OUR BABIES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 6 August 1931, Page 4

OUR BABIES

PLAYING WITH THEM (By “Hygeia”) Published under tho auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for tlie Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). “'lt is a wiser to put up a fence at. the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” A recent spectacle of a bright, intelligent baby being treated as a plaything In’ every member of tho family concerned leads us to touch once again on this subject. Play is a natural instinct which man has in common with the lower animals. It seems that the higher an animal comes in the scale of creation the more highly developed is its instinct for play. When wo come to the domestic animals wo sec playfulness developing in proportion to the intelligence, and in the apes and monkeys playfulness is retained throughout life. It is right and natural that baby should play —something is radically wrong if he does not early show this instinct, —but HOW DOES HE PLAY? Kicking exercise is the baby’s earliest play. 1< rom it he derives numerous sensations which give hjm pleasure, hater this leads on to tho discovery of his first and best playthings—his own lingers and toes —best because in addition to their fascinating habit of unexpectedly appearing and disappearing, lie derives twofold pleasure from playing with them : that of touching and of being touched. Then ho comes into tho realm of playthings apart from himself, though not necessarily rattles or playthings proper. Every object within his reach is a potential plaything, and life consists of ono great game—tho adventuro of satisfying curiosity. This sort of play is utterly satisfying to tho unspoilt child, besides being satisfactory and safe. Baby can play it in his own time and at his own pace. When ho is tired he can stop; if he goes on a little too long Nature steps in and ho sleeps till his nervous energy is restored. His developing faculties are healthily stimulated without tho slightest danger of overstimulation of the delicate nervous system.

THE WRONG SORT OF PLAY How different is this from tho caso vvhen the baby is played with. Then sitmulation is applied in our time, at our pace, and the result is inevitably a certain degreo of overstimulation, unless tho process is kept within strict limits. Just watch a baby responding to prolonged playing of this kind. Tho eager, responsive typo of child quickly reacts, and his delicious gurgles and chuckles charm us. If a very little of this is allowed to go a very long way no harm is done, but the first signs of wandering attention or fretfulnoss are certain signjs of fatigue and should be the signal to stop. Too often unfortunately they are taken as the signal for moro strenuous efforts at so-called amusement, to which the baby again responds, though after a time there is probably a slightly hysterical note in his laughter and gleeful shouts. Presently everyone is tired, yet it may strike no ono that tho baby is fretful and will not sleep for the simple reason that ho is nervously exhausted. PUT YOURSELF IN THE BABY’S PLACE Just imagine one’s feelings if a creature of ten times: one’s size and mental capacity (though not necessarily possessed of intelligence to match) insisted on prolonging certain diverting antics beyond one’s powers of spontaneous response ! It does not require much effort of the imagination to see that this sort of thing carriod on over a long period may mean wrecking of the nervous system with some temperaments. The bald fact of the matter is that adults play with babies for their own amusement, not the babies’ pleasure. Someone has suggested that a baby affects many women much as a mechanical toy affects many men. “Give a child a clockwork engine and father won’t bo able to leave it alone. Give him also a few trucks, a toy railway signal, and six feet of tin track and ho will neglect his business!” So with many a woman—givo her a baby and she can’t loave it alono. All unknowingly she satisfies her own play instinct at the expenso of tho child. MOTHERING Ono does not mean to imply for a moment that the baby should receive no attention. Babies allowed to grow up without a certain amount of handling and loving attention bccomo pale, flabby, and listless. What one docs mean is that the greatest part of the direct stimulation should come to tho child in tho simplest way along with tender and skilful "mothering’ and "handling,” at feeding and bathing times chiefly. The sum of cxeifciso and stimulation obtained in this way during tho course of tho day is very considerable and quite sufficient for the young or oasily stimulated baby. A judicious amount of moro direct 'playing with” may bo allowable, according to the type of child, so long as •ho cautiion indicated in a previous paragraph is observed. In addition, remember that there is one time when a baby needs no stimulation whatever, and that is just after a meal. Yet, by somo contrariness, this is just the time when it is often given, tho poor little mite being jogged and patted and talked to.

Troublesome digestivo disturbance may bo due to this cause, and this alone. A persistent habit of vomiting may bo set up which affects progress and requires a prolonged period of treatment for cure. Wo have many such eases admitted to tho Karitano Hospitals, some of whom need practical isolation for a timo so over-stimulated aro they.

'io sum up, the less babies aro deliberately played with tho better, nnd thero should bo no playing near meal times or within an hour or so of bedtime. Injudicious playing with infants makes them nervy and cross, disturbs their sleep, disturbs their digestion, and may cause undesirablo conditions in other respects. If one must play with the baby, lot tho play bo of very short duration, stopping short of tho first sign of fatigue, gentle and quiet, not boisterous, and not with a wholo gallery of spectators looking on and perhaps joining in. Tho baby’s early play should be mainly with his first playmate—himself and his own fingers and toes.