OUR BABIES.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 752, 4 May 1933, Page 5

OUR BABIES.

(By HYGEIA.) Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women mid Children (Plunket Society). “ Zt la wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bqttpax.” KEEPING THE BODY STRAIGHT. Parents know to their very literal cost how many children require treatment for the correction of defects—remedial exercises for round shoulders, flat feet, or what not in the way of defective posture, not to mention the expense of correction of crooked teeth and other dental deformities. Most of the defects need never occur—would never occur—if two main principles were understood and carried out: 1. The body must be built rightly; 2. It must be used rightly. For the body to be built rightly the child must have sunshine, fresh air, and good food. Good food means a simple, regular, well-varied diet, in which is included abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit, wholemeal grains and fresh dairy products (milk and butter), and eggs in moderation. Right use of the body implies the following things:—(l) Regular habits. (2) good exercise, (3) real and sufficient rest, (4) watchful care to prevent cramping from any cause and the adoption of one-sided movements or any sort of incorrect habitual position.

Faulty Positions. From the very beginning faulty positions must be watched for and guarded against. The rapidly growing baby frame is soft and pliable to a degree, and ‘‘as a twig is bent the trees grows.” The cot and pram must be fully long enough to allow the child to stretch right out. The mattress must be firm without any sag. An old mattress sagging in the middle is a very bad bed for any child. A canvas camp bed is far better. Avoid old soft kapoc or feather mattresses; they hot only tend to produce wrong positions during sleep, but are also enervating. A good hair mattress' is best. If kapoc must be used the bed should be full and well studded. For babies and young children a loose shakedown of winnowing* of chafe placed on top of a firm hair mattress makes an ideally soft, warm and yet healthy bed.

Pillows are unnecessary for babies or any small children. High pillows are definitely injurious, and produce very bad posture, round shoulders and narrow chests. If a pillow is used at all. It should be very thin and small. Visualise the natural position of the child's body at rest—the spine flat and the head on a level with the trunk. Children naturally tend to sleep lying almost chest downwards, with the head turned to one side and the knees slightly drawn up. This makes any tendency to rounding of the shoulders impossible during sleep. High pillows and soft beds prevent the adoption of this natural position.

Carrying books to and from school is a source of Joy to most youngsters, but weight-carrying is bad for growing children, and should be avoided as far as possible. Where it is unavoidable the despatch case (so commonly affected by even the smallest, school mites these days) is probably best, and children should -be taught to use alternate arms. The .satchel with the shoulder strap usually begins a habit of raising one shoulder to keep the strap well hitched up. The satchel with alternate shoulder straps (such as hikers use) tends to act as a corrective, and can be used either by the child who walks or the one who rides to school. Watch for habits of standing on one leg, sitting crooked, slumping the ah outdors, and so on. Sometimes to. •'hlld can be cured of a postural fault if taken in time by placing llim or her undressed before a long mirror and pointing out the difference between the good and bad positions, stressing the ughness of the bad.

Chairs and tables or desks used by Children for any length of time must be adapted to their size and of such construction as will not tend to produce faulty structure. Most schools are quite up to date in equipment nowadays, but parents have every right to inquire into this matter. Half an hour during the day spent Ivw on the floor with relaxed muscles (not an arched back) is Rood if there is anv tendency to round shoulders. If «oiWone can read aloud this is an excellent way of spending a rest period, even f° r perfectly well-set-up children. Avoid encouraging young babies to sit un or “feel their feet" before they are ready, and especially when vigorously Irving to do so alone. r> v f t week we shall discuss the intnortappe of nothing and l«et In relation to correct posture.