BABY'S MEDICINE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20496, 22 February 1930, Page 7 (Supplement)

BABY'S MEDICINE.

(By a Trained Xurso.)

j Baby's medicine plays a very important ! part in the small person's life. Some* j times it is " doctor's medicine," but j frequently it is just a simple remedy : given an the discretion of mother or j nurse. , When it is the former, ail directions, ! must, of course, be faithfully carried out, I and lite bottle always weil shaken before pouring out a dose. If a child lias a slight recurrence of an illness, and there is a little of his medicine still in the house, it should not be given, because when the doctor jyrote | the. prescription is was for immediate use. j and some preparations are not satisfactory ! after standing for a length of time. | Remedies that arc kept for occasional j use must always be firmly corked arid l tied over, so as to exclude all chance l of air penetration. They should be kept in a dark, cool cupboard : 011 no account in a warm spot. It a simple family

recipe is made up. only very little should be prepared at a time, just sufficient for a few days, not. more; and, of course, this class of preparation must only contain the simplest ingredients. If there is the slightest disfigurement upon a label, and difficulty in reading it,, the entire contents must be rejected.

To keep a label spotless it should be varnished over, then it will not stain, and it can always be dunned with a damp cloth. There is one point to note. Before painting the varnish 011 .1 little weak gum water should be applied, then the varnish will not injure the printing. In preparing anything tor baby's use, before placing the label-on the bottle its corners should be rounded. Then they will not peel off.

The re.allv neat and careful nurse always pours out her medicine from the back of the bottle, so that if a drop spills it will not touch (lie !nl>i?3. If any chemical is made into a solution, such as boraeic acid powder, care must be taken that it has all dissolved "before it is used, and the bottle well shaken, otherwise the solution will not be of the same strength throughout.

The remedies which are kept, even if they are only simple powders, must always be stored in glass or china or tin, and tile air well excluded. Although some things do not suffer when exposed to the air, others do, so one rule should bo made for all. Baby's medicine must always be stirred with either a glass rod or a bone spoon.