Care of Baby.

Otago Witness, Issue 2883, 23 June 1909, Page 84

Care of Baby.

Teething is a milestone of which everyone knows. The temporary teeth begins to appear about the sixth month, and continue appearing- till. the third year. The permanent teeth begin to come about the sixth year, and with the exception of the wisdom teeth have all arrived by the twelfth year. Weaning is the change of the child from suckling to artificial feeding.

It should take place about the tenth or twelfth month. It is a mistake to wean too soon or too late, and infants which are breast-fed up to the tenth month are more healthy than bottle-fed infants. On the other hand, it is unwise for a mother to continue breast feeding long after the twelfth month. Weaning should not take place, if it can be avoided, in the hot months of the summer. The period of infancy closes at the end of the first year, and at that time the child should have come teeth, should 'be able to sit up 'by itself, and should be making the first trials at walking. It should weigh about 181b, and its head should measure about 18in in circumference.

An important milestone is the closure of the anterior fontanelle, which should take place between 18 and 24 months. This is the opening- under the skin between the side and front bones of the s£ull. If this soft spot on the top of the head i 6 depressed or does not close at about its normal period it is a sign of ill-health. Lastly, the child should be making its first experiment in talking when about two years old. To these definite stages -we must ndd the remark that the healthy child grows naturally and in proportion. Absence of growth, rickets, curvattlre of spine, enlarged glands, and so on ore, of course, signs o f disease.