The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-03-13
THE MODERN lAYsrrE. .
The Average Baby's Outfit Costs One
Hundred Dollars.


Hundred Dollars.
One hundred dollars Is the price of
the average baby's wardrobe. A lay.
ette that was bought In Paris recently
cost $1,000 and there Is n society of
charitable ladies that finds 1t possible
for $40 to make up y perfectly ade-
quate wardrobe for babies With whom
dress Is not a matter of supreme mo
ment; yet the average mother who
does her duty by her infant Is obliged
to spend not less than 800 on a nice
layette, inclusive of the basket and
bath tub. as well as the bibs. This
seeming extravaganza is due to a ira.
dition that babies shall be dressed in
handmade clothes and it Is the ex-
penses of the hand work that makes
baby clothes so costly. The hundred
dollar outfit does not include tucks,
real lace or embroidery, but 1t does in
clude a thoroughly comfortable though
a far more limited trouseeau than
mothers used to think necessary.
Dresses, gowns, bands and caps by
the dozen are no longer boarded up
against baby's arrival, and the old es-
Innate for n complete layette is cut
down by half, while OF that half the
major portion is made on improved
patterns. The clothes have been great
ly reduced in bulk. and what the baby
evidently appreciates most is that they
are arranged to slip off and on with
the least possible trouble. Nearly all
the flannel used in the modern infant
clothes is of the new variety that is
guaranteed against shrinkage by ju-
dicious Interviewing of cotton; the
bands that are bound first about their
bodies are merely pinked at the edges
instead of being broadly hemmed, and
by day a gertrude and by night a pin
ming blanket take the place of the
clumsy flannel petticoats.
A gertrude is a nice little flannel slip
that goes next after the short. woven
undervest and the body band 1t is
sleeveless and low necked. and fastens
on the shoulders, so that when il is to
be adjusted or removed a hand slipped
under the wrapper or night gown un-
fastens it, and the garment is drawn
down and off without the least difficult
ty. At night the pinnlng blanket takes
the place of the gertrude, and is as
easily extracted. should need arise,
and in the laudable effort to reduce the
superfluous weight OF clothing, hens
are, if possible, done away with every
where. The skirts of the best made
garments are completed by buttonholed
scallops, and even the pinnins blanket.
which is split open all the way down
the side and folded up and pinned back
at night, so as to hold the lower part
OF the body in sort of capacious fan
mel sack, is scalloped and buttonholed
Oh all its edges. -
At the big shops where infant sup
plies have an extensive department all
to themselves the most charming pal.
Ihetto travelling baskets are sold. These
baskets are square and made wholly
of bleached palmetto woven upon n
framework Of tough light wood In
side fit two trays and yet there is
space enough for packing every stitch
of the layette and the baby's toilet ar
ticles beside. Two stout brass locks
hold the lid fast. and when in actual
travelling service the basket wears a
slip cover Of white canvas reinforced
and bound with white wash leather.
The top tray of this basket is lined
with blue sateen. covered with white
muslin ruffled with Valenciennes, and
into pockets and under flaps and straps
lit all the blue celluloid toilet articles.
Last, but nowadays not least, in the
important items of an infants outfit
are the white Turkish towelling or
flannel overalls that the nurse or moth
er puts on when bathing the baby.
Sometimes 1t is merely particularly
long and ample white towelllng apron.
but the best overalls are made of gaily
striped unshrinkable flannel long and
full in the skirt. high in the bib and
provided with bag sleeves TO tie at the
wrist and above the elbow, thus afford
ing perfect protection from suds and
splashing water-New York sun.