OUR BABIES.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 257, 29 October 1931, Page 4

OUR BABIES.

By EYGEIA. Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Soolety). “ It Is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.'* BABYCRAFT. Food for the Child in the Second Year and the Toddler. We mentioned in our last talk that for nine months to twelve months—sometimes called the transitional period —baby’s food is mainly his humanised milk mixture. A fifteen months baby can have 20oz (one pint) of whole milk (scalded and cooled rapidly) and soz of boiled water. In addition baby should have soz of top milk on his cereal foods. Four meals a day are quite sufficient from the end of the first year. Give baby on waking 6oz to Boz of milk mixture. It is usually best to give breakfast at 8.3 Q or 9 o’clock, dinner about 1 o’clock, and tea about 5 p.m., but, of course, the actual times will be fixed to suit the habits of the individual household. Regularity is essential whatever the hour choosen. The early morning drink should be discontinued as soon as the child takes sufficient milk (about one pint) with the three main meals, and a drink of water or diluted fruit juice may be substituted, and breakfast then becomes the first meal of the day.

Baby is still fed five times daily until about the twelfth month. Sometimes baby tends to drop the 10 p.m. meal earlier, but this is only allowable i£ sufficient milk mixture is taken'at the other four meals and baby continues to gain weight satisfactorily. Of the cereals plain oatmeal is best, well cooked, and then strained. The method of straining the oatmeal and water and then cooking is not only wasteful, but the oat jelly is less nutritious, the best part of the meal being thrown away. Whole wheat-meal may sometimes be

used in the same way for the sake of variety. Baby should be completely weaned at one year—earlier if he takes sufficient by spoon and cup feeding. It is a good plan to give baby his orange juice (if artifically fed) from the beginning by spoon, and at six months teach him to drink from a cup. The naturally fed baby should be taught to take his drink of boiled water in the same way. At one year baby’s milk mixture should be 220 z of milk and Boz of water. Variety in Diet. From twelve months onward greater variety is necessary in baby’s diet. He will require new foods. These foods are to be introduced slowly and one at a time. A suggestion as to the order in which they are given will be necessary. Continue with the cereal jellies, increasing the proportion of unstrained porridge bit by bit till baby is having it wholly unstrained.