OUR BABIES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12404, 23 August 1918, Page 7

OUR BABIES.

(By HYGEIA.) T'm^ llfi v° d u . ndor tho allß l>ices of i ho IK 1, of°W ZMl!lWl Socill 'y tho Health of A\omen and Children. lon T #,V! T i£rr <0 Plit ’T a b-noc ftl (ho top of a precipice than ( 0 maintain an nmbulnuoo a( the bottom." OVER-ANXTOL’S -MOTHERS. (Co u tin nod.) Kiimc ol them unwillingly do theirejiilberrying over them, t 3, i nM not be supposed, however* tha'e5(.. f 1 , l) ? Mtl l' eStrCmo is ,vhat « -advo-f-itui. Hi this. ;ls J„ ;i |] ot | mtt ri-opor Knowledge m,d eoninmn se S should be our guide. While it is oxceednigl.v bad to bang over a ! ):i bv, u.ikhing his every movement, it. is also rirV 0 lw ™ llim himSf lor Itouis. Even a tn,v bahv needs •, *H r mi. a!,U,n i t of I,MWI .y movement. H excites and over-sunni lutes a baby u> be constantly playing will, him na! mg show off bis sn)ik -, s , “ t !j, tjCKluig hiin to make him laugh. :t----bough he v.ere a toy and not a little m'r p fo , r . p ' brain (sec page v > , bceding and Cave of Baby”) •UH to lake no notice of him at a )j never to give him change of p<osition or change oi new, is equally wrong. Hie first of (best two extrenmsnamely, worrying--is probably faithfamiliar to us; the opposite oxlrorn’e one would scarcely believe to exist. Yd it docs, and, moreover, has actually oemi known to bo the regimen of a aby supposed to he brought up on van anc piuncipk-. One’comes across people who declare they “do not believe in Plnnket methods.” but who on being questioned, admit that they do not read the. sodely’s text books nor Us regular articles, and that they have never heard a lecture on the suliect, nor spoken to a Plunkct nurse. biv 1S 11Pi snipi'ning that people who ll n,Vi 10fc • i,kc V mua ’ trouble than that .should ini,-understand the society’s i '. IU M is strange that parents i claim to have studied the society’s principles should depart so far from them m practice. • RXERCiSE AND OUTING. On. page 82 °{ “Feeding and Care o{ -baby • the need lor special periods oi kicking exorcise is plainly stated, and explanations and pictures "show exapHy how k, should be given. In addition io Ibis, baby should be nursed . id plavcd with for a short time cvcrv daj. perhaps during the latter part of ifl , As !, ° older he. 1 giadiialh take more exercise himsclt; he learns to. roll over and tries to crawl. Iu the afternoon lie will . deep ess and this is’i.be time when nc looks about and wants to see what is going on around him... He should bo Jo placed that- lie can see dowers and tioo.s and other children playing wiihout being talked to or excited all the time. When he is old enough to sit iip and roll over it is a_ good plan to give baby a taller pen with open sideu, instead of jhc low one shown on inve ”1* ceding and Caro of Baby/ whose solid sides were designed to -woDiet Inm from draughts while lie was kicking. Iu such a larger pen he is quite safe np to about eighteen mouths, and .he.will be good and happy, as n can be. put on the verandah or , the grass in suitable weather, and.he can either play with his toys or look out upon tho world, if a verandah is beiue enced in to keep baby safe, it should be done by means of wire netting or mi open framework, not with solid walls. If fit spends a good parr ol Ins waking time thus, or perhaps being amused at times by little brothers mid sisters, he will not bo tired or excited, but will grow alert and bright, and will notice things intelligently. Babies who are left alone too much, or ’who are kept where they cannot see about them, tend to grow dull and unintelligent, ■ MANAGEMENT. The same need for keeping sonabh to the middle course between two extremes exists with regard to feeding, clothing wid ail tho daily routine, of "a child. Parents should beware of drastic attempts to “harden” children; but undue muffling up only causes them to catch cold easily. Crying is another point about which there is great need Jqr knowledge and coinmon-sense. To pick a baby up. even- time ho cries is to spoil'him and upset his digestion; but he should never be loft to go mi and on crying, unless the mother or nurse has made sure that lie is warm, dry ami comfortable in every way, am! knows that lie is simply crying to bo taken, up. Then, indeed, lie must be left, to cry it out ; it is the only way to break him of what has been allowed to become a. bad habit.

All these # matters are discussed in greater detail in tho society text hook, ’’■The Feeding and Care of Baby.” The path of her who would rear a. baby in the host possible way may seem straight and narrow and "besot'with pitlalis on either hand. But knowledge of tho subject and ccnimou-senso will be. our mire guide and baby’s best safeguard’. Obviously this knowledgeeaimot be. acquired in a moment, or just when the need arises; tho foundations, at any rate, must be laid beforehand if we are to do justice Io tho coming generation, now, alas! so painfully valuable to us. Next week I may lie able to offer some ideas on t-b P bring-mg-np of girls—a vexed question, 'but a very important one.

“PLHNKET’’ WORK AT HOME. The foil Giving extract, from a letter from Nurse Orton (formerly Phmket nurse at Oamaru) has been placed at our disposal:- ' ' The Rabies of the Empire temporary hospital ivas the old School of Motherernit. _ Miss Pattriok is matron, myself sister, and Mrs Cowio (who wns two years at Christchurch Hospital, and a year at Karitane) is the second sister. I hope the premises will be temporary, as they are so inconvenient, though perhaps I have no right to criticise them. Just imagine two tall London houses with innumerable flights of stairs with one connection on the nursery floor; the milk dispensary on one floor, babies on next floor, mothers’ floor above, students’ rooms on the floor above, maids’ rooms on the floor aboi e that; besides the kitchen dowm stairs, a floor below. Dr Trubv King likes the air and thinks it very suitable' as the rooms arc so lofty and airy! things difficult to obtain, so wo really are very lucky ; hut it is hard work always up and down the different floors, and we wish many times a. day that wo luul_ a lift or a. moving staircase! Dr King is a very great man over hero, and appreciated to the full. Miss Pa ft nek is a splendid woman • it is an honour to he working with llor. I near the old Phmket uniform here and have to ho!)) Dr King in his demonstrations at St Thomas’s Hospitalget his lecture things together, make, differ out milk mixtures on the platform before about 200 doctors, nurses and midwives. One wants a very cool head not to got “bustled” and forget anything. The lectures are most :nvFnlly interesting, 1 wish Now Zealand could see what an oration Dr Kiim gets everywhere. Matron informed mo that he was to giro the lectures to the students, ana d he could not come •it any time._ we--malron and myself — wou d be giving them. When you think inat such people as the maW m-cmet of oho ot the great lied Cross organisations wants to come into training, and all the students, will he more or less scientific, my billet will be anything but a sinecure. ’’ The rieonle who come to the St, Thomas's lectures crowd round me to ask about New Zealand.