The Arizona sentinel., 1888-02-04
CARE OF INFANTS.
How to Keep Baby Warm, Comfortable
 and fin Good Health. -

of ansEnglish. Boys' school was asked how he managed matters so that his pupils conduct was universally. re- spected for good-breeding and honor able. act.sn,- he --rsplied:. Il always keep them warm. Every boy is a moral coward when. he is cold.' Every grown person knows the truth of this pregnant remark. Nothing is more miserably depressing in every sense than chilliness arising from want of proper circulation.
 Babies suffer more from this cause than almost any other. Sleeplessness. collie, fre4fd1hesss, are all so many warnings of want of proper circula- ton and deficient warmth.
 Mothers often have very curious ideas on this subject; they cover an ; infant over in its cradle with heavy blankets and Icomfortabes, and feel that all is right if when they lift it out after sleep it is moist with perspiration. They look upon this artificially pro- duced heat as healthful, and it delights thenr--1n truth. it is not desirable at all. Ninety-eight to one hundred de. grees is the normal temperature of a healthy child, aud any excess of thls is harmful.
 Even careful nurses and experienced mothers misunderstood this question of temperature altogether They load the infants body with clothes. and never reflect that unless its hands and feet are'equally warm they are actually making it suffer with every added gar ment What is wanted is capitalized circulation throughout the body. How is this best attained? By means of two vc~y simple agents: the bath and the dress.
 ~ First, the bath. Every baby, of course, needs to be washed all over in warm water once day; but this diurnal bath is positively hurtful un- less it.is accompanied by good hon. est rubbing. Now rubbing is a thing very few persons understand, al- though it is such an indispensable part of the daily toilet. To rub an in- fant properly requires great tender ness and care. i-l All such rubbing should be with a circular movement of the palm of the hand, and should be rapid. but with very little pressure. Above all. the soles of the feet should be thoroughly rubbed in this way, gently and quickly, for at least two minutes. This promotes circulation, and sends the blood flowing through { the tiny heart. In like manner the little hands should not be chafed up and down or squeezed, but the palms should be treated in the same circular way.
 MothersS~asa rule, pay gre deal more attention to an infants feet than to its hands. They would not think of leaving it without socks, even with its feet fastened up in blanket; but with the thermometer below zero they will let it flourish two little red fists in the cold morning air. Yet how wre ched it is to have cold hands every one knows! Little children, in cold weather, should not only have their hands rubbed frequently, but they ought to sleep in knitted mittens as soon as it becomes difficult to keep their hands under the coverlid, and that is as soon as they are restless.
 Dress flor infants has been written about until it would seem that there is nothing to add; and yet the most important point in regard to it is rarely alluded to. Its whole object should be comfort secured by equalization oi temperature, and no pressure any where. The fewer clothes q child wears the better. So they are sensible ones. Baby's outfit should be limited to close-fit- ting, soft knitted under-shirt, made high in the neck, with long sleeves, and coming down we'll over the stomach (overthe usual flannel band); wrapper made of the finest Saxony flannel, with a yoke, fastening: in front and tapping well over; and dress of cambric, with long sleeves, and also lAiRuO NlIl d , OhC'
 !. There should be no strings to t1e at all! All the clothes, even the frock, should be fastened in front with tiny buttons. for the reason that to an in- fant even the pressure of buttons is of moment, and the baby lying on it's back is often distressed by strings or buttons between it and the pillow. No infant should wear napkins without a flannel outside. becausa, however careful the m ,ther may ba. they can not be always dry, and the flannel pre- vents dampness from affecting the F dress.1
 In dressing an infant to go out ii often seems as if the little body must be cru shed under the wraps which are thought necessary. The use of numer- ous or heavy wraps is a mistake. Il is only needful to have a close, soft. warm knitted sack to come below the feet, with long sleeves, and then over that light cashmere cloak, not wad- ded, but simply lined.
 Weight should be avoided. in every possible way, in dressing an infant. Warmth, equally distributed, is the main. consideration, and this is best secured by soft, light knitted Saxony wool sac'ls, jackets and under-shirts. They are warmer than flannel gar ments, and cling more closely; and where such are worn many outside