OUR BABIES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14215, 3 June 1910, Page 7

OUR BABIES.

By Hygeia.

Published under the auspices of the Society for the Health of Women and Children. - '"lt is wiser to put a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain '.an ambulance at the bottom." FEEDING BOTTLES. The following article 011 ''Feeding Bottles and Teats" is extracted from the Society's new book on the "Feeding and care of the Babv," which will be issued shortly. In the book the '•feeders" are illustrated, and the most important advantages and disadvantages are pointed out pictorially. The feeding-bottle needs as "serious consideration and attention as the milk itself. The use of improper forms of "ieeders" and carelessneess as to perfect cleansing, are main sources of poisoning by microbes. This is a largo factor in the high death-rate of childunder one year of age, and is a leading cause of indigestion and summer diarrhoea. Every part of the feeding bottle must be capable of easy sterilisation. It must have 110 corners or angles, and must have no letters stamped 011 it causing projections inside. The simnler the form of bottle the better. The neck must be sufficiently wide to permit of easy scouring ■ preferably without the use of a brush.

There must be no tube or screw to harbour dirt germs. The use of tube feeding-bottles is illegal in France and some other parts of Europe, and in many of the American States. The "long-tune feeder" is a. dangerous and filthv abomination which ought to he condemned everywhere. It is nractioally impossible to ],-eep an indinrubber tube in a state fit for use—it becomes a sewer lir»ed with microbes. Further, a baby pete no nroper exercise with a. tube-feeder (there is nothins' +o tuc at), and the teat tends to eause ; deformity of the palate, nose, and iaws. had feth. and adenoids. The ir-dinruhbar is nermis.»ib!e. and i+ sboi.Vl be so formed that it mn be readily turned inside out for cleamin"-. The "Hyseia feeder" best fulfils all requirement.'!.- FSere. instead of a battle, an noon class jar is risnd. T n n ,iir in eAvered bv an i'nd ; ari:b' l "n. „ nri scared VI.". n },,...,„,, 7,...,,.,. r V\, r ,.„ ,-, no trouble whatever in keeping

the vessel perfectly clean -without the ! use of a brush. Further the process of ] sucking from the feeder closely resem- j bles _ natural suckling. Tho baby will I be found to nuzzle into the artificial | breast, thus helping to press out the j milk. He also takes portions of this | "breast" between his lips, just as he i would do with the mother's breast.. He } does not confine himself to the nipple, as is necessarily the case with ordinary teats to ensure better development of the teeth and jaw„ ,and muscles acting on them), better tongue, palate, nose, etc., and immunity from sore throat and adenoids—these affections being mainly expressions of inactivity, deficient blood supply, and impaired nutrition of the parts." Memo by Hygeria.—Extra expense. This is really a. groat disadvantage, because it is always (L-sira.blo to replace teats comparatively frequently, on account of tbc hole becoming too large, | or the perishing of the indiarubber. Further, the hole in the teat supplied may not be right in the first instance. Indeed, there is always a tendency on the part of manufacturers to send out teats or indiarubber "breasts' 1 with too large an aperture for the average baby —not that the baby objects; lie is generally glad to get his food lazily and easily without working for it. but this is not good for him. If the hole is too large in the first instance, this defect naturally becomes worse and worse with every day of use. Mothers have written to me from time to time, asking whether it would not be possible to have imported unpunoturcd. so that they might puncture with a red-hot needle themselves, making one or more holes of just th" right size for the particular baby. Tf the mother is reasonably skilful this is roallv an admirable plan, and unpuncturnd tears: are sometimes imported. The extra expense of the artifu-ia

"breasts" is specially liable to cause the mother to continue its use after she has discovered that it is not suitable—whether from original defect, ot through having perished. Some babie; take their food better from an ordinary feeding bottle than from a Hygeia Feeder, especially where they have become habituated to the more common form, and we have known cases wherri the newer type has been given up on this account.

The "cylindrical" form, with flattened base, and the "boat-shaped" are both good kinds of bottle, but" cylindrical is preferable. The sole advantage of the "boat-shaped" bottle is the power to run water through it, but a brush is needed for perfect scouring, and with a brush the "ey]in''erienl" bottle is quite easily olenn=ed. T>/» disadvantages of the "boat-shaped" are four-fold—viz.:—

Disadvantage I. —Extra expense. ■Rotter buy two or tlir-e cylindrical feeders than one boat-shaped. Disadvantage IT.— indiarubber at both ends involves extra risk of germs, and more work. Disadvantage ITl.—The "air-valve' is liable to got blocked, and it not needed in any rase, because air finds its way in fast < miiigh between the teat ami the neck of the ordinary bottle. In the case of the hitter, 'the bubbles ■which so alarm mothers are entering, not leaving, the bottle, and it is rather easier for a. baby to "swallow air" with the boat-shaped feeder than with fh< simple type. The wav to prevent thi* is to hold the bottle all the time, which should be done whatever type of feeder is used.

Disadvantage IV.—The sterilising of an occasional feeding or the heating to loodeg Fahr. when necessary ik readily effected in tile case of a bottle whicli stands upright, but is inconvenient with a bottle lying down. The teats should ]>.-. made of black rubber, and should bo fairlv firm, so as not to col laps- readih\ M-veral should be kept in stock, because a

teat needs replacing directly the hoi© becomes too large, or when the rubber shows distinct signs of perishing or becoming too soft. The size of the hole is very important. In general it may be laid down that the best aperture is the smallest through which tho particular baby can suck his feeding in about fifteen minutes. Unfortunately, frequent or prolonged scalding, soaking in water or in solutions of boracic acid or soda, too much exposure to the air, light, etc., may bring about much rapid changes in the indiarubber that a nipple from which no mo Ik drops when first used may allow it to spurt in the course of a month. This is why soveral teats ought always to be kept in stock, and it also shows -how important .it is to adopt tho best system, for their preservation. If a teat'is not perforated, a hole can be best made by puncturing with a very line red-hot needle. Memo by Hygeia.—Next week wo shall give the causes of deterioration of teats and the best methods of keeping them.