OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 4039, 11 August 1931, Page 59

OUR BABIES.

By

Hygeia.

Published under the auspice* of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). ” It ia wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.”

PLUNKET NURSES, ETC., DUNEDIN BRANCH. NURSES’ SERVICES FREE. Nurses O’Shea (telephone 23-348), Isbister (telephone 10-866), Thomson, Scott, and Ewart (telephone 10-216), Darling (telephone 23-431), and Mathicson (telephone 23-020). Society’s Rooms : Jamieson’s 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; 315 King Edward street, South Dunedin, 2 to 4 p.m. daily (except Saturday and Sunday) and 10 a.m. to noon on Fridays; also 125 Highgate, Roslyn— Monday and Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m.; Gospel Hall, Mailer street, Mornington— Monday and Wednesday, 2 to 4 p.m.; Kelsey Yaralla Kindergarten — Monday and Friday from 2 to 4 p.m.; Baptist Sunday School, Sunshine—Monday and Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m.; 211 Main North road, North-East Valley—Tuesdaj’s, 2 to 4 p.m.; Kindergarten, Caversham—Thursdays. 2 to 4 p.m. Outstations : 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.

Administrative Secretary, Miss G. Hoddinott, Jamieson’s Buildings, Stuart street, Dunedin (telephone 10-216).

Karitane-Harris Baby Hospital, Anderson’s Bay (telephone 22-985). Matron, Miss Hilditch. Demonstrations given on request every Wednesday afternoon from 2.30 by Plunket Nurses and Karitane Baby Nurses. Visiting hours : 2 to 4 p.m., Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. THE DUMMY (Continued). Last week we wrote of some of the evils of the dummy habit—a fairly formidable array of charges. However, it may be argued that for all we saycertain individual babies appear utterly unharmed, and certain other babies are known to have developed crooked teeth and adenoids in spite of the fact that they 7 never had a dummy. No one can deny that it may be so, and the answer must be in general terms. It is this way : It is wrong to “ imagine that any ONE FACTOR ALONE IS TO BE REGARDED AS THE SOLE CAUSE OF HUMAN DEGENERACY IN ANY DIRECTION WHATSOEVER.” The best possible health and vigour of every part of the body is the result of many 7 factors acting together, starting with the baby’s inheritance, going on through the vastly important first nine months of his life before birth, to the care and treatment he receives during infancy and childhood. “ Good, pure blood is essential for the formation of perfect bones and teeth, just as it is essential for the formation of a sound brain and nervous system. But there cannot be good pure blood without suitable food and good feeding methods, abundance of fresh air and sunlight, adequate exercise, play, mothering, rest, and sleep.” It is not suggsted that the dummy is the actual cause of adenoids, but from what has already been said it must be clear that it predisposes to and tends to cause the condition.

“ From many years of study, experience, and observation, it has been proved beyond doubt that (apart from a lack of vitality and vigour which may be present at birth) the most important cause of adenoids is failure to breast-feed the baby, coupled with the use of the dummy. The main stimulant for the good development and growth of the mouth, throat, nose, and airway is an adequate blood supply to these parts.” The exercise of vigorous sucking tends to make the tongue strong, broad, and well developed. Natural suckling at the breast ensures the best possible “ jaw work.” Bottle feeding, on the other hand, as it is too often managed, means inadequate exercise in this respect, because the baby obtains his food easily through a large hole in a rubber teat. This, combined with constant lazy 7 sucking at a dummy with the effects we have already described on the jaws and roof of the mouth), tends to make the tongue narrow and poorly 7 developed. A hard-worked, strong, full tongue moulds the roof of the mouth, jaws, and nose on broad lines. This in turn ensures capacious highways for air and plenty of room for teeth—the best possible basis for perfectly healthy tissues, in which neither adenoids nor the germs of colds, etc., are likely to develop. Later on, when the baby comes to the stage of mixed foods, “ pap feeding ” is the most fruitful cause of abnormalities of the jaws, teeth, and airways, because it again provides no adequate exercise for jaws and teeth. Give baby his natural food; no dummy; from nine months onwards the maximum amount of hard food, and fresh air to breathe day and night, and you will be doing your best to prevent adenoids and bad teeth, as well as many other ills.

To the mother who says, “ Well, the dummy has not done any harm to my baby,” all we can say is that he would have been better still if no dummy had been used, and that for one baby where she can see no actual damage there are

a dozen where the evil effects would be obvious even to herself if they were pointed out by an experienced person. Is it reasonable to persist in a wrong course until actual definite harm can be seen f > are str ongly recommended to read heeding and Care of Baby,” from page 124 onwards, on this subject. Breaking Baby of the Habit. , the habit is to be broken, the main thing is real conviction and determination on the part of the mother and all concerned. Babies are extraordinarily sensitive to “ atmosphere.” At the Karitane Hospitals many babies are admitted with dummies. But they are promptly disposed of, and in a remarkably short time the baby settles down to be a happier, more contented little fellow than ever before without his false friend the dummy. He knows there is no wavering in the minds of those who are caring for him, and most babies instinctively avoid wasting effort on useless endeavour. .So have courage 1 If you are determined to break your baby of his bad habit you will accomplish your aim—and it really is worth while- Burn the dummy, and let no one go out and buy another one, and rally the household round to stand by and help for the r th . e ultimate happiness and good of his Majesty the Baby.