OUR BABIES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 200, 27 August 1935, Page 2

OUR BABIES

THE PRE-SCHOOL CHILD. “BUILDING MATERIALS.’’ SOME COMMON ERRORS IN FEEDING. One feels there is really but little excuse nowadays for gross ignorance on the subject of proper food and feeding, for information is poured out in the popular press in simple and readable form, and very children at school are taught the elements of nutrition and the study of foods. But, unfortuately, old habits and prejudices die hard and slowly, and many rfre deaf because they won’t hear aud blind because they won’t see. And children "iilinue to be given unsuitable food at unsuitable times from the time they . .ui uuia, and to be denied (or allowed Ito refuse) food which is essential lor .development and proper growth. Wo do beg parents to realise that sound, enduring bodies cannot be built lout of poor materials. Everybody knows ; what happens to a “jerry built” house lor a cheap “shoddy” garment. It be- | gins to fall to pieces as soon a-s it is ilmished, and constant repairs aro 'necessary. Jt will not stand fair wear and tear. Even a well-built house must be kept in repair, and must not be used for unsuitable purposes. If. tor instance, the drains arc neglected or the fittings are knocked about, the whole place deteriorates. “Jerry Built.” Broadly speaking, the same thing applies to the child, if the body i.-> “jerry built”—run up, as it were, out of poor materials, lacking in those minerals and other vital properties which stabilise and co-ordinate all the marvellous, complex physical organisms, or if the body is badly used and I ill-cared for—the results are comparable to the results of “Jerry buildling” in a house. Think for a moment of the teeth, tn a perfectly appalling number of chil dren they do literally “begin to fall to pieces” as soon as they are finished, and constant repairs are necessary, and although the causes of actual decay are many ami complex, the primary cause is “jerry building.” Think of the tendency to eat “everything that is going,” the toll of disease, the fatigue, and nervous irritability so often apparent —the body will no*, stand fair wear and* tear. Think oi the chronic, constipation or diarrhoea ■*o many children suffer from, and the I round shoulders and flat chest., and the foot deformities of later life. Tho I body is neglected and wrongly used. The simile cannot be carried too far. but it servos to show up some import ant points. Is it Fair? And in the long run the children have to suffer. Is it not our bounden <luly to see that the children in our care have a fair start? Is the world not; hard enough without any avoidable handicap? ®he Building. We wish specially to speak of tho little runabout child, but let us first consider the earlier period for a moment. To continue the use of our building simile, the foundations are laid down before birth—well or ill, chiefly acordiug to the quality of the building materials supplied through the mother's blood. IDuring infanr - say, the first year of life—the first 'storey ig built, depending for quality on the materials taken in during that

period—food, air, and sunshine. Most mothers nowadays know something about infant feeding, and realise the importance of care, regularity, and the like during the first year or year and a-balf, but comparatively few realise Ihe equal importance of the following three or four years. The child is still growing and developing very fast, and the soundness ami “durability” of the body (many 1 parts of which are now being built for | life) still depend on the quality of the materials supplied. Care during »n fancy will not. carry the child safely over neglect, of essentials during the pre-school and later periods. Food. Before we go on to the common mis- . takes made in feeding children, it is necessary briefly to summarise the essential foods for the child during this period. Putting it very broadly and briefly, they are:— Milk.—A total of about one pint a day. Unreliued Cereals. At least part of the daily bread should he wholemeal. Rice should be brown, and oat meal coarse-ground. Butter.—Sometimes <1 ripping for a ehangCz Fresh Vegetables of all kinds.— Greens, roots, and tubers, all cooked in little water. without soda, the water being used iu ho ups. Fresh Raw Fruits. Especially oranges ami apples; also cooked ami sun-dried fruits. I'-ggs and fish in moderation. Meat may bo given in strict moderaliou, but is nol nccc.-sary. Milk, eggs, and fish arc moat substitutes, and more suitable for young children. Water.—Cold or warm Io drink. Frosh air and sunshine are equally important. Use. To keep the body in good order it must also be used rightly, and this implies regularity, proper evacuation of the bowels, rest and sleep, and correct posture. (To be continued.)