OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 4085, 28 June 1932, Page 24

OUR BABIES.

By

Hygeia.

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

TRAINING BABY IN REGULARITY OF HABITS. In the first year or two of life babies require a great deal of care and attention. The training of baby in regular habits should begin at birth, and in order to achieve this the mother must have some knowledge of mothercraft. Mothercraft does not come by instinct, but has to be learnt in order that the mother may deal rightly with any difficulty that may arise in the rearing and training of her baby. No degree of mother love and devotion can make up for the lack of skilled management. New babies are like plants. They must have proper care and attention. Clocklike regularity in bathing, feeding, sleeping, and exercise is essential. The Plunket Society has through the medium of its nurses and Karitane Hospitals made it possible for practically every young mother in New Zealand who desires it to have helpful advice and practical instruction in mothercraft. In her own home the mother may be taught the simple rules of hygiene by the visiting Plunket nurse, or should she prefer to bring her baby to the Plunket rooms at regular intervals similar instruction can be given there. At each of the Karitane Hospitals there is a cottage where mothers with their babies can go into residence for 24 hours or longer. . Under expert supervision the mother is taught the principles of mothercraft, and the method of instruction is so simple that it may be carried on in the poorest home. The country mother with her first baby sometimes arranges to spend a week nt the “cottage” on being discharged from the maternity hospital. The mother gains confidence in her ability to manage her baby, and the baby responds to the ordered routine and gradually becomes more peaceful and contented.

There are still some districts difficult of access which arc rarely or never visited by a Plunket nurse. Mothers in isolated districts who wish for advice may write to the Plunket nurse, who gladly gives regular instruction by letter. If it were possible we would like to see mothers such as these spend a week or even two or three days at a mothercraft cottage before returning with their first babies to their homes. The additional cost to the parents would be more than compensated for by the help received. By getting early into touch with the Plunket nurse the mother is put on the right track from the start and frequently saved unnecessary worry. A personal talk with the nurse is much more helpful than advice by letter. If the diet of the nursing mother is well balanced and contains the necessary vitamins, and provided also that she has an adequate supply of fresh air and outdoor exercise, her milk should contain all that is necessary for baby's food requirements

Should the mother's supply of breast milk be deficient, the deficiency should be made up with the required quantity of humani'-ed milk. When baby has to be artificially fed properly graded humanised milk is best. In addition to the humanised milk mixture it is necessary to give fresh element in the form of fruit or vegetable juice daily. Orange, carrot, or swede turnip juice may be given. This is given for the sake of the vitamins, which, though they form only a very small portion of baby's food, are very necessary for proper growth and nutrition. Bathing should be done at the same hour each day. If everything is made ready before bathing begins, there should be no delay. A cold sponge may be given from six months onward. Feeding— In the case of the normal baby four-hourly feedings should be the rule, with no feeding between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Baby should be trained to sleep without a break during those hours. Other hours might prove more convenient in the individual household. Whatever the hours, the intervals should be four hourly and the same hours each day. with eight hours’ unbroken rest at night. The Bowels.— A baby should have at least one bowel movement every day, but many infants have two. Whatever the number, train the baby by holding him out at the same time every day. Sluggishness in the breast-fed baby is often caused by constipation in the mother, and must be corrected by diet, exercise, etc., if baby is to have a regular daily movement. Constipation in the artificilaly fed baby must always be regarded as a source of danger. It may be due to one or more causes. It is always advisable to consult a doctor or Plunket nurse. Castor oil should never be given for constipation, as it onlj- tends to make baby more and more constipated. It is sometimes ordered by the doctor at the onset of diarrhoea or other illness to ensure prompt cleansing of the bowel. Prune juice may be given for constipation, and when baby is older some of the prune pulp may be given also. The prunes must be cooked till quite tender and then put through a very fine sieve. Prune juice is given as a laxative and cannot take the place of fresh uncooked fruit or vegetable juice. Exercise should be given at the same time each day in the open air and sunlight' whenever possible. If kicking exercise is given indoors,

baby should be placed in a kicking pen or box warmly clad and protected from draughts in a wellventilated room Sleep. —The routine hours for sleep should be strictly adhered to. Avoid exciting or over-stimulating baby in any way before placing him in his cot. Make sure that lie is quite comfortable, has no wind, and that his feet are quite warm, and. above all. do not pick him up every time he cries ! In the observation of strict punctuality in baby's daily routine, we are regulating and controlling his conduct. He is gradually being taught habits of obedience and self-control. The foundation of character is laid in infancy, and only by proper training and loving care will baby develop rightly in mind as well as body.