Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-06-29
TOO MUCH BABY TENDING.

There is no doubt that proportion
of judicious neglect is very good
thing for babies as well as for older
C hildren. The common fault of
mothers nowadays is to give their
babies too much instead of too little
care, a course that is good neither
for themselves nor for their infants.
Especially do they keep the little
ones in their arms too much. On
this subject the Boston Journal of
Health says;
Very many mothers say that sit
takes about all their time to attend
to the baby In almost all in
stances where this is true it is their
own fault. When once the bad
habit is formed of taking the little
one up as soon as it shows signs
of walking, is restless, or disposed
10 cry, the mother is hencefOrth a
slave to its caprices, and no tryant
can be more exacting. This is by
no means a trifing matter. Into
every home, however poor an d
humble, a baby should bring the
sunshine of happiness; bu. does it
always do this ? 1t is doubtful if a
single parent can be found to say
no and vet there are not few who
would, II they gave honest express
sion to their thoughts, say that the
coming of the little one was a
misfortune. The reasons is OBJ
vious to the students of human
nature, who are influenced by what
they see, as we'll as by what they
hear, and doubt the latter in the
absence of proof.
Ifhealthy, and a baby is properly
managed from the first, it ought to,
in its early months of life, pass full
ly eighteen hours in sleep. AS age
advances, the amount required be-
comes less, but even at2 years, it
ought to sleep thirteen or fourteen
out of tweenty-four, There are
more children who do not get this
amount of sleep than there are who
do, and yet it is essential to their
well.being. Now it is clearly ap-
parent that mothers who are forced
"to do their own work" need not
sacrifice so much time to their in.
fants as many do, and neglect their
other important cares; it is when
they do neglect their other duties
that distrusts as to the actual bless
ing in the form of the baby begins.
There are of course, exceptions,
but in too many homes evidence
is not wanting that the advent of a
baby is more or less a hardship,
which is shared by every member
of the family. The mother, poor
soul, finds her cares multiplied
and If the newcomer is troublesome,
she may be forced, if not, she soon
finds it easy, to neglect, or but i'm
perfectly perform, her thousand
duties. Disorder is most often the
first symptom manifested and this
is soon followed by lack of clean
illness, first in the mothers appear.
ance, then in her surroundings,
and finally the little one suffers
from grave fault. The husband
finds his home less inviting, and
the cheering influence OF inc paOy
can scarcely compensate for the
doleful change which has taken
place about him. Both he and the
mother, unfortunate through her
own fault of mismanagement, must
soon ask themselves, neither dar-
ing, however, to breathe a doubt
to the other, "was 1t, after all, for
the best" Many readers will say
that it Is drawn from the fancy
of the writer, and yet some few
will recognize the picture as true to
life, barely outlined though it is.