OUR BABIES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 242, 12 October 1937, Page 2

OUR BABIES

CONSTIPATION (By “Hygeia.”) ! In our previous articles we have I given consideration to the way of training baby by correct abdominal massage and local stimulation of the anus, etc., knowing these things to be very important in helping to establish a real cure of constipation. Now let us consider what else we can do if baby tends to be constipated. Prune juice is a harmless, natural laxative, and may be given for this purpose, say, in the second month and onwards. Commence with only half a teaspoonful, and increase up to two or three teaspoonsful according to the age of the baby and his needs. If a very small amount, well diluted —i.e., one teaspoonful of prune juice in one tablespoonful of boiled water —is given at first it is most unlikely to cause any upset at all. To ensure regularity it is sometimes necessary to give prune juice daily. When this is so it is a good plan to give it about one or two hours after the 6 a.m. meal —say, at 7.30 or 8 a.m. Prune Pulp.—For an older baby, say after three months, some of the pulp of well-cooked prunes, finely sieved, may be given. This should also be commenced with about half a teaspoonful at first mixed with a little of the juice, and increased up to two or three teaspoonsful in the twenty-four hours.

Note: To make prune juice, wa*.h about half a dozen prunes well, and soak over night in enough water to cover well. Cook by bringing to the boil in the same water, and simmer slowly until quite tender (say, for at least one hour). Use no sugar in the cooking. Strain off the juice through clean, scalded butter muslin or a fine wire sieve. It should be dark in colour and fairly thick and concentrated. To make Prune Pulp.—Press the well-cooked pulp of the prunes through sieve, adding just enough oi the juice to moisten it. To Make Spinach Puree.—Thoroughly wash some spinach. Simmer gently with a pinch of salt for about fifteen minutes (or until quite tender). No extra water is needed if the leaves are left wet when washed and the heat used is gentle. Press through a fine wire sieve.

Orange Juice. Although orange juice is commonly given to babies for its supposed laxative properties, it may not have any such action, and may even have slightly the reverse: effect. The real value of orange juice is its richness in one of the important vitamins so necessary for growth and health. This vitamin is damaged by heating, and consequently orange juice is given to bottle-fed babies to compensate for what is lost in the scalding of milk. Any laxative effect it may have with certain babies is entirely secondary, and it is very important not to confuse the two properties. As mother’s milk contains sullicient of this vitamin for the baby, it is not necessary to give orange juice to breast-fed babies. However, if the mother considers it has a good effect when given for constipation, it can do no harm if introduced very gradually, but too generous doses of orange juice given to very young babies may causes decided colicky pains. Three to live drops well diluted with boiled water is quite enough to start with. If the juice seems to give baby pain and has no good effect there is no advantage in continuing its use. Prune juice, on the other hand, contains none of the essential vitamin, and so should never be used instead of orange juice for a bottle-fed baby. It is given solely for its laxative action, and some fresh, uncooked fruit or vegetable juice is necessary as well, unless baby is breast fed. A Warning.—Persistent constipation is a serious thing, and one which should never be neglected. If after giving simple remedies a fair and thorough trial the condition still persists, consult a doctor at once. All purgative medicines are injurious, and should never be given to babies except by the express orders of a doctor. Now, to bring the main points of the long discourse together, briefly, the main things to remember are these: —Train the baby from the earliest days. Prevention is better than cure. See that the habits of the mother are perfectly regular. Give baby abundance of fresh air day and night, plenty of healthy exercise, and all the other essentials for health. Never forget the need for extra fluid—give in form of warm boiled water. Keep him naturally fed if possible. If not, give him a properly balanced humanised milk mixture. Give systematic massage of the abdomen daily. u Give small," cool, saline enema occasionally, if necessary. Give only natural fruit or vegetable laxatives, such as prune juice or pulp, or spinach puree, except by a doctor’s orders. And, above all, do not get worried. Worry never cured anything.