyer when he is put down to kick in a kicking pen or box. Special -care should be exercised when a baby begins to have crusts and ripe apple as additions to its f.opd. (o) Overlying. —Never allow a baby to sleep in a bed with an adult. ACCIDENTS FROM ONE TO FIVE YEARS. No fewer than 80 out of every 1000 children who die between the ages of one and five years are killed by avoidable accidents, such as burning, scalding, drowning, choking, being poisoned or shot, and nowadays a few are rim over or otherwise killed in motor accidents. Toddlers frequently run the risk of being scalded through dragging the tablecloth at breakfast or tea time and pulling the teapot over. HOUSEHOLD REMEDIES.

Every mother of a family or guardian of young children should keep a box with a few remedies which should be applied at once while waiting for the arrival of the doctor.

For burns or scalds a bottle of carron oil and some clean white rags should be at hand. Carron oil is a mixture of lime water and linseed oil in equal parts. Soak some lint, cotton wool, or clean white rag jn the carron oil, and cover the scalded area. Then wrap clean rags round so that all air is excluded. If carron oil is not at hand, bakingsoda and linseed or olive oil may be used. Dissolve half a teaspoonful of baking soda in quarter of a pint of waterj and add quarter of a pint of linseed or olive oif. Mix well. Be sure to use the baking soda —not baking powder.