Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-29
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cares Of motherhood. as she changed the
position Of the fretful infant on her knees.
Seventeen and mother! My heart fairly
ached for the misguided girl, whose am
bilious mother. as l know, had forced her
through school and into society, and then
rushed her into marriage because she knew
that Fred Parton was an eligible parti,
and that if he had to wait a few years he
might change his mind. She was worldly
minded woman, and the ambition of her
life was to get her three girls married off
as fast as possible. The eldest of the three
she had back on her hands, a divorced wo-
man in less than three years. The second
died when her first baby was born, and the
poor little creature was left to the mercy
of it's worldly grandmother. The third and
last daughter Elsie, who only three years
ags was still playing dolls with Rose is
now a mother, and Rose has not yet dom
ned her first long gown!
l took the wailing infant in my arms,
threw aside the soft hot pillow on which
1t mad been resting, turned it on its stom-
ach, and began to straighten down its
clothes. Don't you think that you have
too many clothes on the baby for this hot
day." L asked her. as / went under the
Stilfly Starched dress, with it's mass of
scratchy embroidery. to find a satin-soft
flannel skirt, all hand embroidered in silk
a second quite as fine. but palmer: under
that a pnning blanket, little WOODEN socks
and flannel bands on every skirt!
The Dresses Were Pretty
why. 1 thought babies had to be kept
very warm" she replied, mildly worried at
the new idea. Il made so many of those
pretty skirts that ] nearly put my eyes
out. 1t seems pity not to use them now.
l have six that are embroidered fully a.
Quarter OF yard deep. and did it every
st1tch myself L got quite nervous over it
sometimes and would have made some of
the skirts much palmer, but mamma said
1t would not do. And now baby is so cross
We cannot take her anywhere, and there
Is no pleasure in having anybody to visit
u.s. Mamma simply won't come near the
house till she is sure that nurse is out
with the baby And then she ended with
guSh OF tears.
l let her cry her petulance out, and went
on an investigating tour. That baby was
three months old, past the colicky period
and normally healthy. but it howled in
cessantly, and squirmed itself nearly off
my lap several times. l felt very sure that
aside from having inherited some of its
mothers nervousness there was nothing the
matter with it that could not be cured in
a short time. l felt of its skirt bands
they were wet with perspiration. "Of
course you have taken off it's bands?" I
asked, though l felt something suspiciously
like one through the flannel skirt bands.
y.
ma says that it would be we'll enough to
take them off Of boy, but that for a girl
she would keep them on till short clothes
were put on. 1t shapes the waist so much
better, she thinks! We really have quite a
time getting the bands adjusted. for Ruth
simply screams herself black in the face
before nurse gets them pinned. Nurse says
it is crime to keep them on. but mamma
ought to know all about ii. Don't you think
so?" she asked anxiously.
A Tight Band.
"She ought to-" 1 replied cautiously.
but they do not give babies the same
treatment that they did when your mother
and 1 were caring for our Children BY
that time had taken off the fine outside
flannel skirt, and had loosened the other
skirt and pinning blanket band to get
at the under band. which 1 felt very sure
was causing all the trouble and fast max
ing a cross baby. When l unpinned that
band it fairly popped, it had been so tight,
and the child stopped crying instantly,
though it soon began again.
The mother. not satisfied with almost
wrecking her daughters prospects of
health and happiness, had set about MUIR
dering the baby by inches, though she
had an idea, doubtless, that it was for
the best interests of all concerned. In
the first place. the baby had on a little
gauze wool shirt. Then came that linen
hand, as tight and stiff as though it had
been boned and drawn with corset strings,
the flannel band of the pinning blanket,
two flannel bands of the two skirts, and
the richly embroidered fine linen dress,
all the skirts being at least half a yard
too long. Its poor little feet were weight
ed down with the draperies tn they
of heat blisters, the creases about it's fat
neck being made raw by the starch in the
dress! And yet that ignorant mother.
skin, ard who would have sent back in r
hurry one Of her loungng robes that came
home with starch about the neck wonder
ed why it was that her baby fretted, and
why cit was all different from what
she had expected when she was stitching
loving thoughts into the dainty clothes.
When l got down to the tender little
body, sprinkled it thick with talcum DOW
der from the silver box in the beautiful
baby basket. and with the gentlest touch
imaginable rubbed the heat-fiecked back
and stomach. Almost before 1 knew it the
baby was In a seraphic sleep. Then 1 told
Elsie my method of caring for baby. 1t
Is common sense. though not very senti-
mental.
The Baby's Wardrobe.
When the baby comes, whether it is the
first or the fifth, the ways of the household
have to change for a time, and the small
artocrat rules, or else it's vociferous de-
mands ruin the peace of the household.
One Of these two Is bound to happen. Then
there is its wardrobe. OF course, if you have
g. mine OF wealth. at your back, you can
make as-many clothes as you like, and trim
them just as richly. If you are sensible.
however, you will save the handsome
clothes to show to admiring friends and
put on the baby the plainest and softes,
garments. with nothing to tease and tor
ment it's soft flesh.
little baby Is very delicate piece of
mechanism, and 1t should be treated as
such. Its bath should be given once a
day In room a little warmer than the
temperature of the body, in water soft, If
possible, little warmer than blood heat.
The purest and finest soap should be used
sparingly, and well rinsed off and the BODY
thoroughly dried, then busted with purest
baby powder Where perspiration gets in
its raw work. the parts should be gently
touched with vaseline and freely sprinkled
with talcum powder. The shirt should be
Of fine wool. but If this seems to irritate
the flesh. and 1t often does, put under it a
shirt of thin nest silk, and don't let the
wool touch the body at all. After the
third or fourth week at most, unless the
child Is far from strong. leave off the
bands, which should be of soft old linen or
cotton for summer. or of fine flannel for
winter They should never be adjusted
very tight after the second week.
The pinning blanket comes next For
summer wear this should be of fine white
outing flannel. with a soft muslin band.
Three-fourths Of a yard is quite long
enough for this and the longest skirts.
Shorter for common wear is best One