OUR BABIES

Southland Times, Issue 16694, 24 March 1911, Page 6

OUR BABIES

(By Hygeia). SOOTHING THE BABY. If an infant is properly treated it should need no soothing, beyond what is afforded by giving ‘‘What every baby needs” (see pages 1 and 2 of the “Feeding and Care of Baby”). Of course every child should be shown proper natural attention; in other words should be " mothered ’’ and comforted when necessary, but the mother or nurse should avoid undue petting and "spoiling” on the one hand and the use of “soothing powders,” sweets, “pieces," or the "dummy,” on the other. The strict observance of regularity and proper allround healthy habits is the sure and safe way—indeed, Hie only lasting way—to ensure that a baity shall grow into a robust, contented child—the forerunner of a strong, capable, successful, and happy man or woman. I am glad to find that the use of the dummy is becoming less and less frequent, but as there are still thousands of children throughout the Dominion relegated to its baneful effects I make

no apology for reprinting below, almost unchanged, what I wrote last year on the subject. THE UNSPEAKABHE DUMMY.

Travelling by train a few weeks ago in the same compartment as ourselves was a young mother and a beautiful little baby boy of about 15 months. He had the evitable dummy, with a ring attached, hanging by a cord dow r n the front of his dress. We were sitting near by, and the little fellow-, who was full of life and energy and w-ho was playing about in the carriage, soon made friends with us. Naturally we began to chat with his mother, and she told us the baby was her only child, and an only grandson as well, so he was very much the apple of her eye and she was evidently much devoted to him. The lady who was with me remarked that it was a pity the child had a dummy, saying that by using it there was a great risk of deforming his mouth and spoiling his teeth. The mother replied that she knew some people SAID dummies were not good, but that if my friend had a baby she would probably use one too when he became cross. “At any rate,” said she, looking w-ith pride at tne beautifully-made, plump little chap with rosy cheeks and shining eyes, •• it has not done him any harm so far, has it ?” HACK OF HOGIC;

It is one of the amazing points-of view of mothers thdt they always speak in this way. They are quite prepared to persist in a wrong course until they can see actual definite harm, which by that time is more or less irreparable. Women constantly say : “ I know such and such a child who had a dummy, and his teeth are all right.” They don’t realise that the child’s jaws, teeth, and digestion would have been still better had no dummy been used, and that for one case where they can see no damage there would be a dozen cases where the evil effects would be clear to them if pointed out.

The fact is that defective jaws, teeth, and digestion are PREDISPOSED TO by weakness of the mother and by artificial feeding as well as by neglect of any of the factors making for good health, such as fresh air, exercise, regularity, etc. ; but the more IMMEDIATE EXCITING CAUSES of mouth and teeth defects and adenoids are the use of the dummy, the long-tube feeder, and subsequent papfeeding. If the last three were avoided, and reasonable care were exercised by mothers with regard to the hygiene of themselves and their offspring, .we should hear no more about bad teeth and adenoids, which are causing such universal alarm throughout the civilised world to-day. It is not suggested that because a particular child used the dummy therefore it must show characteristic deformities of mouth, teeth, etc., but that the great majority of children so treated do show such defects ; and these will be aggravated by neglect of care and attention in regard to any of the factors making for health. The most deplorable cases are seen where all the adverse factors mentioned are brought to bear in the case of a particular child who has been delicate at birth ; whereas a child exceptionally robust at birth, subjected to only one harmful influence say, for instance, the use of the dummy may escape not really “ scot free,” but to outward appearance undamaged, and actually more normal than the average child of civilisation. To return to the baby in the train. We told the mother about the evils arising from the use of the comforter ; but I fear our counsels fell on deaf ears, as the dummy was frequently popped into his mouth even when there seemed no excuse whatever for doing so. Presently the little man got down on to the floor and crept along the passage way, which had been trodden and re-trodden by passengers going from carriage to carriage, the dummy, of course, trailing along the floor. After this excursion the abomination found its way back into the baby’s mouth as usual. Here is an example of a devoted mother who had heard something in a vague way about the, evils which arise from the use of the dummy, and yet who evidently did not consider the matter of sufficient importance to cause her to inquire further, or to break her baby off the bad habit. In connection, with the rearing of children the dummy is everywhere recognised by the leading doctors and dentists as one of the greatest evils of the day, and it is humiliating to reflect that we women cannot be prevented from continuing its use with an Act of Parliament. If parents could once be brought to realise the cruel, lifelong wrong which they are doing to their dependent little ones by forcing upon them such pernicious habits, the "Long-tube Feeder” and the so-called “Comforter” would soon disappear from the Dominion.

THE JUDGMENT OF THE

INNOCENTS,

The little children whom one sees in our streets, trams, and trains constantly sucking at dummies, and who are doomed to have misshapen jaws, crowded and decayed teeth, and adenoids, will be quite justified in turning on their parents a few years hence and asking what right they had to endow them with life and then to impose on them such a handicap—why did they not take the trouble to find out how best to bring them up—why did they brand them with deformities and disabilities from which there is no way of escape afterwards ? What right have parents to shirk their responsibilities and say : —“lf baby cries push a dummy into his mouth and let us have peace. This fuss about dummies and adenoids is only a fad, and will pass away like other fads.” The matter is much too serious to be dismissed so summarily, and it behoves all parents who will not accept what we put forward to look into the matter and carefully weigh what the greatest authorities —doctors and dentists alike —have to say on the subject. Among those qualified to speak there is but one verdict. Those who have not time for investigating themselves may take on trust our advice to destroy any dummies in their possession at once.

JOHN BURNS ON THE DUMMY. The Right. Hon. John Burns, President of the Local Government Board in the present English Government, speaking on the prevention of consumption, said in a recent address; — I come to another practical remedy —that is, the Abolition of the “Comforter” and the “Soother.” This is a very serious thing. The bomb, the pistol, and dynamite have killed their scores, but I believe the “Comforter” has killed its tens of thousands of little children. What Is more, doctors tell me that it subjects the baby’s mouth and throat and throat to malformations that disclose themselves in subsequent years. I am told this is—and I believe it is—a special cause of bad teeth. Later on it means impaired digestion, and the relationship of impaired digestion and consumption is a very serious one. I express it as my opinion as a layman that to a great extent!the Comforter or Soother is responsible in many cases for adenoids.

.... I would endure the charge of being a bureaucrat with pleasure and equanimity if with one order I could make the Comforter a public nuisance, and schedule it as a dangerous instrument. DUMMY ALWAYS HARMFUL—NEVER BENEFICIAL. No one can pretend that the dummy is beneficial in any way. The most that can be said is that it sometimes affords an easy, lazy means of keeping the baby quiet at the moment, instead of finding out and attending to its real needs. At the Karitane Hospital babies generally come in with dummies ; they are at once taken away and destroyed. There may be one or two days at the farthest during which the baby misses the accustomed object, and is more or less discontented and fretful, but it soon settles down to regular habits and there is no more trouble. Last Saturday night an infant was taken to the Karitane Baby Hospital with the inevitable dummy—-to-night (Monday) it went quietly to sleep without a murmur and without its comforter. There Is little difficulty in discontinuing its use, even when it lias been persisted in for a considerable time. But why use a dummy at all 1 That is the puzzle. We are told that many nurses carry a comforter with them as part of their equipment, and that the baby has become habituated to its use before the mother has anything to do with it. This is very hard on the mother. She should therefore make a stipulation beforehand that no such thing Is to be introduced into her home. The resorting to a dummy may be regarded as a testimony to the incompetence or laziness of the nurse. If regular habits with regard to feeding, sleeping, movements of bowels, etc., are started at the dawn of life there will never be any need for artificial soothers.

The best and most lasting way of attaining peace and comfort in the home is to train the child in proper healthy habits stage by stage, from the first day. On this subject the mother is advised to read at once the section headed “Forming a Character” (see “Character” in Index) in the Society’s book.