The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1912-06-13
keep BABY HEALTHY
DURING THE SUMMER
Georgia state Board Of Health Points
Out How Summer Complaints
Of Children May BE
Avoided.

/ commonly ascrtbed TO 'teething.
1t cannot be questioned, says the
| Georgia State Board of Health, that
/ hundreds of infant lives would be
saved annually, if the mothers Of
Georgia understood more about what
is necessary to do to prevent these
diseases, particularly infantile diar-
rhoea, and would act accordingly.
If babies are properly fed and the
pron9r hygienic rules are carried out,
very few of them will have any bowel
trouble during the first or second
summer, regardless of whether teeth
are coming or not.
1 AS matter of fact, it is not in the
second summer but in the first sum
mer where the child has other food
than breast milk, that the danger lies.
Artificial feeding is, necessarily per
haps, much more frequent now than
| formerly: but mothers should remem-
Der this: Always nurse your baby II
! possible, for good breast feeding is
! decidedly the best food for infants
! up to the age of or 10 months.
Where babies are not gaining
weight regularly, they may need some
other liquid food, but under no cir
cumstances should solid food be given
! to babies under IL to 10 months old.
| Without teeth 1t cannot be Chewed,
and is bound to act as an intestinal
| irritant, nearly always causing trou-
BILE.
With the first signs of sickness dur
ing the summer-or indeed at any
time-the first duty of the mother Is
! to send for a physician; If possible,
one who has had experience in treat
ing children.
The vast majority of cases Of SUM
mer diarrhoea are caused by improp-
er feeding or overlooking. The child
may be given too much: the milk
may be too strong for its age; 1t may
be dirty and unsanitary. Food should
be given at regular and not too fire.
quent intervals: avoid giving solid
food too soon: don't give candy, SUI
gar, cakes or like sweets. Overlooking
1t is well known that corn, when bad,
hot weather. In hot weather reduce
/ the amount Of food and give more wa
/ ter WEAVING should be gradual, and
; not abrupt training the child slowly
to other foods.
Many attribute all diarrhoeaL trOu-
BILE in summer to teething. This Is a
mistake. Symptoms of teething, and
which are present only in the harder
cases, are fever, restlessness, sleep
lessness, often loss Of appetite, thirst
also caused by fever, and, locally,
swollen tender gums. A child with
these symptoms should be given less
and not more food; as a matter OF
fact it is often only thirsty and takes
the food because 1t is liquid. The
result of oyerfeeding In such cases ia
intestinal irritation, then diarrhoea.
III 20 ntI IN To q
1t should be given less food and more
water.
AS a general rule, with the ap.
proach of hot weather, a baby on the
breast should be narsed less often
and given more water between; II
on the bottle, pour out about one
fourth of the milk. replace with water
and make feelings further apart. CIV
ing water between. The clothing
should be light; give regular daily
bath, and, If excessively hot, 1t Is
more comfortable to sponge with q
little cool water two or three times
day After a child is three or four
months old, the flannel band around
the stomach is UNNECESSARY and un-
comfortable In hot weather, and often
affects digestion. It is more sensible
to put on light wrap mornings and
/. evenings, If the weather is cool.
When O. baby has a single loose or
green movement, or an offensive one,
it may be regarded as danger sig
nal. It means indigestion which may
soon become infection, then infiamma-
ton accompanied by the worst types
Of diarrhoaeal trouble. At this first
sign the childs food should be re-
duced decidedly at once. II symp-
toms are marked, all cows milk, or
any preparation containing it, should
! be stopped Immediately; a dose OF
Oil should be given and bowels wash
| ed out with a solution of two level
i teaspoonsful of salt to a quart Of
] tepid water. This should be given
with fountain syringe, being careful
not to hold the bag more than one
| and one-half to two feet above the
| baby, letting the water run slowly.
Babies under 10 months almost inva'
riably pass part of the water back by
the side Of the tube while 1t Is still
flowing In.
Where vomiting occurs give as
much water as possible; It will wash
| out remaining undigested food from
! the stomach. After this for eight or
/ ten hours give only one or two tea.
spoonsfui Of boiled water every 10 or
! is minutes, If wanted. A larger
amount would be vomited. Give nc
food for at least six hours after vom-
iting has stopped: then barley water
or rice water may be given in grad
ually increasing quantities, or broth,
or white of an egg and, later, when
the child is entirely well, 1t may be
worked back to its original food. A
weak mustard plaster on the pit OF
! the stomach, left until there Is q
rosy color, then promptly removed,
often ASSISTS in counteracting yomit-
ing.
No matter how high the fever, In
! pleasant, summer weather a baby
with bowel trouble always does bet,
ter outdoors than in a hot stuffy
room.
Great care must be exercised in
treating for fever. There. are two
principal kinds. With outer or sur.
face fever where hands and feet are
warm and skin hot, place cold applt
cations to the head, hot water bottle
to the feet and battle In cool water
In case Of inward fever where hands
and feet are cold and skin cool and
pale or notified. place cold appiica'
tons to the head hot water bottle 70
the feet and battle in hot mustard
bath or wrap In towel wrung out OF
hot mustard water to bring the blood
to the surface A sense Of touch Is
unreliable as to fever. the thermOm-