Evening star., 1915-01-10

avoided, as they poison the air OF even .
large room in a short time. An open
crate is admirable as it affords additional
heat when necessary, and also helps to
keep the air IN the room in circulation.
A comfortable and inexpensive bed for
a very young baby may be made out of q
clothes basket. and directions are given
in the bulletin FOR its manufacture. There
are also valuable suggestions for the
management of bed coverings which, by
the way. should be warm without being
heavy. The blankets may be inclosed
in a cotton bag. with flap at the end.
which will prevent their being soiled or
stained and save constant washing No
pillow should be used. the baby can
breathe better without.
X
The other furniture in the room should
include a chiffonier or bureau to hold
the baby's possessions. comfortable chair
for the mother and two tahles-one for
ba by's scales a basket for his toilet ar
ticles etc. and the other. a low table.
to hold his bathtub while he Is being
bathed. There should also be a screen
to protect him from drafts. and. later.
a nursery chair and high chair may
be added. Care should he taken that
the baby be not left in his high chair
too long. It may result in grave harm.
A
Baby's bath should be daily event.
and should b given him in room
heated to about - degrees. He should
be protected from drafts. and the tenn
perature OF the water should ne SS 70
100 degrees, body heat Use very little
soap, and see that that is pure. Rinse
the skin thoroughly and dry with
soft warm towel Dry thoroughly, and
there will be very little need for pow
der. which should never be used as
cover for careless drying.
Baby's nose and ears should be cleaned
as part of his daily toilet. but care
fully, with q soft cloth. Always dry
carefully His mouth should need very
little care until the teeth come. Any
trouble or Inflammation about the eyes.
ears or nose should be brought to doc
tors attention Immediately.
Baby should sleep away most OF his
little life He should be put TO bed at
regular hours and taught to sleep
through the usual noises of the house
hold. Never, never. never give him
medicine to induce sleep. Mrs. west
cautions. Soothing sirups contain drugs
that are bad for the baby. she says ana
some are exceedingly dangerous. Don't
let him have anything in the nature
of pacifier and don't let him go to
sleep sucking his finger or thumb. II IS
never too early to begin forming
baby's habits. and 1t Is as easy TO make
them good habits as bad.
Regularity is most necessary to baby,
and the mother should learn as soon as
possible the valuable lesson OF lettlng
him alone. Constant ''fussing'' about
ba by makes him cross.s nervous and rest.
less; while the few minutes play which
the father has with him in the evening
NAV result in nervous disturbance, ana
unset his regular habits. Babies need
plenty of "mothering. and should not be
deprived of it, but they should be held
quietly, not tossed. tickled or excited in
any way.
inc xyh
crying for it. OF course. the cry OF q
young baby ought to be needed. for ne
has no other way of expressing MS
needs; but If, after due examination, no
real cause Is found. then let him cry. IL
usually means he wants to be played
with, have some one sit with him. have
a light or to be walked, and II ne gets
what he wants, it will soon become
habit, and a habit terribly annoying TO
the family and bad for the baby:
few nights of letting him cry himself TO
sleep will usually accomplish the desired
end.
Harsh punishment has no place in tho
,roper upbringing of a baby. He knows
10 right or wrong, but follows his natural
nclinations So, it is the part OF the
mother to guide his inclinations. his IN
terest and energy into wholesome and
normal channels. Many parents feel
that their whole duty is to thwart and
forbid. 1t is much more to the point to
foster right desires and tendencies.
Don't make useless prohibitions; give
few commands, but enforce those few alb
solutely. And let the training in the use
of individual judgment begin early. Re-
member that child's thousand eager
questions arise from a perfectly legitimate
interest in the world and the life about
him, and that he has the right to be
patiently and truthfully answered.
Mrs. West has included In her pam
phlet a list of some Of her ailments to
which infant flesh is heir, with sugges-
tions for their treatment. and notes on
the danger signals, which should mean
the immediate calling OF doctor. rms inns
of a mother who is unable to command
the services of physician at once. or
in any sudden emergency
Most babies are born healthy. II
properly fed and allowed to develop In
a natural way there is little reason
why they should be sick; and 1t should
be the aim Of all intellisent mothers
to learn how to save their children from
needless illness. To help the mothers
in this aim is one Of the great ends of
this little book.
An interesting section of the work Is
devoted to the care of babies in the
tropics Few people realize that the
reduction of the enormous infant NOR
taltty was one of the knottiest problems
which CONFRONTED the army upctoIs III
their efforts to clean up the Canal Zone
and make it habitable for Americans
After systematic investigation. carried
on in the hospital at Ancon. they have
mapped out a system of infant feeding.
suitable for tropical countries. which Is
proving very successful and which has
reduced the death rate among babies
tremendously. From the data obtained
in this Investigation Mrs. West has
CLEANED many suggestions Of value.
Nh "R 0M ~ M1H