Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-07-12
ADVICE TO MOTHERS.

| ADVICE TO MOTHERS.
Marion Harland's Suggestions for the Sum.
mer Care Of Children.
At this season. if ever, the mother
must resist the disposition to fatalism.
Recognizing, like brave, sensible
woman, that summer is fraught with
peculiar perils, let her acquaint her
self with the nature of them and sta
ton her guards. To begin with the
most obvious Of these dangers: Look
wisely and seasonably to baby's cloth
ing. Make changes-notably in fan
nels-cautiously. A wooden garment,
covering the chest and abdomen, should
be worn next the skin all summer
long, at least until the child has COM
pleted his second year. 1t need not be
heavy or thick. Exchange that worn
in winter for one Of moderate weight
and, as the heat increases, this for one
one still thinner. 1t must be of wool
and long enough to protect the vulner-
able parts indicated by day and night.
night, nor vice versa Linen is cooler,
the Precipitation evapOrating from il
with dangerous rapidity. The wearer
runs about until weary, sits down to
rest or falls asleep in a draught and in
FIVE minutes perspiration is checked.
Baby is comfortable and the skin lie
congesting. Flannel parts slowly With
animal heat and moisture; the friction
of it on the cuticle as the child moves
about keeps its pores open.
Second. Do not let the little one get
excessively overheated-or, should this
occur, manage in person the process OF
cooling of. The nurse, moved tc
compassion by the streaming scarlet
face, will strip away the infants outer
clothing, give him ice-water to drink
and sit him by an open window. II
left to his own devices, baby stretches
himself luxuriously on the grass or
sand and pulls off shoes and stockings.
II practicable, he perfccts his work by
wading in a puddle or dipping his
head in a water pail. Many a guiltless
suicide has thus gone the way of all
the earth.
Third. Temper night air with dis
erection. The nursery should be VEN
tilated. but baby must not sleep in the
draught. Screen his crib from wander
ing airs in the hottest weather. The
change that creeps over the darkened
half of the globe between midnight
and dawn is the terror that walketh by
night. Train yourself to awake be-
tween two and three o'clock a. m. and.
testing the temperature OF the chamber
with thermometer, adjust the cover
ing over the plump limbs: see that the
gown is closed at the throat, the flannel
shirt or band drawn down over the
bowels. These are simple precautions,
but Indifference to lesser perils than
those which they may avert has filed
a home with mourning.
Fourth. And outranking every
thing else, do not change the child's
food SO long as his present dietary
agrees with and nourishes him. One
of Mr.. Lincoln's homely saws, advising
against horse trade while crossing
creek. is sharply pertinent here.
Green fruit has slain its thousands, but
the Herodian murderer of babes from
two years old and under is the mothers
vicarious laundering after variety in
the nursery bill of fare. When you
wean your child seek out one really
excellent kind of food, and, having es-
tablished the fact that it suits him bet
ter than any other, cleave unto it
while he relishes and thrives upon it,
remaining proof against temptations to
depart from it until the ugly creek Of
the second summer has been forded.
The milk that enters into the COM
position of pOrridge, or whatever may
make up his modest menu, must be
sweet and fresh; the cereal with which
it is combined the best of its kind, and
the mixture never be Over-sweetened.
Eschew experiments as you would
labeled poison. Do not let him drink
iced milk or ice water and avoid the
other extreme. Cold checks digestion,
and really hot drinks have tendency
to weaken the bowels. Keep whole
some respect for the intestine changes"
before your eyes and do not interfere
with them. Finally, should baby Ian
guish in spite of wise regimen, give
him immediate change Of air.-Labor
World.