OUR BABIES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 2 June 1928, Page 17

OUR BABIES.

(By Hygeia).

Published under the aspices oi" the Royal New Zeal amt Society for the Health ox Women and Oniiclren (Piuiiket Society). Tne following excellently practical littie article by Ji. ft. X/ippman, iVB.u., is re printed irom Bile ami Health, in which it appeared by courtesy oi tiie .nonnwestern Health Journal: vvHi'JiS Took, OHTbD UON’i' EAB. riiUy mun’t eat, and bis mothei comaii t unueistanu way. ftne took lum 10 tne doctor, wno iouhu tuat Jus tonsils naa been wen removed, ins teeth were normal, ms sinuses not miectea, aim bis pnysicai hygiene correct. Tho fact tnat he nad tantrums, was fined witn lears, petty jealousies, ana hatreds uia not concern rier nearly so much as did ins poor appetite, ftne naa upped tnat tne doctor migiit irua ouHietrung wrong tuat coulu no easny corrected.

ftiie returned home disappointed, because nqt only did tne. doctor tell her tnat Jier boy was physically wed, but ae iiau rexused to give her a tonic, ire nad Iraukiy toid her that Billy wasn't eating because ox lier mistakes in aanunng linn. He hud even told her mat n sue stopped worrying about her child s appetite Her eating problems ivouia soon disappear. “Why, just imagine,” she said to her iiusband in tiie evening, “he told me tuat Billy’s refusal to eat was due to the same tilings tnat- made him refuse to sleep and obey.” REWARD EOR EATING.

As observations dining the last few years have shown tiiat tne treatments which the doctor recommended have been success! ul in the biggest percentage or his feeding problems, it would ue well to discuss them. Just what was the cause of Billy’s refusal to eat, and what method should the mother use in overcoming his poor appetite? xn the first place, Billy was getting too much attention from the grown-ups around the home. it was suggested that he be kept outside as much as possible through the day, playing witn children preferably his own age. He was to be fed small amounts of foods in brightly coloured dishes, his milk aud dessert being left to the end of the meal. If possible, one ot his playmates was to join him in his meal. H fie ate well, he was to paste a small silver or gold star in a little scrapbook, and this was to be shown to his father at the close of the day. His poor appetite was never to be discussed in his presence. If he failed to eat, nothing was to be said about it. If he showed the slightest tendency to take food lie was to be encouraged and praised.

jf, after a week of this regime, his appetite was no better, the food was to be placed in front of him and left there for 20 minutes. If refused, it was to be taken away until time for the next meal, when the food was again offered him. This was to be continued three times, a day for at least four days. During this period he was to be denied any food whatever between meals. There was to be absolutely no urging or scolding or begging him to eat. The whole problem was to be met in a cool, casual manner. Care was to be taken that those foods which he especially disliked were not on the tray during this period. , It does not seem that such directions should be especially difficult to follow, and yet it may take weeks to teach the mother to be unconcerned about feeding problems. This is very likely dueto the fact that poor appetite is so intimately related to poor health. Her .ear is a deep one, deeper in the anxious, worrying type of mother. Often niter she has faithfully promised the doctor to carry out his suggestions and ignore the food refusal, she continues to urge and soold the offender. The biggest job of the child worker is not to get the child to eat; it is to get the mother to stop worrying about his not eating. Perhaps the difficulty lies in the fact that tbe treatment is too simple Tbe mother will learn to her surprise that ignoring the child’s appetite, at least in her case, is not so simple as she thought. She mav finally realise, after she has properly learned to ignore her feeding problem, why it is that the mother who has so many children and hasn’t time to worry about eating difficulties has so little trouble in getting them to eat. We have found a-ter years of studying the food habits of tbe child, as so many others have found, that, the problem in the physically healthy child who refuses to eat is not with, the child it is with the parents or nurse. SEND CHILD AWAY.

The family attitude must be changed. It is necessary to recall that when one is ill at ease or angry the appetite is poor. We also know how we feel at a dinner vvhen we are oflered food we do not like-. W 7 e do not approach it with enthusiasm, and when the hostess is emotionally disturbed at our refusal, and insists that we eat, tilling our plate as she insists, our appetite may hot only decrease, but disappear altogether. If the mother who cares for the child cannot change her attitude and ignore the food refusal, it is well to place the child in another home for a short time, and let someone else feed him. It may be a great deal easier for another person to" start the ball rolling—to get the nchild into good food habits. During the child’s absence the mother will be able to relax, to study the situation more calmly, and will he hotter prepared to carry on the work that someone else has started. It has been our experience that after isnoh a vacation from home the mother will find that she can handle the child so much better, that his eating is very much improved —not because the child is a better child, but because lie is better understood. If jour child won’t eat, use tact. Don’t' urge, don’t scold. If necessary, take food away. Don’t feed between meals; and, above all, don’t worry about it.