OUR BABIES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLII, Issue 11616, 15 August 1918, Page 7

OUR BABIES.

BABIES A T KARITAIvE hospital.

Basil week I promised !o tell you How’ babies are treated as regards clothinrr, bedding, fresh air , etc., in the" Karilnne Baby Hospital where the catena.? of colds in the institution practically never occurs. The following is the general practice and it must be borne in mind that the babies at Karilauo are there because they have been ill or not thriving, and that usually their past rearing has not been on right lines. In fact, they,; represent babies in training for healthy, robust life. It may be taken for granted that a regime;:t which suits these babies —babies who arrive delicate and sickly—should certainly be a safe coiu'93 to pursue with the ordinary normal baby, instead,of coddling it as the mother so foolishly' tends to do.

For a faw days after admission babies who are delicate or puny, especially if they have been coddled, are placed in rooms which are kept warmed more or less; but the newcomers are scon habituated tounwarmed rooms, and to being kept out in the open air. The general rule of the institution is v;ide-open-ed winnows and free passages of cool air day r and night—care being taken not to put a baby in a direct draught, and due attention being paid as to proper bedding and clothing. Hot bottles ate used where needed, but the mother must be on her guard against the enervating tendencies of overheating the bed and overclothiug the baby (see the Society's Book (pages B_aad 1G0). More harm than good is done to babies by the thoughtless, routine use of hut bottes. Healthy, normal babies do not need them and a delicate baby is made more liable to catch cold by being kept unduly warm from time to time and subject, eel to relative chill when picked up and carried into the open. WINTER—D UN E DIN.

Ordinary Clothing For Daytime. 1. Long-sleeved silk and wool singlet or cellular cotton vest. 2. Short sleeved knitted woolen singlet. 3. Petticoat, bodice, and skirt, all flannel. (Cheap -flannel is best, as being more porous and elastic than higher grades.) 4. Dress oi : wiusey or viyell. 5. Outside jacket made of winsey or woollen material knitted or otherwise.

Memo.-—ln summer the snortsleeved woollen singlet and the out side jacket are ordinarily omitted hut it must he clearly understood that there can he no absolute routine in such nmttters. On a very warm day in winter a baby may need less clothing than on a very cold day in summer. HANDS AND FEET. When a bahy is out in the open air in winter, the hands are usually covered with fingerless gloves, made of thin flannel.

When a bahy is taken out of bed and carried about, woollen booties may he used. Great care is taken to make sure that the feet are completely enveloped and cosily wrapped up when the “picking-up” shawl or blanket is wrapped round the baby. During “kicking exercise” in a pen, in a warmed room no bottles are ussd ; but if a baby is outside in winter, say in a pen on the verandah, bootees, or preferably long stockings as shown on page 83, “Feeding end Caro of Dahy.” should be pur on. At t>‘e Karitano Hospital the babies are placed on four thicknesses of blanket in the pen, or a thick rug and one blanket are used. BABY’S BED. The me'iiod of bed-making in use at the Karitane Hospital is illutrflted and thoroughly described on page IGO Society’s Be ok, so I need merely mention the garments and blankets used at night—viz. ; 1. Long-sleeved silk and wool singlet. 2. Short-sleeved knitted woollen singlet. 3. Flannel nightdress. 4. Two good, warm fluffy blankets, or preferably a honeycomb shawl in place of one of the blankets. If the weather is especially cold an extra blanket may he used. In warm weather, on the other hand, use only one blanket (the enveloping blanket, see 2, fig. 64, page 160. “Feeding and Care of Baby”), and the knitted woollen vest should be omitted. NB.. —The day and night garment are kept quite separate. !No garments worn during the day is put on again for the night. It must be clearly understood that changes in clothing or bedding should be made cautiously, but there is no greater or more common mistake than a mere routine allowance of clothing, without any though as to whether the particular day is bitterly cold or oppressively warm. Always bear in mind that a baby should be clad rather according to the particular day than according to the season of the year, though, of course, the summer cloibiug in general should be lighter than the winter clothing. The tendency of mothers is certainly to overcicthe in warm weather, ana very often babies are carelessly taken out underclad on a cold or windy day