OUR BABIES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 31 December 1927, Page 15

OUR BABIES.

BY HYGEIA. Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society.) “ SOMMER DIARRHOEA.

\\ hat can we do prevent s Unimex -Uiarmoea r

x’irst. — AO must see that _ every baoy nas “tiie i 2 essentials ' in in* uaiiy'ine. we must see that eveiy oaoy has what every uauy neeus. due Hist two pages of the society s Cook, •reeding ana Cure of i>al>y,'' shouxu oe perfectly familiar to every motnei in tne lanu. J-i the bay who nas hveu in tresh an - , been naturally feu, traineu in regular habits, ana has receiveu ah other essentials lor good nealtn, chances to get ill, he “throws ott tne germ as the bow or an ocean liner tnrows off tne spray —he is pretty wen germ-proox.'' toeconuiy. —We must specially consider the matter of food. Natural leedmg is tne gieat preventive. Professor Budin nas shown that in Paris, out of 2o{j deatus or infants occurring in one midsummer weeK, less than ou were of breast-fed babies. As we hav e said, humanised milk is the nest substitute but in hot weatner special precautions are necessary in tne pieparatioii and Keeping of milK.

Making and Keeping Milk in Hot

Weather.

It may be best to bring the baby’s iniliv to the boil, and keep it hot ioi rj minutes, instead of omy pasteurising it, i.e., Keeping it at a temperature or iuddeg jj'aiir. for 10 minutes. A hether boned or pasteurised tne ' milK must he cooled quicaly and at I om.e to well below GUdeg talir. it possible. Germs multiply with extreme 1 rapidity in warm mini. Cover tne jug loosely with damp butter muslin, aim stand in running or irequentiy cnanged cold water. ((.Needless to say, i* ice is available the problem is soi>ed.; m the country a running stream oi artesian wed may be handy but m the towns it may be-impossible to get tap water below 60deg jj'ahr. A punnil of water left ohtside in' tne an all night away from the early morning sun wiii be quite cold for some hours. &elecc the shadiest, draughtiest, cleanest place for the milk sale, and stand the jug or cooled milk in a shallow dish of the coldest water available in the safe. Be sure the damp muslin dips into the water all round so that it will 'keep damp, and so cool by evaporation. This method always ensures some cooling, especially m hot, ury weather. \Vhen there is any doubt as to whether the milk has remained below dQdeg Fahr. always rescald what is lei L of the day’s supply in the evening, and again cool quickly, and pmee in the coldest place available ior the night. Naturally if it possible to obtain fresh milk twice daily it is best to make the humanised milk morning and evening. There are various kinds of sales and coolers, details of which may be obtained if wished from the Plunket Nurses or Karitane Hospitals, but the simple, easily available methods suffice in the great majority of cases if carefully carried out. Thirdly.—Extra special care mutet be taken with regard to cleanliness during hot weather. Billies, jugs, bottles, and teats must be Iwasheci absolutely free ot all traces of stale milk. Au almost invisible amount oi stale milk may render a whole day’s supply of fresh milk poisonous. .Vessels which have contained milk should always be washed iu cold water first, and then in hot water and soap. Hot, water “sets” the milk on the utensil, and makes it difffficult to remove. Beware of Flies. Keep Everything Under Cover. Remove soiled napkins at once, and cover. Wash the hands after changing baby, before again handling him or his food. Wash the nipples thoroughly before nursing baby. Fourthly.—Be extra careful to ensure regularity of the bowels; and sec that baby has freedom of movementin the open air as much, as possible. Let him be out of doors practically all day, and all night, too, if it can be arranged, but .avoid' overheating him.

Lastly.-—Do not worry about- baby, but be ever on the watch for warning symptoms of trouble, and be ready to take prompt measures.

Weaning,

If possible do not wean baby during February or March, especially ir the weather is very hot. If weaning cannot be avoided it should be done gradually, with great care in the preparation and diluting of the artificial iood, which should be humanised milk, made and graded- aiccording io the directions in “Feeding and Care o. Baby” or the instructions of the Plunket Nurse. Even one breast feed a day during the hottest weather is better than none, delaying complete weaning until cooler days come.

Indigestion

Indigestion, due to overfeeding or to unsuitable food or irregular feeding, is the main predisposing cause oi diarrhoea; therefore, mothers should be eternally vigilant, especially during summer. They should be perfectly regular, and shouid give the children nothing unsuitable or likely to disagree. Unfortunately, it is just during the summer holiday months —the warmest time of the year —that the feeding of both babies and older children tends to become irregular and unsuitable. When travelling or away from home the usual routine is broken, often with disastrous results. Many a child makes no progress during January or February for this reason. The disordered digestion and lowered resistance leave him easy prey to any infection —ripe for an ’ attack or diarrhoea. He may not die. he may completely recover, but at least his progress will be checked, perhaps for months, and there is grave risk of lifelong damage. ' .Some hints on food /for children when travelling were given in these columns a lew weeks ago. When awa\ from home make every effort to. secure good pure milk. Always boil it before" use for the first few days, and continue to do so if there is any doubt as to the freshness of the supply. Spare no pains to keep all feeding utensils scrupulously clean. Flor the older children, beware of “pieces” of unsuitable food —cakes, sweets, liananasl artel ether unripe (or over-ripe fruit, etc. . Next week we shall go into the simple treatment of a threatened attack of diarrhoea. ’