The Washington times., 1904-05-17
BOSTON BABIES
SLEEP ON ROOFS
Tiny AristOcrats Take Maps
on High PercheS.
NEW FRESH AIR TREATMENT
Strapped in Box Beds Little Ones Are
Also Placed On High Win
dow Ledges.

BOSTON. May 17-Putting the baby -
sleep in a box on top of the nat fooi
of 1t modern skyscraping apartment
house. or in the iron balcony far above
the sidewalk, or even in the broad VIII
dow seat of the upper story, at the very
edge of the precipitous height is the
newest method of fresh air training
which is developing among the wealthy
and aristocratic families OF the Back
Bay and BrooSline-
Many OF the modern houses OF the
better class are built with broad win
dow sill outside. which offers an ad-
mirable place for trying the new sys-
TEN. Other houses are ornamcntcd with
a handsome iron balcony in front OF one
or more windows, and sometimes on
more than one story. and these in
some respects arc preferable to the
sheer window sill, while the fiat roof.
which characterizes most Of the Back
Bay houses. is still more desirable from
point Of apparent safety and privacy;
but all three methods are largely used.
Perfectly Safe?
While the thought OF putting a baby
10 sleep on a window sill eight or ten
stories from the sidewalk is enough TO
make the ordinary person dizzy, those
who for the past year have pursued the
method speak of it with enthusiasm.
The method is begun when the baby is
not more than two or three months old,
and may be continued until the child is
FIVE or six years old. or as long as the
custom of having daily nap is contin-
ued.
1t is not devised especially for sickly
children. but for strong babies as well.
Little tots whose parents are strong and
Hnra \ r-fn1r
day in their brief lives, are brought up
IL this way until they cry for the out
door nap. When placed In the open air
they cuddle down quickly to sound sleep
and awake two or three hours later with
blooming checks.
The advocates of the method point
out several advantages. For the child
there is the fresh air of the open in
stead OF the vitiated air of the house.
This in itself cOnduCeS TO sound sleep
and good nature and drives away fret
fitness and peevishness.
Has It's Advantages.
It has the advantage over the car
riage ride, in that il avoids both the
noise and the dust of the street, as well
as contact with other children and the
always present possibility of contracting
chHdren's diseases.
For the mother or the nurse it means
the saving of many hours every day
during the life of the baby. for while
the little one stin gets the air the
mother or nurse is spared the long and
often laborious work of pushing the
carriage up and down the street. and
she has this time for other pressing
household duties or for recreation.
During the last winter, notwithstand-
ing the severity Of the cold. there were
very few days when babies were not
placed in their accustomed sleeping
place on the window sill or on the roof
1t Is interesting 20 note just how
these outdoor babies are dressed for
their window maps. Most Of the moth
ers or nurses wrap I'D the baby just
about as the Indian squaw wraps VI
her papOOse. Then II Is laid on a hair
mattress in box or basket. and
strapped securely TO the box. The strap
runs under the arms. giving them. as
well as the feet full freedom for mo-
tion. yet making il impossible for the
child TO W-iggle out. Then it is warmly
covered with blankets
Above the bed is spread an awning
shielding II both from the wind and the
direct rays of the sun.