OUR BABIES.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 384, 16 March 1937, Page 3

OUR BABIES.

— y (By “Hygeia.") Published under the auspices <g the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). “It is wiser to put up a fence at the flop of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” THE DANGERS OF TRADITION IN THE NURSERY. This week we propose continuing with extracts from Sir Bruce Porter’s leoture an this subject. The Requirements of the Body.. I often take the requirements ofL-a city as my text when talking eff the requirements of the body. Just <as the character of the city will depend on the care taken in its early days, so will that of the body. The four main needs of the city are identical with those of the body. They are: —(1) Fresh air; (2) fresh water; (3) fresh food; (4) a good drainage syetem.

The Fallacy of Coddling. The commonest evil tradition in the nursery is that the child must be pro tected from draughts' and kept warm. There is no greater fallacy. The windows of the nursery should be kept open day and night, for the worst air of all k that contaminated by human I use. Colds are caused by germs which gain a footing when the child’s vitality has been lowered by lack of fresh air. In this connection I will tell you of a four-ye ( ar-old who came with his mother «to one of our childiren’s aid institutions. T/nere is a doll’s house in the room for children to play with while their mothers are interviewing the officials. This particular small boy being a delicate child, had spent nearly all his life in various open-air establisffments. When his mother came to take him away she noticed that the first thing the child had done with the doll's house was to take all the beds out of the rooms and put them in a row on the veranda. He explained to his mother that rooms were not at all the right places to sleep in. This illustrates my saying that children learn habits at that age very quickly and

thoroughly. The most recent experiments in bacteriology prove that germs cannot affect the human body, unless the tissues are in tome way damaged. This explains why -some people'pick Infection and others do not. I do not suggest that a child should be ex- ! posed to a draught, for if the skin is moist this would tend to lower the temperature. But open windows do not mean the wind blowing in directly on to the child. The air in the room cian be changed with no risk of draughts if the windows are opeired wide enough. Draughts are caused by the air forcing its way tfirough narrow openings. Many people de not understand the first principles of ventilation. To avoid draughts the windows should be opened wide on the side exposed to the wind, for the room when filled with air forms an air lock, and the escaping air goe? out slowly through the narrower opening on the other side.

Overclo'jhing. Having got. the ffLsli air into file room, it must be allowed to circulate over the child’s skin. Overclotuing not only prevents this, but also restricts that tree movement of the limbs' So essential to muscular development. Evaporation of the waste products given, off by the skin is absolutely necessary to health, but this cannot take place through thick garments. Moreover, cold air circulating about the skin puts up the basal metabolism 100 per cent., aS Sir Henry Gauvaiii demonstrated at Alton and Hayling Island. I often see children in Hyde Park suffering grievously from injury to their health because their parents have too much money to spend on clothing. It is a common sight in winter and spring to see leather leggings, woolly suits, and caps so enveloping the child that only a small portion of the face is exposed to the light and air. The value Of sunlight in the prevention and cure of rickets is being re-discovered. And it must be realised that remedies like sunshine and air, which are Used in large quantities to cure disease like tubercle of the glands aim? bones, would have prevented these diseases if they had been used in much smaller doses in the early days. Exposure of the skin to the air produces the same effect as scientific massage, as may be seen at such places as Treloar’s Home at Alton, the Hermitage Crafts at Chailey, or the branch of Dr Barnardo’s Home at Folkstone, which bears my name.. The Mistake of Darkening Rooms. Darkening the room where chilufen sleep is quite unnecessary. A screen can be placed to keep bright, direct light out of their eyes. It is not possible to make an ordinary room fihrk without sacrificing the ventilation, and, moreover, children accustomed to sleep only in darkness are slaves to this habit all their lives. It is also a mistake to keep the nursery abso lutely quiet. A child will learn to sleep quite happily with the ordinary noises of life going on. Bedclothes should be as light as possible.

Getting Air Into the Body. The next point is to get air into the body, having got it around it. Tight binders should never constrict a baby’s chest. Like all other young animals, a healthy baby Is never at rest when awake, and constant movement helps it to grow and develop. So never swaddle it in layers of flannel, and see that its clothes leave its limbs free.

We all know that we must “use or we will lose,” and in no case is this more true than concerning the air passages. The child must be taught to breathe through the nose, or that passage Will become blocked with idenoids, with all thejr attendant risks of deafness and narrow chest that accompany such troubles. There is no means at present of removing a child from all risks and infection; the tubercle bacillus the disease is too prevalent. But we can see to it that the child is brought tin in healthy conditions, -and give' it strength to fight any stray germs' it may pick up. Given a good circulation and a good chest expansion, any child should he safe. Children should never share Sleeping places with anyone else. Apart from the risk of overlying it, it is unhealthy for thorn to breathe the air already breathed by parent or nurse.