The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1897-07-08
A TREATISE ON BABIES
Valuable Advice to Mothers From q
Very High Source.
OPINION OF 4 RADICAL BRITlSHER
He Thinks that a CivU War Will
Come On This Country owing TO
the Laws Being Made Almost
solely TO Protect Cspi,ai.


ward in the post graduate hospital Of
New York city, the other day, when
asked for advice as to the care OF deli.
cate infant during the summer months.
"A baby should never be bathed in cold
water; the shock is too great. For del.
icate, ailing, teething child the tempera.
ture should be about 95 degrees, and as
the little one becomes more vigorous the
temperature may be lowered to about
10 degrees. We, Of course, | mean the
hospital, never use anything for bathing
purposes excepting clear water. That is
unless the child has some special disease !;
then the bath should he prescribed by a
physician. In case the baby is troubled
with heat, oatmeal bran may be safely
added to the water, also little bicarbo-
nate Of soda.
AS to clothing during the summer we
make no change from winter garments,
except for using lighter weight sacks,
cloaks, etc. think it a good plan to
keep flannel over the child's bowels dur.
ing the first summer OF its life. 1t may
he in the shape OF a shirt or band, though
prefer the former. The best diapers are
of linen, after the newness has been thor
oughly washed out. In the summer care
should be taken never to pin them too
tight and to see that the child is thor.
oughly dried whenever change is made.
Failure to do this is the principal cause
OF chatting; child's flesh forms little
creases and folds, all OF which should be
lightly busted with talcum or pure rice
powder. do not believe in grease as a
preventative for chafng-it is heating
but where the skin is already irritated a
good boric ointment ought to be applied.
"For the ordinary baby, no great
amount OF soap is necessary, but it should
always be of the very best quality. We
prefer and use the pure CASTLE, which lie
green. But before leaving the subjects OF
baths. powder, etc, would like to state
that any powder careessly used will do a
great amount OF harm. When the little
creases, to which referred, are not care
fully dried, and powder is busted on, ii
soon cakes, chatting follows, and in the
heat Of summer, inflammation is the re-
result. This is very serious and causes
the baby serious suffering
ave never use mattresses; always q
thick double blanket, folded and placed
on soft, finely woven springs. This is
covered by sheet, and these sheets
should never be of linen. Even In the
hottest weather linen Is too cold for a
child; in fact, the best covering is q cot.
ton sheet and as many soft, light blank
cts as the weather requires.
''Now as to the proper feeding of chill
dren when teething. That is a question
over which doctors and nurses are still
puzzlng their brains. Improper food is
the arch enemy to the health and life OF
babies in summer time. | think | can
tenths of the sickness among children is
caused by carelessly prepared food. OF
course 1t would be useless to give list
Of diets, Tor that is point which only a
physician or an experienced nurse can
properly decide. But when milk is used,
and, after all that is the great baby food,
it should be sterilized, that is, boiled for
five minutes. After sterilizing it may be
kept in the refrigerator, but should al
ways be warmed before given to the
child. There is one point it may be well
to mention. l have always found that
ice cold milk when put over the fire in
the summer curdles instantly, showing
clearly that it needs sterilization before
being consigned to the refrigerator. We
use good open mouthed bottle, which
may be cleaned with brush. and a
rubber nipple. These we cleanse once a
day in the following manner. We soak
them over night ia a solution Of bicarbo-
nate Of soda, half strength, that is so
luton half as strong as a saturated solu-
ton. In the morning they are taken out
Of soak and washed with warm water and
green soap, then rinsed in clear water.
Of course between cbild's meals it's bot
ties and nipples should be throuRhly
rlnsed, and where possible it is good TO
dry them in the sun.
Eyes; l think baby needs an abund-
ance Of drinking water. Indeed can
not understand how the little things live
without it. But ice water is very injuri-
GUS 1t should be cool, but never chilled,
and be frequently given in small quanti'
ties
Then, too. baby ought to 90 bare
footed in summer, and by all means it
should be allowed heaps OF sunlight.
don't mean exposure to the direct rays OF
the sun. perhaps, but let it play where it
can have the sunshine freely. There are
some physicians who contend that 3
child should be stripped for an hour a
day, have its head protected and be left
in strong sun bath. Like a plant, a
child must have sunlight il you expect TO