St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-05
FOOD FOR THE BABY.
What Infants Can Live and Thrive
On-Suggestions to Mothers.

w max San Live ana Thrive
On-Suggestions to Mothers.
One OF the most important subjects
| in connection with the little ones
| health and well-being is that of food,
and the manner and times of feeding
| There is no doubt that a large proper
| ton of the diseases of infancy and
many of those of childhood, are due
to errors of diet-oVer-feeding, and in
sufficient or improper food There are
| three kinds of food-stuffs necessary in
| certain proportions to the maintenance
| of the healthy condition of the body
| the fiesh-forming, the heat-giving and
the bone-making. If either of these be
| omitted, or given in too large a guam
tity, sooner or later health will suffer
This is especially the case at the
growing stage of our existence, when
ample material is required for the
building up and development of
sound and healthy body, and, if our
children are to grow up STRAIGHTFORWARD
and strong they must be provided with
suitable kind of food-that is, food
adapted to their digestive powers,
given at regular times.
Beginning, then, with the baby in the
first months OF his existence, his best
food Will be, undoubtedly, his mothers
milk; but surprising, as unfortunately
is so frequently the case, from one
cause Or another, the infant must be
brought UP by hand the problem
arises, What combination will form the
most suitable substitute?
Nothing more solid than milk, OF
course, must be given up to the age of
seven months. Shun vigorously all
suggestions OF wonderful patent and
artificial foods. Milk, either cows or
goats'-whichever is chosen, properly
diluted, is all the baby will require;
but to find the exact proportions which
will best agree with his small stomach
is often difficult matter
The following formulas, taken from
the Hospital, will be found useful:
To one Tablespoonful of cows milk
(boiled) add three of barley water.
To one tablespoonful of boiled milk,
three of water and one teaspoonful of
gelatine; or
To one tablespoonful Of boiled milk,
two of lime water and one of water
Half a teaspoonfuI Of brown sugar to
each. Either one Of these is a suffi-
cient meal for an infant under a month
old, who should be fed every two
hours.
OF course, the strength of the mix
ture, and the length Of intervals be-
tween meals can be readily increased
as the child gets older, milk being
added in greater proportion, and the
quantity given at one time brought
gradually from three or four table
| spoonfuls every two hours to six
ounces every four hours during the
day, when the child has reached its
sixth or seventh month.
| At this age a more substantial diet
may be commenced, but only by SLOW
! degrees. For one, to begin with, and,
| later on, two meals a day, the milk
may be thickened by the addition of
a teaspeonful of carefully prepared en-
tire wheat flour, or of the same
| amount Of one Of the many foods sold
t for that purpose. But all peptonized
or pancreatiZed preparations should be
used sparingly, as they tend to weak
en- the stomach if taken for any length
| of time.
| A little mutton or chicken broth,
weak beef tea, or the yolk Of an egg
| beaten up with milk and sugar form
| useful variations of our baby's diet
between the ages of eight and twelve
months. Light milk buildings may
now be added and occasionally a lit
| tie carefully made oatmeal porridge.
| Until they reach the age of one and
half years, children do not require
meat. After that time small quantf-
ty may be given once a day, minced
or chopped up finely.
Another great point to be observed,
and one which it should be superfluous
to mention, is the need of absolute
cleanliness in everything connected
with baby's food.
The bottles, Of which there should
be two in constant use, used alternate
! ly, should be thoroughly scalded and
rinsed out directly after a meal, and
| left to soak in a basin of water, to
! which a little bicarbonate Of soda or
! boraX powder may be added. A piece
! of old linen or other rag wound round
| a stick will be found most effectual in
| cleaning the bottle, and preferable to
| the brushes generally sold with them.
! The hairs in these are liable to be-
/ come loose; and a stray one lodged
somewhere in the bottle might prove
dangerous if sucked into the babys
| throat
The rubber teats quickly become dis
agreeable and require frequent renew
| ing. Boat or soda water shaped bot
ties are, Of course, the only ones in
use nowadays among the enlightened
and intelligent, though the kind With
about half a yard of glass and rub
Der tubing attached still remains the
| quire holding while the little one takes
his meal, but may be safely slowed
| away in corner of his perambulator
or cot for him to take a pull at when
| he feels disposed
| That the milk be cold, the tube foul