St. Paul daily globe., 1888-07-21
WHAT WILL BABY WEAR?
Estimated Cost For Little Ones
Outfit--Authorities Differ on the
Subject.

Experience teaches, and so, OF late
years, do the writer's for newspapers
and magazines. No great man, how
ever, would venture to give advice, no
matter how inveterate Scribbler he
might be, on such delecate subject as
that which fills column in Good House
keeping, namely, the preparation need
full for properly clothing the baby when
he or she shall come. OF course, it is
woman who has written it, but even
now there remains lack to be supplied
by the sex that provides the means to
buy, for she does not mention the cost
of an article, and this is supplied below,
after careful inquiry.
1t is true that one man has recently
rushed in where others fear to tread,
and has boldly attacked the women on
a subject doubly dear to them, and IN
two senses belonging to sphere in
which they claim pre-eminence. He
ventures to say that the customary
method of clothing baby is all wrong.
and that instead of swaddling clothes
and petticOatS a single loose garment
something after the fashion of che
mlloon is all that a baby ought to wear.
He ridicules and heaps abuse upon the
notion that the child should have sup
port from any binding garment. He, to
be sure, is physician, and even moth
erS will sometimes listen to the doctor,
thinking he may know as well as they
what their little ones need, but it is too
much to expect of the sex that wears
corsetS that they should believe this
radical creature, even though he draws
parallel between the ligature that
congresses the Chinese girls foot
and the band that binds the baby's
bowels.
Baby will probably wear for long
time yet Just what he has worn 10 these
many years, and this is what it is. ac-
cording to Good Housekeeping, and
what it will cost. OF course, there is
no limit to what may be spent on
luXuries and finery by those whose
means allow them. to lavish their tender
love in expressions of the sort, but this
is the cost of an ample outfit of all nee
essities, of excellent material. The
unfortunate woman, Oh the other. hand,
who has not the means to procure so
much may do comfortably well on much
less, but it will be forced economy.
The total cost, then, of all the baby
needs to wear for his first outfit is only
S25.
Let us see what that modest sum will
do. First, there must be napkins of two
kinds, and one dozen of each kind is
laid down as the necessary. two dozen as
the preferable, number. Not to run the
risk of falling short, it is best to en-
crOach on the $25 sufficiently to provide
plenty. OF linen. piece large enough
to make dozen of the regulation yard
length may be bought for S1.25. That
takes $3.50. The Canton flannel ones
for the inside are only to be ten inches
square, and the material will only cost
10 cents dozen. Cost so far, $3.50.
Bands are next, and here economy is
money to be saved, but for the sake of
the child's comfort and well-being. The
yards of ''tight-bandages'' in which the
grandmothers would probably wrap the
little one, could they have their
way, are outwOrn SuperStitiOnS, it
seems, and are superseded by smaller
flannel ones by preference, though linen
is allowed. Say rs cents for this, and
after month discard the bands and
put on one of the three woolen knitted
shirts that are to take their place.
These will cost from S5 cents to 81
apiece, according to quality, but as there
is still considerable left of the S25, it is
not worth while to buy the poorer ones.
AT 81 apiece the total expense up to
this only reaches s6.55.
Half dozen shirts may be had for.
say 30 cents each, though of course
there is variation exceedingly likely
to be made here. The taste of the
mother may dictate linen or muslin, but
excellent material for these will only
come to S2.10, and, as the mother or
some good friend is doing the most OF
the needlewOrk involved in the whole
of the outfit, only the cost of the ma
terial need be reckOned, and SS.65 pays
for everything thus far mentioned.
1t is not to be expected that man
should know what a pinny is, but it is
described as half-skirt that, although
mot a necessity, is a convenience, as it
can be doubled up over the feet, thus III
Suring extra WARMTH Therefore Il
dollar may be spent for a couple of
these, though only necessities, strictly
speaking, should come out Of the sum
in hand
Three long flannel skirts are next on
the list, and dollar apiece may be laid
out to advantage on them, and as lux
uries will creep in, no matter how hard
the mother tries to restrict herself, two
cambria skirts for dreSS-up are added at
rs cents each. Four cotton night-SlipS
complete the list of underclothing, and
if 50 cents each be allowed as the cost
of these it will be found that only S15.55
has been expended.
Half a dozen dresses are the very
least that even this economical child
can be expected to get along with, and
here the practical little woman who has
figured up expenses out of the depths of
her intimate knowledge of the subjecJ
refuses to be bound down to an exact
statement. Being pressed for an esti-
mate, she says they ought to cost from
rs cents to dollar apiece, according to
the qualify of material, and she con-
sents to allow IS for the half dozen.
According to masculine notions this is
absurd, but she says that she is not
going to waste any of this money. Of
course, she would dearly love to spend
ever so much more, but she is keeping
| things within the limits of small
| purse.
When she is asked about double
gowns she rebels. Il don't know what
a double gown is" she says, with a
touch of indignant pride. II am sure
my children got along without them,
and they never suffered for anything.
| Moreover, this Good Housekeeping
speaks of them as calico, and says they
are warm and handler than a shawl.
Now, calico double gown may be warm,
or it may be anything else, but | am not
going to spend any of this money for it.
When get more money l may consider
it, if somebody will tell ME what double
gowns are. Oh, yes! Very likely l am
ignorant, but l have brought up three
children" And then she begins to cry.
A man who would press the subject
further, or who would try to probe the
complicated heart of woman to find
out what she cried for, would be brute.
The writer is not brute.
There is still S4.45 left, and after the
tears are dried the little woman con-
sents to use 81 of it for a knitted sacque,
25 cents for a rubber bib, s15O for q
half dozen pique bibs and s1.5O for
knitted boots and mittens. Then she
| dnnlnrnc chn hos punruthinor 4h of hal l,,r