The daily sentinel., 1910-02-24
SCIENTIFIC sBAB|ES"
AND HOW THEY
ARE RAISED

Scientific babies are not neces-
sarily prodigies, neither are college
women, as many writers have aver
red, not qualified to be good moth
ers, says Van Norden's Magazine.
The experience of Mrs. William
Noyes, a college graduate, with her
son Leonard, now two years old, dis
proves both these theories and fur
nishes a new line of thought in the
raising of children for mothers of all
classes. IL proves. too. that science
is casting out and uprooting super
stitious methods and is leading the
mother to forego her selfish pride tor
the infants sake, and that ultimately
means better and stronger citizen
ship.
Leonard Noyes was not clad. to
begin with. in the filmy draperles
with which mothers delight to clothe
their children. He was never rocked
or sung to sleep; he was never cud-
died or shown off to an admirIng
company; and kissing was left entire
ly out of his scheme of life. His
mother had all the maternal instincts,
but science declares that these mani
festations of affection are harmful
to an infants nervous organization
and she banished them all-for the
childs sake.
To begin with, Mrs. Noyes before
Leonard's birth, made a layette SO
different from the ordinary one as to
be revolutionary, being composed of
loose, knitted cotton garments which
would not interfere with either his
circulation or his freedom of move
ment. His crib--not cradle-was
a plain wicker basket, light enough
to be carried from one place to an
other and small enough to be placed
on window sill.
/ Soon after the child's birth the
mother began to keep a record, sim
liar to those kept by nurses, of his
| treatment and his behavior under IL
She registered each of the natural
functions and every rash or pimple,
each cold or fever, each nap or spell
of crying went down into her book
AT regular intervals, she entered his
weight and measurements and made
| observations on his muscular and
mental development.
Convinced that too little rather
than too much food would be of most
benefit, she reduced his meals to six
a day. Just enough and not too
much. was her motto At two months
Leonard weighed IL pounds -
pounds above the average establish
ed by DR.. l.. Emmett Holt, the ia
nous child specialist. At three
months he was 81 pounds above the
average.
! From the first month he was sys-
tematically exercised. first by mas
sage. Later, holding him by the feet,
the mother began by letting him
! bend himself backward on her knee
till his head hung down to the floor,
and he supported his body by the
muscles of his feet and legs When
he began to notice Mrs. Moves fas-
tened wooden rod across his basket
and he entertained himself by pulling
himself up to sitting position by its
aid.
The average" babies observed by
Holt do not hold up their heads until
the third or fourth month. Leonard
held up his in the third week. Hollis s
babies do not laugh until the third
or fourth month. Leonard laughed
in his twelfth week. Holt's babies
do not reach for objects until the
fifth to the seventh month. Leonard
grabbed for pair of scales in his
fifteenth week. In his twentieth
week he began pulling himself up to
the sitting position by the rod fast
ened across his basket; in his twenty
seventh to pull himself up to his feet
and stand alone. in his thirty-third he
began to walk.
Everything that affected the
health or demeanor of the boy was
noted on a chart such as hospital
nurses keep, and this record when
consulted proved to be an infallible
guide in case of a recurrence of the
symptoms.