OUR BABIES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 69, 14 November 1912, Page 2

OUR BABIES.

(By Hygeia.)

Published under the auspices of the Society for the Health of Women and Children.

“It is wiser to put up a fence at the' top oUa precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.”

WEANING

In general, the best time for weaning a baby under the conditions of nioldern civilisation, is between the ninth and twelfth months—-say, on the average at the end of the ninth or early in the tenth month. Weaning before this tends to be prejudicial. The younger the baby the more risks attend the process; the mother should, therefore, do all in her power to ensure a good supply of healthy breastmilk, and should continue nursing for the full period, unless there are decided reasons to the contrary.

FRENCH OPINION. *

French authorities generally sanction, and even advocate partial breastfeeding up to 15 or 18 months, but the consensus of opinion in England, Germany, and America is against this—the drain on our average modern mothers being held to be too great, and the child being said not to thrive so well as if weaned by the tenth or twelfth month. Oriental races (Chinese, Japanese, etc.) still continue their immemorial custom of suckling up to 18 months, or longer; the same custom still prevails to a large extent among hardy, outdoor, country women in Europe. The view held by partisans of prolonged suckling is thus expressed by Professor Marfan, the leading French authority:— “As far as possible weaning ought not to be carried out before the tenth to the eighteenth month. Too early weaning, often gives rise to digestive troubles, because one is depriving the infant of Nature’s ideal baby food. When feasible it is well to continue putting the baby to the breast until the fifteenth month. A great advantage of this prolonged suckling is the fact that if the baby becomes upset in any way, we have the extremely precious resource of mothers’ milk to fall back on. But weaning should be completed before the eighteenth month, because, apart from the fact that the necessities of modern life make it extremely inconvenient to continue suckling any longer, it becomes a much more difficult matter to break a baby of the habit of breast- feeding if suckling is unduly prolonged.” (Translated from Professor Marfans’ “L’allaitem.ent des Enfants.*”) In spite of the above we Say, unhesitatingly, wean on the average between 9 and

12 months

Abundant experience has satisfied us that there are practically no dangers to be feared from weaning at this time, provided the mother intelligentlygrasps and follows the -simple principles and practice of modifying cow’s milk so as to adjust it to the requirements : of the baby. ll ' :

In a paper read before the New Zealand Medical Association some years ago one of the physicians to lie Kari hi no-Harris Hospital remarked: “One special feature of percentage feeding is the care and safety with which weaning can he carried out by prescribing a suitable grade of humanised milk, and gradually lessening the number of breast feeds and increasing those of modified milk.”

When a baby is weaned at the niath month, or suckled, some dry solid food, such as crust of bread or <iry crisp toast should be introduced into the dietary about this time so as to train early the powers of munching and chewing, and thus induce, without delay, a proper flow of saliva. "> to munching of bones, which should ha\e been begun some months earlier, should, of course, lie continued. All these activities lead te an increased flow of blood to the region of the mouth, and cause thereby increased growth and development of jaws and teeth. The solid food should form part of the meal and should, he commenced about' 10 minutes before suckling begins. If liquid or pap food is given first, a baby is apt to turn away from hard food, owing to its appetite ■having been already more or less slaked. Another reason for starting with solid food is the fact that it is preferable to form as soon as possible the healthy dietetic habit of drinking after, not before, Or during meals.

As I shall show next week that the use of raw apple as a part of the baby’s diet may he commenced towards the close of the first year of life, if due care he taken in the selection of suitable sound ripe fruit, and in gradual, careful training, etc., the following passage from the “Feeding and Care of Baby” will hear quotation in this connection.

TRAINING IN MASTICATION. The special feature of the second year of normal life, as contrasted with the first year, is the progressive development of the power of mastication. This is a matter of the utmost importance, because upon it depends the future digestive power, health and strength of the individual. Fortunate indeed, is the baby who during the first year of existence obtains his food by energetic suction 1 (from the breast, if possible), and failing this; by means of a properly held bottle with a smallholed nipple), and who, towards the close of the first year and throughout the second year, is made to do a proper amount of work on his food by active, vigorous munching and chewing. These are the simple means by we can aid the intention of Nature to provide the growing child with a masticatory apparatus which shall not prematurely atrophy and decay, but shall last sound and good to the end of life.