Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1896-08-27
WINDING UP BABIES.
A PECULIAR CUSTOM FOLLOWED BY
SWEDISH MOTHERS.
The Object L. TO Make the Little Ones
Grow Up Tall aad strsight-Other In
t.resting Features of Life In sweden
Noted by u Traveller.

teresting Features of Life In sweden
Noted by - Traveller.
The people of Sweden, mainly on ac-
count of their isolated position from the
rest of Europe, still retain many of their
peculiarities in dress and habits, particu-
larly among the peasantry, and perhaps
more so in the country of Dalecarlia, on
the shores of Lake Siljan, than in any 9th
er part of the country.
AS YOU travel through this country you
begin To get little bewildered at the Ste
reotyped editions of men and boys that you
meet at the roadside, for they seem To
be dressed all alike in their white sheep
skin coats-the fur side Of the coat toward
the body and the smooth white skin on the
outside. Besides this, they wear leather
aprons knee brooches, long stockings and
low shoes
The girls and women are also dressed
alike in similar sheepskin coats, only
much shorter, in addition to which they
wear dark skirts, ornamented In front with
bright colored striped aprons.
On their heads they wear jaunty little
red caps, and on their feet low shoes with
the heel almost under the middle of the
foot
The mother puts the little one in "a kind
of basket or sack and slings 1t on her
shoulder. after strapping it In firmly so
that IL shall not drop out while the mother
is walking along or performing some kind
Of farm labor in the fields.
But If you want To see the real trial of
Swedish baby you must follow me into a
Dalecarlia farmhouse.
As YOU enter the workroom-that Is,
into the eating and sleeping room-your
attention Is instantly drawn TO the great
double bed in the corner of the room, for
1t Is not a bedstead that you can move
from place To place, but solid fixture,
forming part of the framework Of the
house, with posts at the corners and a
wooden shelf on top.
From the shelf hang down snow white
towelings, embroidered with bright col
ored yarn, making very artistic and pref
ty effect against the natural woodwork of
the bed and walls.
From the shelf hangs short, stout strap
or cord, terminating in stirrup shaped
handle that Is used TO take hold of when
rising in the morning to hoist yourself up
in IA sitting position.
After you have feasted your eyes on this
aesthetic piece of bedroom furniture you
notice something like IA small meal sack
surmounted by IA chubby little head, with
blue eyes and fiaxen hair, stuck down In
an upright position between the bedding
and the side of the bed.
You call the mothers attention TO IL as
she sits by her hand loom, OF spinning
wheel and she says, "Oh, yes, that Is the
baby, and it is about time wound IL up. +"
In your establishment you venture TO
u "a 4, hak ta1
in Sweden as we wind up clocks to keep
them in regular order for week time,
when she will answer you with smile:
"Oh, no, not just the same, for we wind
our babies oftener, generally three or more
times day, and If you have time will
show you how we do it "
She then proceeds to take the baby from
the bed and commences to unwind it
that is, TO unfasten one end Of n long linen
band, about or inches wide, and grad
ually to release it, either by turning the
baby over and over or by passing the band
around the baby as il Is being gradually
unwound.
When fully released it is given the free
dom of It's legs, arms and body for short
time, and after being washed and fed she
proceeds to wind it up again with fresh
linen band.
Commencing at the feet the mother
winds it tightly in spiral manner up.
ward to the armpits, and sometimes the
arms are also laid close to the body, and
the linen band passed around the arms and
body, and round and round toward the fest
again, and so on until the little one 10 made
nearly as stiff as n board and put away
either on the bed or between it and the
bedding in an upright position, as wher
we first discovered 1t.
The process Is continued until the child
| is from 10 To l2 months old, and IL is the
universal custom in Sweden among al
classes of the people from the lowest &c
the highest.
Why do the Swedish women keep up tc
this very day this peculiar method of wind
ing up their infants?
Ask them and they will tell you that II
is done for the purpose of making the chill
dren grow up tall and straight limbed
and to prevent them from being bunch
backed or bowlegged, as well as TO prevent
their feet from turning inward, and, as q
matter of fact, there seem To be fewer de
formed people in Sweden than In some
other countries where this practice oil
winding the babies is not In use.
Whether or not the results are always Us
anticipated is uncertain, but for all that
you can never prevail upon Swedish
mother to give up her daily practice Of
winding up the baby. Household.
s.F Pea ~