The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-02-15
THE CARE OF INFANTS.
Valuable Suggestions by DR.. Johns
I'm OcOnee News.

To begin at the beginning, many nurses,
and in fact the most OF them, Will wash an In
fants face in soap suds which gives II sore
eSd gSd to fret es and cry People have an idea
that 1t is the light, but the eye Is made for the
light, just as the lung Is made for the air. and
light does not hurt the eye any more than ar an
put in water to wash an infants face, at least
until IT is several months old. An infant
should not be allowed to get cold while being
washed. 1t will give 1t bad cold, called by
nurses the "snuftles," and make 1t sick. 1t
should be kept carefully warm all the time
and Its head should be dried off with warm
dry towel until perfectly dry, otherwise u may
Suffering to which humanity Is heir. Anoth.
er most despicable habit is giving young chill
dren toddy and coffee and such things as irri-
to tate hs sna oaer G 1n
is anything extremely abominable it is to give
q tiny FAINT piece OF raw bacon. The Idea
that cannot help ITSELF with raw bacon lard,
dose that would sicken the strongest man,
Is repulsive, senseless and injurious. Yet 1t Is
often done. Wool should not he worn next
ali full Of little fine hooks or burrs that
scratch and irritate the tender skin Of young
children-and older ones too, but they can
stand 1t better-but gives pain and makes
best goods for childrens under clothing. No
starch should be in any clothing that touch
the skin. A child, being short and the circu-
lation quick; Is much easier to keep warm
swaddled in too many blankets and clothing,
especially TO sleep. 1t will cause an eruption
on the skin Of small red specks, commonly
hsa nd
child Is taken up and gashed on the back with
an old gappy razor. or some similar thing,
called scarifying, and by the time this ls done,
the child having to be partly undressed to
perform this piece of barbarity,. 1t gets cool
and the hives goes off or gets better, and
wonderful cure OF notable disease is affected
by the skillful use Of the old rszor, the cup.
wet rag aponged over the surface would have
done better, and not swaddle the child up In
such an awful hot manner. Packing child
ing 1t to such sudden changes OF temperature
is Injurious and often lays the foundation OF
disease.
There is another mighty foolish habit, yet
Is ,trotting a child on the knee when crying.
child seldom cries except from hunger, pain
or fear. They often have headache, earache,
1sng bem and tS o
on the knee OF strong grown person Is al.
most death, and has caused the death, no
doubt OF many, for no grown person could
stand such treatment In these conditions.
Mothers and nurses should especially guard
against the habit, for IT is an easy habit nc.
quired and very hard TO break-and swing the
CnllQ DdCK anu IOrt0 DuL ueVer JOlL IL, no, new
er, when 1t cries, for often you do not know
what hurts 1t.
The mother furnishes naturally the very
best diet for an infant as every body knows =
provided her own diet be generous and good.
People write volumes on the best diet for "jer-
seys," but seldom think OF the best diet for
mothers, which are OF more importance than
many jerseys-and suffer II to be often mostly
u bread made chiefly OF indigestible -four and
coffee, neither of which furnishes much nu.
triment.
The diet Of the mother should be especially
liberal and varied, nutritious and bland, easy
Of digestion, avoiding such things as disagree,
as they do sometimes no doubt cause the
eruption called "hives." When II Is necessa.
ry to iced a child. cooked milk Is the best.
Put one,third water add a little sugar, heat It
boiling hot and no more. Milk boiled long Is
not as digestible as raw milk. 1t Is like eggs,
too much cooking Injuries IL.
II you want to have good baby feed him
properly and clothe him reasonably. and hide
him away In some good quiet place where he
can sleep as much as he wants'to.
The writer is one OF those who believe In
the goodness of children. and that all their
complainings do not come from natural per-
verseness and Unborn wickedness,