Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-04-02
FEEDING THE CHILDREN.
Opinions Of Leading Doctors on the
Subject OF Food for the Lit
tie Opa=.

Next TO cleanliness and to fresh air
there Is nothing more important IN the
rearing of children of three and over
as the proper food and the variety of
il. Babies are well supplied with gen
eral and special diet directions, but 1t
is after the child begins to run about
and talk and ask for what 1t Graves
from the general table, that the vigil
ance of mothers usually ceases The
little creature has got past its dreaded
second SUMMER" and of course, the
mother reasons, 1t can get on very we'll
She then runs between two dangers
either feeding the child with every
thing on the family table that 1t cries
for, popping a lump of sugar into its
mouth, when she wants II to be quiet
and not disturb other people, or she
gives 1t a too restricted diet 1t saves
trouble to settle down on one ironclad
rule and feed the child forever on one
thing, regardless of the point that chill
dren, like everybody else, crave some
little variety in their food, and always
enjoy having it prettily served up to
them.
\ pretty plate to cat from, a rosy
finger bowl standing by, his own mug
and spoon-all these little matters help
the meal along. DR.. Newlin Peirce has
taught us that, so far from all need OF
care in food being done with when the
shild has cut its teeth, the foods should
be provided with especial reference to
strengthening the teeth. that need ex-
ercise IN their way as much as any
other OF the digestive apparatus Too
much oatmeal porridge Is almost as
bad as too little, as the tender little
teeth require TO be strengthened with
exercise upon hard foods. When chill
dren are fed too exclusively upon soft
foods and spoon foods they loose the
advantages that come from biting into
and chewing hard biscuit. The late
DR.. y. Archer Randolph recommended
oatmeal biscuit because of the sweet
ness and palatability which the Oaten
cake developed TO the taste by chewing,
an entirely different quality from that
which Is eujoved in the oatmeal pOr-
ridge or mush. The child must be
Taught. however, to chew long and well,
and not to ''bolt" large pieces OF the
biscuit, or the good use of the little
grinders VIII not be called ont
DIR. Fothergill, the English author
ity, who has such especial tenderness
snd sympathy for the people who have
10 live II towns, IN the book lrepub-
lished since his death and prcfaced by
Dr. Il. w richardson also insists on
on n point frequently overlooked, that
the starchy foods given to children are
frequently only half prepared He
does not consider n boiled potato fit
food for a child, unless II Is afterwards
baked IN a pudding dish IN the oven,
10 fully cook and break mp its starchy
cells \ boiled potato i said to lie
done" IN twenty five minutes, where
IL. IL
will take nearly two hours. OF course
the latter has its starch more grad
ually and entirely cooked. OF the
dangers of the latter way he says:
"Starch that has not been properly
cooked, i not readily dissolved by
saliva, but passes oa / TO the stomach
unchanged TO soak up the gastric juice
(Which has no solvent action on starch
and thus embarras- es the stomach IN its
own proper work, the digestion of al
bumiua'es.
For the same reason of giving a larger
preparation to the starch lbesides hav
ing moro nutrItive quality IN Its sub
stance, FothergIu recommends the
making of bread from half and half of
white flour and the whole meal of
wheat that has been roasted This
makes browner bread, because of hav
ing quantity of the cortical layers OF
wheat in it, but II also makes more
nourishing bread, because the starch in
the wheat has been subjected to the
softening influences of heat.
Before leaving the subject of pota-
toes, which are almost universally fed
to children, this authority says: boil
half "a dozen medium sized potat es,
mash them thoroughly with pepper,
salt, two ounces Of butter two table
sVoonfulsl and half pint of milk; put
the whole in,o pudding dish and set
II In the oven for an hour to brown"
Quite a good variety IN this is to put
less butter to the potatoes, bIt to add
q beaten egg TO them, with the milk
Philadelphia Layer.