OUR BABIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22612, 2 July 1935, Page 7

OUR BABIES

By Hygeia. Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket a Society). “ It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." TRAINING THE LITTLE ONE. INDEPENDENCE. The impulse towards independence,' which manifests itself in almost all children sooner or later, is one which should be wisely encouraged and fostered. It is the outcome of the desire to learn —to experience—by which the child enlarges his field of activity, perceptions, and emotions. Let the toddler dress himself at least in part as soon as he manifests a desire to do so, even if it is very much quicker' to do it oneself —just tactfully helping to adjust tangles in tapes and discrepancies between buttons and holes. It is sensible to have as many as possible of the garments doing up in front at this stage. Let him feed himself with part of each meal, spreading _ the largest size feeder well out and taking no notice of spills and accidents in the early stages of the experiment. Of course, it is necessary to protect and guard the child against injury in his 1 thirst for knowledge, his consuming de- , sire.“to see the wheels go round”; but i the constant, vigilant oversight of the wise mother is unobtrusive and out of sight, except when called upon. Indeed, it is even wise to allow the toddler to hurt himself a little now and then that he may learn from experience what be has refused to accept from verbal prohibitions —that to touch certain forbidden objects means pain. TOYS. Let the spirit of independence have 1 ample exercise in the games and toys of the toddler. Simple toys are best. Building is a pastime which seldom palls, and every child should have a box of bricks. These need not be expensive | articles bought in a shop; any carpenter • or builder will supply a large assortment I ! of wooden blocks of various rectangular ’ shapes and sizes for a small sum, and I

they can be kept in a butter box or packing case. Empty cotton reels and spools, smooth empty tins, a bottle or two, some large marbles, and a few pegs will keep the toddler busy for many happy hours, with some beloved dolly or disreputable old teddy bear to share the fun. With such toys opportunity for self-expression and creation is provided, and each child will find the outlet for its individual bent in inventing games with these simple materials. One will constantly build up shaky towers, another will everlastingly play “Puff! Puff!’' while he laboriously pushes a block or two along real or imaginary lines on the floor. Costly mechanical toys, elaborately dressed dolls, are quickly cast aside and forgotten for home-made playthings, largely because they leave little to the imagination—they do not satisfy the instinct to create. A sand pile in the garden is an endless source of outdoor joy, and can be provided in quite a small town section. It is well to cover it with a waterproof sheet in wet weather,. and to turn the sand over frequently, allowing the sun to get at all parts, so keeping it fresh and sweet. A small bucket and spade and various odds and ends beloved of the owner should belong to the sand pile. HELPING MOTHER. The wish to help should be carefully fostered and developed and directed into right channels—hard as it often is to spare the time to be hindered by this form of "help.” But now is the happy moment, the golden opportunity to train and develop the spirit of helpfulness. If the child is snubbed and his offers sot aside now, how can he be blamed for later disinclination towards the jobs he is then expected joyfully to perform. REST AND SLEEP. The toddler needs to spend an average of about 14 hours out of every 24 in sleep. He is so tremendously active during his wakjng hours that sufficient time must be assured in his daily programme for rest and recuperation of his whole body, including the brain and nervous system. Most healthy, welltrained children will sleep the clock round at night—say from 6 to 6—and about two hours’ sleep in the daytime should be most carefully preserved, as, once broken, it may be very difficult to re-establish.

Sir Truby King says : “It is well to continue the morning sleep or rest until the child is five or six years old, especially in summer, when children wake early. This can easily bo accomplished with a little firmness on the mother’s part. A short sleep or rest restores a child wonderfully, and the result is that there is no crossness or fatigue at the end of the day.”

So necessary is sufficient rest and sleep for the rapidly growing body and brain that many a toddler who is failing to thrive and gain' in weight in spite of adequate food and reasonable habits will start to improve in condition and put on weight if extra rest and sleep is insisted upon, without any other change being made in the daily programme. REGULARITY. Regularity of, all habits is just as important in the second as in the first year. The evening bedtime hour should be strictly adhered to, nothing and nobody being allowed to keep the toddler up during the evening. Even if the actual hours of sleep can be made up during the day, nothing can compensate for the nervous excitement and strain of bright light and stimulating sights and sounds coming at a time when the vitality is lowest and most in need of refreshment. Regular action of the bowels is, of course, of supreme importance. properly made little chair with seat fitting over a suitable receptacle should be regarded as a necessary piece of paraphernalia, and to this the toddler should go after breakfast with clockwork regularity. It is not wise to allow little children always to use the ordinary water-closet, because the state of the daily motion affords the mother valuable information as to whether food is being properly digested, and may give early warning of impending digestive upset—and forewarned is forearmed. GENERAL PROGRESS AND THE NEED FOR SUPERVISION. After the first year it is too often assumed that the toddler is going on all right (just because he has no apparent ailment) without any steps being taken to measure his progress and to assure that all is as it should be. Actually he may be making little or no gain in weight, his muscles may be soft and flabby, there may be insidious little spots of decay in his baby teeth —these things and many others may very easily pass unnoticed by the busy mother while almost imperceptibly the A 1 baby merges into the C 3 toddler. To allow the general standard of nutrition to fall below par is to leave the door open for the entrance of infectious diseases and troubles of every kind. Why should the toddler be denied the advantages of the expert * and skilled supervision by which ha benefited during his first year or which is given to his younger brother or sister ? The Plunket nurse is always available for simple, commonsense advice on the care of little children, and can inform the mother

when, in her opinion, defects such as decayed teeth, adenoids, etc., which require dental or medical attention, are retarding the child’s progress. A regular record of the toddler’s progress in height and weight should be kept during the second year at intervals of, say, one to three months. This the Plunket nurse can make, at the same time watching the general progress and development and advising on all simple, practical points. Undue importance need not be placed on gain in weight alone. A great many other factors must be taken into consideration when summing up the child’s progress, but the weight is a good general guide, and regular weighing ensures that loss of weight or unduly long stationary periods will not go undetected. Once noted, the cause or causes will be investigated, and the way opened up for their removal.. Letters from mothers living beyond the possibility of occasional visits to the Plunket nurse are welcomed either by the nearest nurse or the matron of the nearest Karitane Hospital. It is generally possible to get the toddler weighed at periodical visits to a township, and the Plunket nurse would advise by letter if the progress was not satisfactory.