OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3399, 7 May 1919, Page 52

OUR BABIES.

By Hygeia. Published under tne auspice* i>f the Royal New Zealand Society tar the Health ot Women and Children. "It Is wiser to put up s 'enee' at the top of a precipice than to. maintain an ambulance at the bottom."

FEEDING BOTTLES. Last week we concluded by giving an extract from, the Society's book on the "Hygeia .Feeder," pointing out its advantages. We shall now refer to some objections which may be taken to this special form of feeding bottle. OBJECTION TO . HYGEIA FEEDER. E.vtra expense.—This is really a great disadvantage, because it i 3 always desirable to replace teats comparatively frequently, on account of the hole becoming too largo, or the perishing of the indiarubber. Further, the hole in the teat supplied may not be .right, in the first instance. Indeed, there is always a tendency on the part of manufacturers to send out teats of indiarubber "breasts" with too large an aperture for the average baby— not that the baby objects: he is generally glad to get his food lazily and easily without working for it, but this is not good for him. If the hole is too large in the first instance, this defect naturally becomes worse and worse with every day of use. Mothers have written to me from "time to time, asking whether it would not be possible to have teats imported unpunctured. so that they might puncture with a red-hot needle themselves, making one or more holes of just the right size for the particular baby. If the mother is reasonably skilful this is really an admirable plan, and unpunctured teats are sometimes imported. it The extra expense of the artificial " breast" is specially liable to cause the mother to continue its use after she has discovered that it is not suitable—whether from original defect or through having perished. Some babies take their food better from an_ ordinary feeding bottle than from a Hygeia Feeder, especially where they have become habituated to the more common form, and We have known cases where the newer type has been given up on this account.

EXTRACT FROM THE SOCIETY'S BOOK. (Continued.)

The cylindrical" form, with flattened base, and the " boat-shaped " are both good kinds of bottle, but the cylindrical is preferable. The sole advantage of the "boatshaped" bottle is the power to run water through it, but a Brush is needed for perfect scouring, and with a brush the 'cylindrical" bottle is quite easily cleansed. The disadvantages of the "boat-shaped" are fourfold—viz.:

Disadvantage I.—Extra expense. Better buy two or three cylindrical feeders than one boat-shaped.

Disadvantage ll.—The presence of indiarubber at both ends involves extra risk of germs, and more work.

Disadvantage lll.—The "air-valve" is liable to get blocked, and is not needed in any case, because air finds its way in fast enough between the teat and the neck of the ordinary bottle. In the case of the latter, the bubbles which so alarm mothers are entering, not leaving, the bottle, and it is rather easier for a baby to "swallow air" with the boat-shaped feeder than with the simple type. The way to prevent this is to hold the bottle all the time, which should be -done whatever type of feeder is used. Disadvantage IV.—The sterilising of an occasional feeding or the heating to 155 deg Fahr. when necessary is readily effected in the case of a bottle which stands upright, but is inconvenient with a bottle lying down. TEATS. The following notes on the care of teats are taken from the Society's book, " The Feeding and Care of the Baby." Illustrations m the book show how when the feeder half -full of milk is held upside down the milk adheres to the teat if the hole is of the right size for an average healthy baby, how it droris as the hole grows larger, until at" length it actually spurts out when the hole has become so large that the teat is no longer fit to use. The teats should be made of black rubber, and should be fairly firm, so as not to collapse readily. Several should be kept in stock, because a teat needs replacing directly the hole becomes too large, or when the rubber shows distinct signs of perishing- or becoming too soft. The size of the hole is very important. In general it may be laid down 'that the best aperture is the smallest through which the tarticular baby can suck his feeding in about fifteen minutes. Unfortunately, frequent or prolonged scalding, soaking in water or in solutions of boracic acid or soda, too much exposure to air, light, etc . may bring about such moid changes in the indiarubber that a nipple from which" no milk drops when first used may allow it to spurt in the course of a month. This is why several teats ought always to be kept in stock, and it also shows how important it is to adopt the best system, for their preservation. If a teat is not perforated, a hole can be best made by puncturing with a very fine rod-hot needle. WHY TEATS PERISH.

The leading causes of deterioration are: 1. Scalding or boiling, especailly if frequent or prolonged. This makes teats very soft and collapsible.

2. Continuous soaking in water or in solutions of boracic acid, soda, etc. This common practice quickly "rots" teats — they swell up, become thick, coarse, granular, porous, and inelastic, and tear rapidly. 3. Keeping exposed in damp air; also too free exposure in any atmosphere, especially in air currents Still, dry, more or less confined air of equable moderate temperature is much better, but rubber keeps best if hermetically sealed. 4-. Keeping exposed to strong light. Darkness is the ideal condition.