OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3769, 8 June 1926, Page 35

OUR BABIES.

By

Hygeia.

Ptblhht* under the auipUe* *t tit* ■*y*l New 'ealand Saclety for th« Health H Women and Children (Munkat Society). M !t I* wiser to pot ap a fence u tut tat at a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the battam. ’

AIR—THE FIRST ESSENTIAL. The following completes the article im« der the above heading on Page 72: While it is highly beneficial to the normal baby to be gradually habituated to the moderate exposure of the arms and legs, and later to more or less exposure of part at least of the body to the action of direct sunlight on the skin, parents ought to realise that, like other beneficial agencies, the sun’s rays aro liable to do far more harm than good if any attempt is made to proceed quickly. In this, as in other matters affecting the baby, the golden rule is to advance slowly and watch the results. In some babies the tendencies of “solarisation,” as in the case of some older children, is to cause irritation and freckling instead of the rich ruddy brown which may he regarded as the normal and healthy reaction we aim at inducing. In all cases it is safest and best to expose the limbs and outlying parts of the body first, and to only resort to exposure of the trunk itself later, and for a shorter period. Special care should be exercised with regard to the protection of the head and eyes, especially in hot weather. The best head covering in summer is a loose white perforated soft linen hat or a similar cap with a brim all round, such as boys sometimes wear when playing cricket. This keeps the head reasonably cool, and the brim shades the eyes and the back of the neck, which is a danger point in connection with sunstroke. Bear in mind that the "golden mean” is always best. It is possible to have too much of a good thing, even sunlight. Dr Saleeby says, “The so-called sun cure sounds simple and foolproof. Jt is nothing of the sort. Great care should be exercised, beginning with only a few minutes and increasing very gradually.” We shall go further into practical details in next week s "Our Babies" column.