Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-24
CARE OF THE BABIES.
Timely and Valuable Hints From the
State Board of Health.
CLEANLINESS, CARE AND FOOD
Should be Carefully Studied by the Mothers
of the Commonwealth.
HOW TO BRING UP HEALTHY CHILDREN

DR.. Benjamin Lee, Secretary of the Stat
Board of Health, has issued circular EN-
bodying the Boards recommendations II
regard to the care of infsnts. The subjec
is timely, and should be carefully STUDIED
by all who have charge of children. DR.
Lee says:
To infants, cleanliness is life, filth i
death. The child, to retain health must b
clean, and its surroundings must be clean
1t needs clean skin, clean clothes, clear
water. clean food and clean air. 1t shnult
be bathed night and morning in Il warm
room, away from any draught, and IN watei
/ from which the chill has been taken. AS
the child grows older, and in the summer
time, cooler water may be used. The bo dy
should be cleansed from head to foot with g
sot sponge, or a piece of fine flannel; use
only little pure soap, and keep 1t away
from the eyes. Dry the whole body with g
dry, warm towel, using but little friction,
for active rubbing and strong soaps are in
iur.ous to the skins of babies. In the sum-
mer time the child may be left in the cold
bath 10 or Is minutes, but child should
never become chilled while bathing. In all
cases, when the bath seems to I'M jure the
child, consult the family physician. Change
the napkins as soon as soiled. Don't use
them second time until they have been
washed. If possible, don't dry them In the
same room in which the child lives.
PREMISES MUST BE KEPT CLEAN.
This applies to the house, yard, garden
and to the ighborng streets, alleys, cutters
and lots. Keep the house cool, clean and
we'll aired. Never permit it to get musty
and damp. Keep the cellar clear of all de-
caying vegetables, or other offensive or
mouldy material; whitewash it frequently,
and see that it is we'll aired. Death turks
| in the darkness and dampness of many q
cellar. In country places, throw the kitchen
waste as far as possible from the house, the
cistern and the we'll, and frequently disinfect
the place with quick-lime or cover it with
fresh earth. Locate the clubhouse as far as
possible from the house and the we'll, and
keep it free from all odors by the frequent
use of copperas lime or fresh earth, or coal
ashes. The dry earth system only should be
used in the country and villages. Keep
every part of your own premises clean, and
insist that your neighbor does the same with
his.
Let the child be in open air as much as
possible, except on very cold, very windy,
wet or damp, chilly days. Do not take it
out too early in the morning, or keep it out
late at night, or in the middle of the day
expose it to the direct rays of the sun; with
these precautions, ii in cold weather it is
thoroughly bundled up in woolen clothing,
it can hardly be out OF doors too much. E1-
cept In the hottest part of the day exposure
of the child TO the direct rays of the sun
will do it good. A brown skin means health
to child. Air should circulate freely
through the house, the windows bein G
opened for this purpose every day. Espe-
cial care should be taken to give the child
an abundance of fresh air, when it is sleep
ing, care being taken to avoid draughts.
When the air in the house seems damp. it
should be dried by fire in the CRATE or
stove. All residents of cities who can af-
ford it should send their children to the
country during the heated season.
CLOTHING FOR INFANTS.
The clothing of infants should be light
and loose, permitting tree use of the limbs.
DR.. Felix Oswald truly says: eff many
children could use their limbs more, they
would use their lungs less. " They should be
clothed much more lightly in summer than
in winter; for in the one season, cold kills
many babies, and in the other heat kills
them. All sudden changes of temperature
should be promptly met by appropriate
changes of clothing. Don't permit the COM
mon deadly practice of leaving the arms
and legs bare, but clothe every part except
the head, warmly. Woolen clothing is the
best, and should always be worn in the win
ter; and even in summer it is best that
thin flannel shirt be worn next the skin. If
this is thin it will not be much warmer than
if of cotton, but very much more healthfui.
Many mothers make the mistake of too
warmly dressing their babies and children
in the summer months. The flannel worn
should be thin in summer and thick in win
far ha IN ho
same clothing night and day, but complete
ly undress it at night and hang up the
clothing SO that it will air through the
night.
Let babies and young children sleep all
they will, Tor sleep is an absolute necessity
for their vigorous development. They
should regularly be laid to rest at stated
times, away from noise and the light. The
child from the very first should be taught to
60 to sleep in a cot, without being rocked,
nursed or carried about. No kind Of cordial,
spirits, syrups, sleeping or soothing drops,
or any other remedies should ever be given
by the nurse or mother to make a child
sleep. If the young child is sleepless, 1t is
ill, and medical attendance should be sum-
moned. It is bad habit for mother and
child to 60 to sleep while the child is nurs-
ing in bed. Children from 2 to years of
age are often cross and ill-natured for want
OF Sutlclent sleep. r..
HINTS ABOUT NURSING.
A mother while nursing ought to live
we'll and generously, but not carelessly nor
grossly. Spirituous or malt liquors should
not be used unless prescribed by the family
physician. The mother should remember
that what would prodube collie in the baby,
if eaten by it, will often produce this
trouble IN it when eaten bv the mother, and
thus by care in her own diet she may save
herself much trouble and her baby much
pain. II she suffers from giddiness, palpi- |
tations, shortness of breath, night sweats. or
feels exhausted as the child nurses, or if her |
milk seems to disagree with the child, she |
should consult a medical man concerning |
the propriety OF weaning the child. Pure |
healthy mothers milk is the best food for |
babies, and so long as the child thrives upon |
it, and the supply is sufficient, it needs |
nothing else.
Nurse child at regular intervals; under |
two months, every two or three hours during |
the day and three or four times during the |
night. AT six months, five or six times DUR
ing the "a hours. Do not fail to give the |
baby water to drink several times each day,
Babies relish and need it as much as older |
people. DO not nurse the baby to stop its
crying; but only at the regular intervals. A |
child should not be weaned suddenly, but |
by degrees. After the ninth mouth it /
should be weaned; but never just be ore or
during the hot season. Before the child is
six months old, if the mother is weak, but
her milk still agrees with the child, it may
be fed on cows milk alternating with the
fha nj - Late