OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3870, 15 May 1928, Page 68

OUR BABIES.

Br Hygeia. Published under the auspices .st ths Royal New Zealand Society far the Health •t Women and Children (Plunket Society). "It is wiser to put up a fence at ths top ot a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottem."

PLUNKET NURSES. ETC., DUNEDIN BRANCH. NURSES' SERVICES FREE. Nurses O’Shea (telephone 23 348), Isbistcr (telephone 10-866), Thomson, Scott, and Ewart (telephone 10-216), and Mathi'eson (telephone 23-020) Society » Rooil-s: Jamieson b Buildings 6 Lower Stuart street (telephone 10-216), Office hours daily from 2 to 4 p.m. (except Saturday and Sunday! and 10 a.m to noon on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Jl5 King Edward street South Dunedin t to 4 p.m daily (except Saturday and Sunday), and 10 a.m to noon on Fridays; also 12c Highgate- Roslyn—Mon day and Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m.; Parkhill 4jvenue, Mornington. Wednesdays. 2 to 4 p.m.; Kelsey-Yaralla Kindergarten. Monday and Friday from 2 to 4 p.m.; and at 99 Musselburgh Rise. Wednesdays. 2 to 4 p.m Out-stations: Baptist Church, Gordon road. Mosgiel, Tuesday afternoons from 3 to 4 o'clock; Presbyterian Church Hall. Outram, alternate Fridays, 2 to 4 p.m.; Municipal Buildings, Port Chalmers. Wednesday afternoons from 2 to 4 o’clock; also Hall. Macandrew's Bay, Fridays, 2 to 4 p.m. Secretary, Miss G. Hoddinott, Jamie son’s Buildings. Stuart street (telephone 10-216). Karitane-Harris Baby Hospital, Anderson’s Bay (telephone 22-985) Matron, Miss Hitchcock Demonstrations given on request every Wednesday afternoon from 2.30 by Plunket Nurses and I'aritane Baby Nurses Visiting hours; 2 to 4 p.m.. Wednesday Frida- and Sunday

The following excellently practical little article by H. S. Lippman, M.D., is reprinted from Life and Health, in which it appeared by courtesy of the Northwestern Health Journal;— WHEN YOUR CHILD WON’T EAT. Billy didn't eat, and his mother couldn’t understand why. She took him to the doctor, who found that his tonsils had been well removed, his teeth were normal, his sinuses not infected, and his physical hygiene correct. The fact that he had tantrums, was filled with fears, petty jealousies, and hatreds did not concern her nearly* so much as did his poor appetite. She had hoped that the doctor might find something wrong that could be easily corrected.

She returned home disappointed, because not only’ did the doctor tell her that her boy was physically well, but he had refused to give her a tonic. He had frankly told her that Billy wasn’t eating because of her mistakes in handling him. He had even told her that if she stopped worrying about her child’s appetite her eating problems would soon disappear. “ Why, just imagine,” she said to her husband in the evening. “ he told me that Billy’s refusal to cat was due to the same things that made him refuse to sleep and obey.” Reward for Eating. As observations during the last few years have shown that the treatments which the doctor recommended have been successful in the biggest percentage of his feeding problems, it would be well to discuss them. Just what was the cause of Billy’s refusal to eat, and what method should the mother use in overcoming his poor appetite ?- In the first place, Billy was getting too much attention from the grown-ups around the home. It was suggested that he be kept outside as much as possible through the day, playing with children preferably his own age. He was to be fed small amounts of foods in brightly coloured dishes, his milk and dessert being left to the end of the meal. If possible 5 , one of his playmates was to join him in his meal. If he ate well, he was to paste a small silver or gold star in a little scrapbook, and this was to be shown to his father at the close of the day. His poor., appetite was never to be discussed in his presence. If he failed to eat, nothing was to be said about it. If he showed the slightest tendency to take food he was to be encouraged and praised. If. after a, week of this regime, his appetite was no better, the food was to be placed in front of him and left there for 20 minutes. If refused, it was to be taken away until time for the next meal, when the food was again offered him’ This was to be continued three times <i day for at least four days. During this period he wa.s--to be denied any’ food whatever between meals. There was to be absolutely no urging or scolding or begging him to oat. The whole problem was to be met in a cool, casual manner Care was to.be taken that those foods which he .especially disliked were not on the tray during this period It does not seem that such directions should be especially difficult to follow and yet it may take weeks to teach the mother to bn unconcerned about fendte" problems. This is very likely due to the fact that poor anpetite is so intimately related to poor health. Her fear is a deep one. deeper in the anxious, worrying tvne of mother. Often after she has faithfully promised the doctor to carry out his suggestions and ignore the food refusal she continues to urge and scold the u The biggest job of the child worker is not to get the child to eat;-it is to. get the mother to stop worrying about his not eating. Perhans the difficulty Ires in the fact that the treatment is < too simple. The’ mother will learn to her surprise that- ignoring the child’s appetite. at least in her case, is not so simnle as she thought. She may finally realise, after she has properly learned

to ignore her leading problem, why it is that the mother who has so many children and hasn’t time to worry about eating difficulties has eo little trouble in getting them to eat. We have found after years of studying the food habits of the child, as so many others have found, that the problem in the physically healthy child who refuses to eat is not with the child—it is with the parents or nurse. Send Child Away. The family attitude must be changed. It is necessary to recall that when one is ill at ease or angry the appetite is poor. We also know how we feel at a ainner when we are offered food we do not like. We do not approach it with enthusiasm, and when the hostess is emotionally disturbed at our refusal, and insists that we eat, filling up our plate as she insists, our appetite may not only decrease, but disappear altogether. If the mother who cares tor the child cannot change her attitude and ignore the food refusal, it is well to place the child in another home for a short time, and let someone else feed him. It may be a great deal easier for another person to start the ball rolling—to get the child into good fond habits. '"’’in" the elubl’s absence the mother will be able to relax, to study the situation more calmly, and will be better prepared to carry on the work that someone else has started. It has been our experience that after such a vacation from home the mother will find that she can handle the child so much better, that his eating is very much improved—not because the child is a b'’tt"r child, but because he is better understood. If your child won’t eat, use fact. Don t urge, don’t scold. If necessary, take food away. Don’t feed between meals; and, above all, don’t worry about