The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-06-30
Dressing the Baby for Hot Weather


1t was in one of the cars going out to
the park, on one of the hot days OF last
week. The baby was crying and fret
ting, and the young mother looked tired
and worried. while, as is the universal
custom i'll such cases. the rest OF the
passengers locked at her with impatience
and disgtist: Poor little mother, she knew
she was making everybody mlsera Die he
cause she couldn't keep baby quiet, ana
that added to her uHllappDess and deep
ened the tired lines around the dropping
mouth.
She was in d cool shirt waist, and
light straw hat, ana Miss Baby had on
an embroidered cloak, aid cap tied
under her chin, and she was evidently as
uncomfortable as the passengers whose
equanimity she was SO senslbly disturb
ing.
An elderly woman sitting behind the
worried mother, saw the trouble at once.
Leaning forward she laid her hand on
! the wGm,iii'S shoulder. and said, III Il
| most sympa tHetic voice:
Il think can tell you what is the mat
| ter With baby; she is too warm: Just
| loosen the string of her cap and take on
the cloak, and you will find that she will
be good AS the woman )iesitatcd she
went on, Il have brought up six children,
so you see | know something about IL:
| If you are afraid she will take cold Just
| Law the care Of her cloak over her Shoul-
| ders: that will he protection enough.
So the CAP was tlti0osened, the cloak
removed, and thcii The little one. no long
or burdened by such ii weight OF clothing
and feeling the refreshing air. stopped
movements of the car and be entertained
by things which she saw. until the llds
| fell over the blue eyes and she slept as
peacefully in her mother arms as II she
was in the quiet of home. :,
| If The young mothers could only see It
| and be made to understand. they would
realize that very much mischief may he
doHt, Nv tie excessive physical relaxation
| induced E'y children being clothed toe
warmly iii the hot weather. II, on the
| other hand. the child is batEed i'll per-
spiration: or: on tile otter hand, if the
skin feels hot and dry; without 9tEer ev!.
| dent cause; it is safe to conclude thu. u
deed almost always. the troubleson"
rashes from which babies suffer. such as
.:nrickly heat ana :.red gunl,' are the
| effect of too much clothing and the CON
seuucnt heating of the blood. A. . rule
mothers are so afraid of the little G',c
taking cold that they go to the extreme
| in the matter of protection, and III TINS
way make conditions for the very thing
which they innst dread. If the tender
system is made still more tender by the
weakening which follows excessive cloth
ing, there is less power OF resistance 70
outside influence and the cold fastehs r.
self on the child in spite of All tic care.
One Of Boston's most famous PLY slcla'r'
used to say that there never coufd be IL
cold without a previous condition of over
| heating: so the perpleXed mother VINO
''cannot for the life of her see where
baby got that cold,'' will discover, If she
will consider the matter, honestly. that
| Ill for fIrn
clothing the little one too warmly.
The mother has to exercise common
SENSE and discretion in the matter of
regulating the baby's clothing. and either
add or FsiiiDye garment. az the weather
conditions .clidhge: There IS only one
thing which should rell;lln the same our
| ing both summer ahd winter. and that IS
the flannel or knitted weolen abdominal
band. That should be worn Until the
child has gone entirely through the, pc
Rod of teething, and even longer, II there
is a natural tendency to weakness of the
digestive organs. That these are even
more needed in the hot weather than IL,
winter is amply proven by the fact that
| the surgeons ordered the soldiers on duty
in Cuba during the hot months to wear
| them, and that, when the order was
obeyed. there was longer resistance
against the dyse1iteric troubles. "A sud-
den chill during tile hot months may ne
/
is warm and protected, Many ADULTS
wear these bands during the stl,pnier. and
claim that it renders them almost abSo-
lutely immune from the special troubles
of the season. Be sure that these balids,
| if made of flannel, be made of {! sol.
quality, which will not harden anu SUI, Il
! fen i'm washing But the best KIND OF
| band is the one knitted from Shetland
WOOL This is light and soft, and yet
warm and sufficiently protecting:
Babies heads are generally Kept too
warm. which, considering the natural
tendency of the little ones to nervous ex-
element. and the rapid circulation OF the
hlond in infancy, is very bad practice.
Nervous excitaEility, and with it the
liability To convulsions. is much increased
;f babv's head is kept very warm, anu
any accidental irritation is. under the cir
cumstances, much more liable to be fot-
lowed with serious results, such as
spasms, than under any other conditions.
| Fables do not require caps indoors III
these DAYS of warm houses. 1t is SIM
NV the retaining of custom necessary
when the houses were heated by fire
nlaces. and it was cold three feet from
| the hearthstone. Under those conditions
the cap was necessity; but now, wnen
the houses are at summer neat ourlhs
burden. When children are very young
and are carried from room to room, a
light handkerchief, or a corner of the lit,
tie blanket, may be thrown. over the head
to protect it from draughts while going
through the Railways, but removed as
soon as the danger from draughts is over
The absence of hair from the tiny
baby's head may be taken as natures
own indication of desire to keep the
head cool. The pillow upon which tn.
child sleeps should be of hair, rather thar
of down, and no thicker than is posi-
lively required With pillow. like. this
the head is kept cool, while with dow
pillow, which is soft and yielding. the
part of the head which comes i'll contact
with it sinks in and perspires freely
while the rest is comparatively cold, ant
there is liability to colds. just watcl
the baby does not suffer with heat, a:
you watch that she does not take cold
There is danger in both extremes.-Bos
ton Herald.