THE BABIES.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15115, 28 December 1921, Page 6

THE BABIES.

.... . By Hygeia. ~.v ; Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children. , “It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom. INFANTILE DIARRHOEA. As the season is approaching during which summer diarrhoea tends to become rife among babies, it is im- J portant- to emphasise the fact that l the disease generally attacks infants who have been more or less out of sorts for some time previously. Mothers should now be on their guard, and should watch carefully for any sign of failure, such as listlessness, dullness, loss of appetite, fretfulness, etc. Indigestion due to unsuitable food and irregular feeding are the main predisposing causes of diarrhoea" in babies, so that all mothers should be specially vigilant in summer. They should be perfectly regular in feeding, and should give the children nothing unsuitable or liable to disagree. THE HOLIDAY SEASON. Unfortunately, it is just at Christmas time and throughout the holidays—the hottest season of the year—that our New Zealand mothers become most irregular and careless in these matters. One frequently sees tiny tots being stuffed with cakes, bananas, and sweets of all kinds, and a feeling of great indignation arises at- the ’gross ignorance which makes such folly possible. Travelling by rail or sea, or visiting friends, the child’s power of endurance is strained to the utmost, and many an unfortunate infant in the Dominion makes no progress from ; Christmas time to mid-January, on this account; hence, when the most trying days come, and summer diarrhoea is prevalent, the fatal disease knocks effectively at the houses wher& the doors are already ajar. In such cases, if the disease does not gain a foothold, the unfortunate baby cannot escape unscathed. He may not die, but, at least, he will be thrown back for months, and more or less injured for life. . I need scarcely say that preventive measures of almost' equal importance to proper food and regular feeding are the other essentials for health —namely: Pure, cool, free-flowing air, day and night. Suitable clothing by day and night. Plenty of outing. Regular exercise and sleep. Regularity of the bow'els and other 'habits. 'Cleanliness. Never use a dummy. The above applies to all children. It is, however, among young babies that summer diarrhoea plays the greatest havoc. What else should mothers do to prevent its' onset? THE BEST PREVENTIVE. The main preventive measure is to feed babies as Nature intended. Bottle-fed babies are far more liable to get the disease than those that are breast-fed; therefore, if possible, do not wean during January, February, or Maroti. The mother must, of course, do all she. can to make sure that her supply of milk is good and. sufficient, by taking' plenty of exercise in the open air, by restricting herself to good, simple food taken at regular intervals, including wheat-meal bread, fresh fruit and vegetables, and from one to two pints more .fluid than she would drink if not nursing, by having a current of pure, fresh, free-flowing air coursing through her bedroom all night long, and by regularity of all

habits. The nursing mother should take no alcohol in any form. If it is absolutely necessary wean your baby, do it gradually, and give properly-graded humanised milk. Never give full-strength humanised milk to start with, but begin with a weak food,, and gradually work up to the standard as advised in the Society’s book, “Feeding and Care of Baby,” page 31. A THREATENED ATTACK. If a motion appears green when passed, the mother should be on her guard at once, and should watch i carefully the next motion. If- it is also green, she should proceed as follows, whether baby is breast-fed or bottle-fed: — 1. Give a dose of castor oil —one or two drachms, according, to age. The average need is an ordinary teaspoonful. 2. Give boiled water only for the ! next two feedingß. If baby is breast-fed, the mother ' must draw off the milk from her breasts at the usual feeding-times, either by expressing with finger and thumb or by a breast-pump or a soda water bottle. See “The Expectant Mother and Baby’s First Month.” If green motions still persist, continue giving boiled water, and call in ; a doctor. If there are no more green 1 motions after the two feedings of I boiled water, proceed as follows : ! 1. In the case of a breast-fed baby, give a few ounces of boiled : water just before nursing, and allow the baby to suckle for a few minutes only. At the next feeding, give rather 1 less water, and a longer period of ' suckling, and so on, the allowance of water being cautiously reduced at : each feeding, and the suckling ex- , tended. ! 2. In the case of a bottle-fed baby, boil the humanised milk for 20 minutes, and dilute it with boiled water. At the first feeding following the two meals of boiled water only, give one part of boiled humanised milk to four parts of boiled water. At the ■ next two feedings give two parts of humanised milk to three parts of water; then give three parts ' of humanised milk to two parts .of boiled water for two or three feedings.

If all has gone well, there being no further green or frequent motions, fufl-strength boiled humanised milk may be reached at the end of another day. After that, only half the milk need be boiled; then a quarter, and then the boiling may cease, j ' In cases of severe diarrhoea, it may, be necessary to cut off fat almost completely from the baby’s i food, giving only boiled skim milk •and water for a time, instead of hu- ' manised milk. | OLDER CHILDREN. During the summer months, children so frequently eat unripe or partially-decayed fruit that a eon- : stant watch should be kept for signs 1 of indigestion and diarrhoea. Treat older children in the same way as babies —that is, give a dose of castor oil and boiled water only for two or three meals. Then give boiled milk and rice water. When the attack has passed off, gradually work back to ordinary food.