The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-12-13
MUIR cry COOK cry.
FOR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN.
BY Christine Terhune Herrick.
Continued from last week.)

Continued from last week)
Until the be by is a year or so old, it
Is comparatively easy matter TO reg
ulate his diet. Milk and prepared foods
seem natural and obvious, and If it is a
first child, the mother has often whole
some dread of consequences that move
her to stick to a simple regimen. If
she oversteps this at all, it is probably
by giving the baby something like a
ell-picked chicken bone or. hard
cracker to suck on, which if it does him
no good is not likely to work him any
especial harm. Thus the foundations,
at least, are laid of a healthy digestion.
When the child is old enough to come
to the table the mischief is likely to be-
gin. This is neither the time nor the
place to descant upon the comfort to
the parent of habits of obedience in the
child But it may at least be said that
when these have been inculcated, the
task of regulating the little ones eating
is greatly lessened. He does not make
a stir by his protests when certain arti-
cle5 of food are denied him. but accepts
the mothers decision as absolute, in
this as in other things.
A great deal of nonsense is talked
about the cruelty shown to small chill
dren in refusing them dishes that they
see their elders eat. The parallel Of poor
old Tantalus Is much overworked in
this connection. Parents should bear in
mind that there is a great difference
between the impulse that makes the
child beg for olives or pickles, and the
inclination of their own appetites in the
same direction. With the child the re-
quest is born of curiosity and the imi
tativeness that evolutionists would say
he derived from the monkey strain in his
makeup. He is ignorant of the taste
of the thing he demands and its re-
fusal is no cruelty to a craving, for
this he does not feel. 1t is merely a
| check upon his curiosity and his de-
| sire to copy his neighborS. When he
| has once been granted a sample of a
| coveted dainty, the bars are down. The
| assertion that the baby cannot have
this or that because it. is not good for
| him has lost its force. If the flavor of
! the food has been pleasing to the baby
| palate, the parent has created a taste
| which possibly she cannot crafty with
| our injury to the child. Should he fail
| to relish the mOrsel he has still learned
| no lesson for since his request has
| been once granted, he sees no reason
| why he should not beg to Try any dish
| that takes his fancy
Thus docs the mother make trouble for
herself. On the other hand, if she holds
| firm against the coaXing of baby fin
gers, the pleading of baby lips and eyes
she is smoothing her own path as well
as his It will not take him long to Learn
that mama's NO, no, that is not good
for babies" is final. After a while, he
will cease almost entirely to proffer
pleas he has learned will not be granted
The mother should accept as an in
ulsputapIe truth the statement so often
and authoritatively made by dietitians
that babies digestions are not small r
reproductions Of those of their parents
! Their gastric organs lack certain pow
| ers that they acquire with age. 1t is
| folly to do as some apparently brain
bereft parents have done, and begin to
accustom children of tender age to eat
the things that will be their food when
they are older AS well insist that a
young lamb or calf should devour hay
and feed when it Is but twentyfour
hours old.
One fond father of my acquaintance,
| who belonged to that unfortunately large
class of the community, who can never
be taught anything, carried this theory
to it's legitimate conclusion. From the
time his baby was two months old he
had it brought to the table, and fed the
harless innocent a taste of everything
he had upon his own plate 1t was in
vain that the child, with 4 semblance of
good sense that far exceeded his faith
er's actual possession of that rare Vir-
tue, protested with all the strength of
his infant lungs Vegetables, gravy,
sauces, tea, coffee, anything that could
be given in liquid form or was soft
enough to be swallowed without chew
ing was rammed down the poor baby 5
throat If kind nature had not pro-
vlded his stomach with a reflex action
in good working order, there would
have been early occasion for coroner's
inquest
(To be continued next week.