The Tucson citizen., 1902-04-24
FEED BABY SLOWLY.
ONE or THE MOST IMPORTANT FAC.
TORS IN CHILD REARING.
Reasons why Food should Not he
TumbIed Rapidly Into the Little
stomach--Advice which Applies TO
Grown Folks as Well as Bmbe~.

0mach--Advice which Applies to
Grown Folks as Well as Babes.
In the proper bringing up Of child
there Is nothing absolutely more i'm.
portant than this one thing-to teach
1t to eat slowly.
Every groom knows and observes the
rule in the care OF horse that rapid
eating is fatal to digestion. There are
all sorts OF patent managers to prevent
the horse swallowing his oats too
quickly. The man who has no patent
manger knows enough, when neces-
! sary, to put stone in the manger,
scattering the oats around 1t, 80 that
the horse may ,be compelled to eat
slowly. II the horses inclination Is
to gulp down water too fast, the care
ful man will put a big sponge in the
water, compelling slow drinking
A child's appetite. when he is al
lowed to eat rapidly, is always In ex.
cess OF his actual needs unless the
child is in bad health. The reason for
this is extremely simple. The child
Graves food because his body requires
TO manufacture new tissue. He is
growing, and he must not only replace
the used up tissues that his daily life
destroys. but he must make new flesh.
new muscles, new bone and new blood
every day. adding weight and size.
The sensation Of hunger Is not the
craving of an empty stomach, satisfied
as soon as the stomach In filed; 1t is
craving that is felt by the nerves all
over the body. This craving cannot
possibly be satisfied until the stomach
has begun the work OF transforming
the food into blood, flesh, muscles. etc:
consequently the sensation which we
call hunger persists long after the
child or grown person has rapidly alb
sorbed as much food as 1t really needs.
A million foolish parents urge their
children to eat great deal and always
let them eat as much as they want to-
Yet all of these know that famished
man taken Off wreck will eat himself
10 death IL allowed to do so. The very
hungry child goes to the same excess
| only In a lesser degree. The great
safeguard against that excess in eat.
ing. which kills 90 per cent of men be-
fore their time and which accounts for
90 per cent of children's diseases, is
slow eating
Nearly all children eat too rapidly.
They do 10 by nature. Slow eating is
matter Of education. But too often
I So 4e.un ~. An
child the habit OF eating fast. When
the baby is little. II Is fed one spoonful
| at time. Before II has time TO half
| chew or even guip down the first tea
| spoonful OF food another IL heid TO Its
iips. OF course 1t swallows what 1t
has In its mouth and seixes upon the
next moushful The habit thus incul-
Gated by foolish adults often ruins the
child permanently.
| Four factors count I'm the healthy a.
simiiation Of food. factors which par
erts and nurses should remember. Az
suming the food to be property prepar.
ed. thoroughly cooked and wisely &C.
lected, there comes. flrst, the work Of
the teeth. which prepare the food for
easy digestion: second, the action OF
the saliva. with which the food must
be thoroughly mixed i'm order to mini
mize tho necessary work Of the gastric
Juices In the stomach: third. the work
Of the stomach itself; fourth, and most
important. a proper supply of blood
aud OF heat
Force your child to chew slowly and
thoroughly every mouthful IL moth
Ing else will do. compel him at fire.
quent Intervals TO lay down bis knife
and fork that the importance OF pro-
longed chewing may be impressed upon
him. Don't allow your child to gulp
down water or any other liquid with
his solid food. II you allow him TO
drink while he eats, the salivary
glands will not act. They win not
need to act, for he will be able TO swal.
low his food easily when 1t IL made
moist by water.
You can't do anything to help along
the unconscious process which goes
on In the stomach. but you can do ev-
erything to help that process by at
tending to the fourth necessity. which
demands blood and the heat OF the
blood In the stomach. Allow no child
after eating to take violent exercise.
10 study or even to read an exciting
book. The brain has FIRST call upon
the service or the heart. and as soon
as the brain is excited the blood leaves
the stomach and goes TO the head. The
muscles also when too violently cx-
erted draw the blood away from the
stomach.
1t Is absolutely impossible for a child
Or a grown person TO digest properly
or TO get strength and vitality from
what he eats unless for at least half
hour after eating the stomach he al
lowed to monopolize the blood supply.
Children should be kept quiet i'll
some way. especially very young chill
dren, after they have eaten. la tho
case OF very young babies nature at
tends to this mercifully by making
them so to sleep as soon as they have