The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-08-11
RAISING BABIES.


From string of rules for the manage
ment of infants during hot weather pre-
pared and published by the Obstetrical Sc
ciety of Philadelphia, some of the most i'm
portant are selected and subjoined for the
benefit of young Hoosier mothers Battle
the child once a day in tepid water. If it is
feeble, spoDgeit all over twice a day with
tend water and Vinegar. The health of a
child depends much upon its cleanliness.
Avoid all tight bandaging. Make the
clothing light and cool, and so loose that the
child may have free play for Its limbs. AT
night, uDdress it, sponge it, and put on
slip. In the morning, remove the slip,
bathe the child, and dress it in clean
clothes. Ii this can not be afforded,
thoroughly air the day clothing by hanging
it up during the night. Use clesn diapers,
and change them often. Never dry soiled
one in the nursery or the sitting-room, and
never use one for a second time without first
washing 1t.
The child should sleep by itself in cot or
cradle. 1t should be put to bed at regular
hours, and be taught early to go to sleep
without being nursed in the arms. Without
he advice of a physician, never give it any
spirits, cOrdials, carminatives, soothing
svrups or sleeping drops. Thousands Of
children die every year from the uss of
these poisons. If the child frets and does
not sleep, ills either hungry or else i'll. If
| ill. it needs physician. Never quiet it by
candy or cake, they are common causes of
darrhea and of other troubles.
Give the child plenty of fresh air: In the
cool of the morning and evening, sendlt out
| to the shady side of broad streets, to the
public squares or to the park. Whenever it
seems to suffer from the heat, let il drink
| freely of ice water. Keep it out of the room
in which washing or cooking is going on i.
| Breast milk is the only proper food for in
/ fants. If the supply Is ample and the child
tbrives on it. no other food should be given
while the hot weather lasts. If the mother
/ has not enough she must not wean the child
but give IL besides the breast goats or cows
milk Nurse the child once in two or three
hours during the day. and as seldom as pos
| sible during the night. Always remove the
/ child from the breast as soon as it has fallen
/ asleep. Avoid giving the breast when you
are overheated or over fatigued.
If, unfortunately, the child must be
| brought mp by hand, it should be fed on
milk diet alone-that Is, warm milk out of a
nursing-bOtte. Goats milk is the best. and
next to il cows milk. If the child thr:yes
on this diet, no other kind of food whatever
should be given while the hot weather lasts.
| At all seasons Of the year. but
especially in summer, there is
no safe substitute for milk if the
infant has not cut its front teeth. Sage. ar
!, bread, every patented food, and every arti-
Gle of food containing starch, can not ano
must not be depended on as food for very
} young infants. Creeping or walking child
rem must not be allowed to pick up unwholc
some food.
Each bottleful of milk should be sweet
ened by a small lump of loaf-sugar, or By
; half teaspoonful of crushed sugar. If tn,
milk is known to be pure, it may have one
J fourth part of hot water added to it; but i
il is not Known TO be pure, no water neeC
be- added. When the heat of the weather /,
great, the milk may be given quite cold
Be sure that the milk is unskimmed; have
} it as fresh as possible.
The nursing-bottle must be kept perfectly
clean, otherwise the milk will turn sour
I and the child viii be ill., Af.er each mea
| it should be emp led, rlnsed out and takeI
! apart, and the tube, co k, nipple and bot
tie placed in clean water or in water tx
which a little soda is added. It j,
good plan to have two nursing
, bottles and use them by turns
Do not wean the child just before or after
} or during hot weather, nor, as rule, unit
, after its second summer. If sucking disa
: grees with the mother, she must not wear
! the child, but feed 1t in part out of a nursiu,
bottle, on such food as may be directed
However small the supply of breast milk
provided that it agrees with the child, tn
Inotoer should carefully keep it up agains
(: sickness; it alone will often save the life of
5 child whenever everything else fails.