The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-06-22
Protect tho Babies.

trOC0CC tho bADlcSs
Press Bureau Board Of Control of
State Institutions Department OF
tuberculosis.
Des Moines, June Is, 1911.-Ow-
ing to the fact that last year 8S5
babies died of the cholera infantum
and a larger number more died OF
other preventable diseases and that
much Of this death was due to neg
lect in the care of the food of the
baby, this department sends out the
following bulletin by DR.. G. H. Sum-
ner, secretary of the State Board of
Health. 1t is hoped that every father
and mother Of an infant child will
carefully read and study this COM
munication.
THE hot weather of this season
Of the year is extremely dangerous
to the lives of infants and young
children, not only because of the de-
pressing effects of the high temper
allure in general, but especially be-
cause it is harder to preserve all arti-
cles of food, especially cows milk,
in hot weather.
For this reason it is especially i'm
portant that cows milk to be used
for feeding babies should be the pur-
est and freshest you can AFFORD to
buy. During hot weather, ice is alb
solutely necessary for the preserva-
ton of milk, where cold spring
house is not available. and no milk
should be fed to a baby which is not
cooled by ice around the bucket as
soon as it comes from the COW, and
it should be kept next to the ice I'M
til ready to be used. A little money
spent for ice may prevent illness and
it's much greater expense for nurs-
ing, medicine and medical attend
ance. Unless you are absolutely sure
that your water supply is pure, it is
safest to use water which has been
boiled for drinking purposes and for
the preparation of the 5aby's food.
In practically all cases the mother
can and should nurse her own baby.
Breast-milk is the natural food for
the new born baby. No other food can
compare with it. Ten bottle-fed babies
die to one that is breast-fed.
If it becomes necessary to feed the
baby either entirely or in part upon
the bottle, remember that absolute
cleanliness is necessary in all details
Of the feeding. Because some babies
have lived through filth it is no argu-
nent that yours will. AS soon as a
bottle is finished, it should be thor
oughly washed with cold water, then
cleansed with hot water and bOrax
Zone teaspoonful to pint of water)
and set aside in sunny place for
further cleaning before being used
again. If you have only few bottles,
and it becomes necessary to use the
same one for the next feeding, boil
it for few minutes with little soda
in the water before putting fresh
food into it. Never let the baby nurse
from the remains of bottle which
he has not finished. Take it away
from the crib, pour out the milk and
clean at once.
The care of the nipples is especial
ly important. The simpler, the safer.
Do not use complicated nipples, and
especially do not use bottle with a
long rubber tube. 1t is impossible to
keep it clean and it will certainly
cause bowel trouble. After bottle
is finished, the nipple should be re-
moved at once, turned inside out
over the finger and scrubbed with
cold water and brush kept only for
this purpose. After use always boil
the brush.
A bottle-fed baby should not vomit
if it's food is pure, unless it is feed
too much at a time. Vomiting Is usu-
ally a sign of approaching illness,
either one of the serious diseases of
childhood, or more commonly in hot
weather, of summer diarrhoea. Vom-
iting due to this cause may be the
first sign of trouble. If vomiting is
repeated, stop feeding milk, give
water which has been boiled, cool or
at the temperature the milk is given,
and consult your doctor at once"
G. H. Sumner, M. D., Secretary.