HEARTH AND HOME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10683, 1 February 1913, Page 4

HEARTH AND HOME.

THE DOMESTIC CIRCLE.

OUR BABIES.

(By HYGEIA.) Published under tho auspices of tho 1 -Society for the Health of Women and Children. " It is wiser to put up a fence at tho top of a precipice than maintain sn ambulance at the bottom." IDDBESSF.S 07 rUTNTCKT CURSES AND SECTiETATiTES. ' Pnncdin. —Plunket Nurses Laing and Torrance. Tels. 1136 and 2057. Offices of the Sociflty, flsalth Department Booms. Liverpoo] Street, Punedin. Office hours., Mo.i dav, Wednesday end Friday, from 31 to I p.m. Branch ofTtce at I, argil! Road, South Dnr.edin. Ofiicj hour?. Tuesday and j p.m. Hon. Secretary, Mtb Edmond, Molvillf Street. Tel, 53. , n .rhrfctcWeh.-Phinkct Xnn se " mntMsd Office of th 9 So° e ,y Chan. eery Lane. Tel. SIT. 10 a.m. and 2 to 3 P/ n ' T /' J _. r „ t . r P . Siturdavs and Sundays). Tlot. secretary, pro tem, Mrs C. TW.d. Knff*ie» Stroei. St Albans lei. 10H. «» M'Tir* - * 27 i rollinßton.—Hon. secretory. Mrs or.n Brougham Street, pity. Tel. 31Auckland. —Plunket *>uts« £hnppeU and Bricn, Park Street. Trl. BM Office! .-th« 2. Chancery Street. SCO. • " Office hours, Tuesdays and Friaa?^. Ao 4 p.m. Hon. secretary. Mrs W. B. Parkes, Marinoto, Symonds Street i-i- ---. Nurse Donald, Mnsonis Hotel. Tel. 485. Hon. Mrs H i . B. Oldham. Telegrams Oldham, rapier. Tel. 58R. T •' ■ ttwPlymouth.—Plunket Miwe Morgan!™ iperi*!'Hotel. W W. Office, Town Hall, .Wednesdays and Fridays, 2 to 4 p.m. Hon. secrecy, Mrs B. J. Mathews, Fitxr JKbmtu —Phinket Nurse Campbell. Office o' • the Society Arcade Chambers Tel. 814. Office hours, 3.30 to 4.30 and 6.30 to <.30 Hon. secretary. Mr Ernest Howden. fnvercarsill.—Plunket Num O'Shea. Aliens Hall. Kelvin .Street. Hon. secretary, Mrs Hsndvside. Gala Streetiishburton —Plunket Ntirse Hickson. OftLo of Society, Bnllock's Arcade. Tsnrse in • i tttondance every Saturday fro-n 11 *-ra to 5 D.m. Hon. secretary, pro tem, Miss . SeciSv'Biby Hospital, Karilane Hsiris Hosnitah Anderson's "Bay, Pimedin. Tel. 1835 Demonntratioiis on points of in- ' lereat to raothers are given Wed- ' afternoon from 2.30 to 3.30. All mothers are invit«wL ITesiiges mav be left at any time at th« Plunket Nurses' o®ces or_ private ndi dresses. All other information available from the hon, secrstary of eßch brancn. 1 PLTJNKET NURSES' SERVICES FREE. ■WHY BABIES DIB. At this season of *the year there is ■ nnc thine which anyone interested m the welfare of babies should insist on over and over again, and that is tho need for constant care and watchfulness on tha part of the mother or nurse to prevent the ba»y being given even a ' singls'meal of risky or tainted milk. < Some women save themselves the trouble! of thinking, or taking care, by indiscriminately boiling tho milk every . morning and evening; but they fan to realise that by so doing they injure the nutritive qualities of tlio baby s food and render .the* child more liable to- catch disease, besides endowing it - Vith less stamina to Jiold out after disoase has gained a footliold than would be the case with a child fed for the most part on unboiled milk. ' \ Milk which has been boiled, con*v Sensed, or dried, tends to cause constipation, and it must be borne in mind that constipation is first cousin to diarrhoea. A constipated child is liable at «iny "moment to go to the opposite extreme and to readily acquire intract-

- able diarrhoea. Tho resorting to superheated milk • should :he limited to tne times, occasions and local circumstances which more or less necessitate its use. Thus, irucertain localities, during very sultry trying weather, the use of superheated (whether' boiled, condensed, or tlried), properly and prepared co suit the baby, may be a wise precaution. But why should the mother fubiect the baby's milk to the prejudicial effects of superheating every day , In the week, when, perhaps, even in a bad locality there aro not a dozen days in the hottest month of the year which render this precaution desirable? The true housewife and mother watches the weather, and notes any sharp rise or fall in the temperature, even though her baby is breast-fed and there is no milk to prepare. She is attentive to changes in the weather. , because she has to see that the' child js"neither nnd-erclad nor overclnd day or night: and she has to note the direction'of the wind so as to guard against undue draughts. But if the baby is receiving cow's milk the incentive to paying reasonable attention to the weather i"-infinitely greater than'in the case "t ofsa nursling at the breast. '' - SAVE THE BABIES. To save the .baby from the curse of diarrhoea during the next three months 1 the", mother should keep herself in good health and breast-feed, if possible; failing this, givo humanispd milk according to-the Society's directions in "Feeding • and Care of Baby," or "What Baby

Needs." It is "worth noting that some babies thrive better up to three or four months ! of.age if given one part of new milk whey to every three or four parts of humanised milk than they do if given humanised milk pure. This is specially likely to be the case if there is any tendency to constipation; where the tendency is the other way-, any extra whey, is apt to make tlie infant still ' more relaxed.

Some.babies are benefited by the addition, of from two to four ounces of boiled new milk with the day's allow- ' ?,nce of humanised milk. A gradual addition in this direction can bo tried in ■ itny esse where the baby's weight fails to "go-up at the average rate, and this allowance can be continued if it appears to £uii.

Remember that heat, fermentation and improper food are the main causes ,of infantile diarrhoea. Therefore secure the right food at once, and keep it clean and cool in a shaded, open-air pafo. Beware of condensed milk, patent foods, and simple diluted cow's milk with-or without canc sugar or barley water. Mothers go on using such foods eo long as the baby seems to be doing well, forgetful of the fact that sooner or later the baby usually breaks down, and in any case will not thrive so well as on food properly adapted to the needs of infancy. If the baby becomes ill call in a doctor without delay. Remember that though diarrhoea is a common ailment, it is the one broad avenue leading to debility and death in infancy. Most of the children who dio later of other nilments have been maimed." and weakened first of all by infantile sliarrhcea.