Delaware gazette and state journal., 1899-11-23
NURSERY COOKERY.
FOR THE BABIES.

BY Christine Terhune Herrick.
No household subject is more import-
ant than the feeding of children. None,
as a rule. receives less attention.
The progressive housekeeper takes
one or more monthly magazines because
they devote goodly space to the pur-
chase, preparation and service of food.
She turns eagerly TO the columns of her
daily or Sunday paper for the recipes
that a far-seeing managing editor has
appreciated would make his journal
popular with women. 1t is highly prob
able that she keeps a scrap book and a
manuscript cookbook of her own in
which to paste or copy directions for
dishes that please her fancy or hints
that will help her in the conduct of her
household.
ALI this is admirable. But how many
OF these women who are mothers have
book in which to note down sugges-
tions for the correct proportion and
proper compounding of certain foods
that are suitable for the small children.
the growing boys and girls of the home?
Even in this enlightened day there are
some uneducated mothers,-and some,
alasl who have not the excuse of igno-
. rance, who begin their course of impair
ing a cbild's digestion while 1t is still at
60 tender an age that 1t should know no
food beyond its mothers milk or what
ever substitute she is Obliged to give
aim. There is ground for hope, how
ever, that this sin against the child's fu-
ture health and happiness is less COM
mon than it once was, although the ef-
fort at optimism which such trust re-
quires seems little short of heroic when
one recalls the nursing babies one sees
In public conveyances, TRANQUILITY suck
Ing candy or a cooky, or pulling ON a
banana. Even in the face of these
sights it is still safe to say that most
mothers defer their period of neglect of
their children's diet until these have at
least Gu; their first teeth. Painfully
few, however, are the homes in which
the youngsters, by the time they are
allowed to come to the table, are not
permitted TO eat and drink the same
things as their elders and in such guam
titles as the infants themselves crave.
With this aspect of the matter we will
deal a little later. Let us return for the
present to the case of the aforementioned
infants in arms whose mothers are so
unfortunate as to be unable TO nourish
them with the sustenance Nature has
provided for the young of the human
species.
OF making infants foods there is no
end. 1t is not my purpose to institute
invidious distinctions by here commend
ing one at the expense of others. For
those required in special cases the
mother must depend upon the advice of
her family physician. Only, 1t is safe
TO lay down one ,Hinciple,-which should,
indeed, IL thersf e anything in frequent
repetition, be tshiliar to every mother
who is enous interested in nursery
iietetics to bsz low upon them any at
.ention. Until the child begins TO cut
his teeth he should never be given
ntarches.
This principle, as a matter of course,
rules out all preparations of farlna, ar
row-root, oatmeal or other cereals II
also tabooes the crust of bread or crack
er which parents and nurses. for some
unknown reason. always seem anxious
TO give to the infants in their charge al
the earliest possible moment.
The reason for this abstinence from
starchy food has been given as frequent-
~ as has the prohibition against their
use, bus in view of the apparent disre-
gard of both dicta il may be we'll to re-
peat the truth once more. During the
first eight or nine months of an infant.
life the sallyary and pancreatic Juices
which accomplish the digestion OF
starches, are not fitted for this work.
The salivary diastase, or ptyalin, is tn,
first agent in the digestion of starches
With their conversion into matter which
can be absorbed and assimilated, the
stomach has practically nothing TO do
The work begun in the mouth is COM
pleted In the intestines. Many authori
ties go so far as to say that the child
should have no ,;tarchy food until he i.
eighteen months old.
ITO be continued next week.)