OUR BABIES

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 20 June 1931, Page 13

OUR BABIES

By Hygeia

Publisned under tlie auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society).

rnr-: triaxiSittoxal pf,r tod

;P,A!IiV 18 X T I ■N’U"A HO NT lIS OLD.

The ‘‘transitional period” is the name we sometimes apply to the stage following the end of baby’s ninth month. It is a stage of transition in many ways—transition from milk feeding to mixed foods, from suckling to eating and drinking, from comparative inarticulateness to'possession of powers of speech, from complete dependence to the joys of free locomotion. What stirring times! What rapid development! |So rapid indeed that we arc apt to forget the ‘'‘transition” in this development is accomplished by a gradual merging of one stage into the next, and it is very important not to lose sight of the fact that the baby’s digestive and nervous system need safeguarding from strain during this period of rapid development. Ijt is well to keep the idea of “gradualness” always an mind. Remember the axiom, ‘Never make sudden changes.” The digestive organs have so far been accustomed to dealing only, or almost only, with milk in some form; they need educating to deal with other foods by a process of gradual ‘transition. Much digestive trouble at a later stage is attributable to too sudden and too early introduction of a large variety of foods. Somewhat the same thing applies to methods of taking food. 'Hitherto the baby has been accustomed solely, or almost solely, to obtaining his food by suckling, often at the breast. Sudden weaning throws a strain on the nervous system as well as on the digestion. The second nine months of baby’s life are supremely important from the point of view of education —the child is learning all the time. Jt is the bouiulen duty of parents to see that he learns to do right in a right way. The foundations of character and good or bad mental health are laid down [ during this period no less surely than i the foundations of purely physical health. LEARiNTNG 'T'O EAT.

To come back to practical consideration of the question of food, a point which is often overlooked is the fact that a properly graded milk mixture continues u> supply all the essential food elements and by far the greatest part of the actual nourishment needed during the whole first year. Food other than milk is mainly of importance from the poinl of view of educating baby to the feel and taste and digestion of solid and semi-sol'id food. 'The essential thing during this period is that he should learn how to eat.

He should learn to eat from a spoon and drink from a cup, and, most, important of all, he should learn to chew his crusts and bones, and reject solid objects which he cannot, reduce to pulp by biting, tearing, mouthing, and chewing. Once learnt, this lesson will stand him in good stead throughout his life, helping to protect him from indigestion, decayed teeth, and many other evils which come in the train of these two. Also he will be much less likely to swallow foreign bodies off the floor or elsewhere than the baby with whom the act of swallowing is almost automatically simultaneous with the placing anything in the mouth.

THE HEIST KIND OF HARD FOOT)

Twice-baked bread is the best form of “hard tack” for the baby of this age. The bread should be about one day old, and a slice about an inch thick should be cut in fingers and baked in a slow oven. Enough may .be done for several days, and kept in a well-shut tin. These home-made “rusks” are hard and yet not tough, and do not have the tendency to break off in the leathery, slithery lumps which make ordinary crusts so dangerous. All the same, the baby should never be left alone with any sort of crust. Tf the gums arc sore for a few weeks he may only be able to tackle the softer kind of crust, but as soon as possible teach him to oat the twice-baked bread.

iCERBA'L FOOD'S,

11l addition to milk and crusts, the baby should learn to eat sem'i-solid cereal foods, the most important of Which is well-cooked, strained oatmeal porridge—'‘‘oat jelly.” This may be varied by barley rice, or wheatmeal, etc., but oatmeal is the main standby. It should be given as a firm jelly and unsweetened. JTTJIM A NTBED MILK. Mothers often ask, ‘'fils it necessary to make humanised milk after nine months or .after the baby 'is weaned. Without exception, babies under one year should be weaned on to humanised milk, and every baby should continue to have part of the day's allowance of milk ‘‘humanised ” until the end of the first year or later. The additional sugar and fat used in making humanise milk is a necessary part, of the baby’s diet. The small amount of mixed foods taken before a yexvr of age do not make up for the lack of these ingredients in the food if the milk is given simply diluted, without suitable additions of sugar and fat. During this period properly modified milk is the most important part, of the diet from the point of view of nutrition, whilst, from the point of View of education, the various hard foods and cereal foods are specially important. Neither can replace the other. The child must have an adequate amount of milk and also daily lessons in chewing and eating if he is to reach his first birthday well up to the .mark in every way. RAW RIPE APPLE. One cannot lay down a hard-and-fast rule as to exactly when raw apple may be given for the first, time; it all depends on how quickly the individual baby learns to masticate. As a general guide one may say that as soon as the baby has four teeth and has leant to

use them properly he can start raw apple —under supervision and tuition, of course. 'The best way is to peel a small ripe apple and let baby have it in both hands to nibble and chew round it for a while. 'l'n this way he gets good exercise for teeth and jaws without actually eating a great deal of apple. Next week wo will go on to describe in detail a few practical points in connection with the introduction of now foods between nine and eighteen months of age— ’Small points which sometimes present difficulties.