OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3212, 6 October 1915, Page 80

OUR BABIES.

Br Hygkia.

Published under the auspices ot the Royal New Zealand Society (or the Health of Women and Children. "It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice tliau to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” BABIES’ RIGHTS AS REGARDS DEEDING. In the feeding of infants from birth onwards the most essential points are : 1. A sufficiency of suitable food —excess is more harmful than deficiency. 2. Feeding at regular times, no food whatever being allowed between the appointed meal hours. The intervals should be long enough to ensure the stomach and otner digestiva organs complete rest between their working periods. The prevailing [units have been irregularity, too frequent feidug, and allowing food between meals. The improvement of digestion, nutr.tion, groveth, and ail-round development are very marked when tlic&u errors are rectified and proper regular habits are established. 3. The form of feeding and the nature of the food must be such as to ensure active exercise of the mouth, tongue, jaws, etc. During the milk period Nature ensures the baby two hours’ hard work a day in tho form of sucking. After weaning wo have not only to sec that tho food is such as will afford active exerc'se for mouth, jaws, teeth, and salivary glands, but it is also our duty to train the child properly—to make sure that he takes duo time over his food and chews and insalivates it thoroughly. THE FEEDING RIGHTS OF SCHOOL CHILDREN^ We will suppose that the child has been reared on tho above simple, sensible lines, that he has not been “spoiled” in any way, and that he has his reward in the form of sound teeth, good digestion, a wellbuilt body, and a sunny, contented disposition, with high vitality in tho day time and unbroken sleep at night. Granted all these blessings at tho start and in the home (and wo are granting much more than most children get), what probability is there that the healthful training conditions of an ideal home will bo maintained under tho teachings and practices of school life? Kindergarten Stage. A large number of children nowadays are sent to kindergartens, where, unfortunately, in the vast majority of cases, tho giving of food between meals is a part of the regular routine. It is no use protesting that such practices are utterly contrary to tho spirit of Pesta-loz-zi and Froebel, that reverence for the laws of physiology and Nature lay at the root of the reforms aimed at by tho founder of the kindergarten system. Al! such protests are met either by tho reply that the growing child needs “ supporting,” or that tho giving of something between meals is expedient because it serves as a means of attracting children to tho school. Another reason assigned is that tho function and ceremony of handing round food and attending to one another’s wants affords a means of civilising children and teaching them to behave nicely at table. It seems almost hopeless to contend with such arguments, because they show such an utter lack of appreciation of what is for the child’s ultimate good. A similar excuse could be found for almost every fond and foolish indulgence and “spoiling” of children. We have no right to treat a child with the lack of consideration we show towards monkeys in tho Zoological Gardens; and, in any case, there is some restriction placed upon us by the keepers in any well-regulated menagerie. In the midst of this great war we dare not forget that we have had 40 per cent, of rejects among our sons presenting themselves for service, and that foremost among the causes of this deficiency, directly or indirectly, lie bad teeth and indigestion. The race will never have good teeth and good digestion until it conforms to tho simple laws on which Iho human organism is designed and on which it is intended to be run. When I receive such excuses as are given abov© for going directly contrary in teaching institutions to what is known to be best for the health and fitness of tho children ; when I see the future sacrificed to mere expediency and temporary gratification. I an. reminded sadly of the following typical incident:An Every-day Story. We were travelling from York to Huddersfield. On the opposite seat of the railway carriage were a working man and his wife, return ng from a seaside holiday with their two children —a girl of six and a boy of four. The parents looked strong and well, and were obviously wrapped up in the children. But the children were stunted and singularly pale and delicatelooking in spite of their holiday, and both had extremely decayed teeth. F l ch child was sucking a stick of toffee. Wo spoke about their not looking well, and the father at once entered into a description of what they had had to contend with in the way of bad Ueth. indigestion, and sickness in general; but clearly neither he nor his wife had tho remotest idea that there was any harm in what they were allowing, and indeed providing—there was a bag of foffee in reserve. We tried, as gently as nossihle. to got them to understand that there was such a thing as cause and effect, and that the teeth, the appetite, the digestion. and the nutrition of children wore matters of vital Importance for their future health. happiness, and success in life. These North Country people took it in wonderfully good part—a thing by no means fn be relied on when one is intervening on behalf of children.—and after a long pause the father said, rather hopelessly, but resignedly ; “Well! I suppose us’ll have to find out some other- way of given oom pleasure.” This appears to us to he precisely the problem with which tho kindergartens -are confronted. The idea of using the “stomach” as a mere means of gratifying the child nt irregular or unsuitable times will have to be abandoned if tho interests of the race and of our future men and women come to bo considered as of more importance than the temporary gratification of the appetite or more questions of school expediency. Madame Montessori. The latest development and extension of tho Froebel idea which has claimed so

much attention of Jato years is the Montessori system. 1 am far from quoting .Madame Montessori as a reliable guide on the 'ceding 0 f children, but on the question of the evil of giving food between meals what she says is entirely sound and sensible:—

One principle must dominate, and must bo diffused among mothers —namely, that the children shall bo kept to rigorous meal hours in order that tliey may enjoy good health and have excellent digestion. . . Outside of their regular MEAL HOURS CHILDREN SHOULD NOT EAT.”

On the whole, it takes four or five hours for food to digest, and the stomach should be loft clean swept for the succeeding meal.

A child does best on only three meals a day, and he should have nothing between except a drink of water if thirsty.

Mothers have complained again and again to us that the simple and proper food habits which they have established become broken and no longer practicable, owing to the feeding between meals introduced through going to school. That school practice should bo misleading instead of a safe guide in such matters is nothing short of a public calamity.