OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3556, 9 May 1922, Page 58

OUR BABIES.

By

Hygeia.

Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society tor the Health of Women and Children. “It Is wiser to put up a fence at the top ot a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom."

NOTES ON DR PATERSON’S ADDRESS.—(Continued.) At the conclusion of last week’s article we were commenting on Dr Ada Paterson’s dictum that “the average of nutrition [among the school children in New Zealand] should be higher.” . There is one additional point to which we must draw attention when an the subject of nutrition. No Undtje Excitement. Children should lead simple natural lives, with no undue excitements such as frequent visits to picture palaces. The “movie” habit for children is one of' the very worst ever instituted. An occasional visit to “the pictures” by the older children would be a real treat, and they would greatly enjoy it. As it is, they are often quite blase, and cannot be said to normally enjoy the exhibition at all —they have merely acquired an unwholesome craving for the excitement. What can be more injurious to children than the strain on the eyes and, indeed, on the whole organism, induced by gazing at moving pictures and crowding into stuffy picture palaces when they ought to be romping and enjoying themselves in the open air, or else to be in bed and sound asleep? THE FALLACY OF THE LUCK OF THE COUNTRY CHILD. Dr Paterson says: “It is a popular fiction that the country child has necessarily superior advantages.” Of course, it ought to have, and has had in the past; but such is the stupidity of many country parents that frequently the little town-dwellers arei really better off nowadays. Though living in the midst of green fields, with abundance of pure, clean, fresh air all round, country children are often huddled into tiny, close unventilated loan-to rooms at the back of the house, and the saturated, breath-laden air renders them dull, stupid, pale, and spiritless. A nprse who understood a little about air currents could soon show the .mother how to provide good,-clean air for her' family in practically all circumstances. Where no such nurse is available, the parents could easily find out bow to just things by studying the illustrations and letterpress in the Society's book -“Feeding and Care of Baby” (pages 65-68). Tinned Milk. Again, as Dr Paterson points out, the country child frequently is given tinned mills:, in spite of the fact that dairying is one of our main industries .and milking herds abound throughout the land. We tend to feed ourselves and our children on tinned foods: this is much to be deplored, because the nutritive value of milk and other foods is very greatly impaire-i by the orfrreooking to which most tinnej foods are subjected. No Green Vegetables. When travelling through a country district one is surprised at the almost entire absence of good vegetable and fruit gardens. Good soil is abundant and the climate favourable, yet the daily routine of life is so stupidly and unsystematically managed that, though time is not wanting, there is not sense enough among the farming community to grow what would, in a great measure, help to keep the family m good health. A nurse from the Old Country recently expressed surprise that the New Zealand country children should be so inferior to their British cousins, though the towndwellers in the Dominion wore in better health and condition than city children at Home. She attributed the poor condition of our country children largely to the lack of vegetables. In the Homeland few wayside cottage are without gardens; in New Zealand it is the exception to find a fruit and vegetable garden among the small farmers in country districts. Too Much Work and Too Little Rest. Country children are often overworked and overtired through having to milk before going to the school, which is sometimes as much as two or three miles from their homes. It would appear that in many instances too much attention is devoted to milking and too little to rearing a good family. It is little satisfaction for the farmer to attain to affluence and a good homestead if in the urocess, his children are seriously damaged. Give the children a fair “how and never mind if the cheques are a little smaller! The establishment of good health and efficiency always pay tha family in the long run. EXERCISE. Dr Paterson says that in all our schools 15 minutes daily are devoted to some kind of drill, such as Swedish exercises. This is an absurdly small allowance of time for exercise of the body when one thinks of the large amount of time given ur> to the so-called cultivation of the mmd. What is needed is not more time spent in formal drilling, but in joyous playing and romping in the open air. Out- of five hours a dav one-twentieth is given to the care of the body, upon which the alertness and capability of the mind depends! I venture to say that- were one hour of the five devoted to healthful, interesting forms of exorcise,, such as games, swimming, etc., including the daily , drill, far more real work would be done in the remaining four hours than is now got through in four and three-quarter hours, and the condition of the children would be vastly improved.