The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1915-09-25
Importance
:, Of Rest
for Baby

/
| want Of rest.
A baby who does not sleep well is
really an anomaly, and yet a remark
able number of cases come under ones
notice where this is the case. 1t is
hard very often to trace this state Of
things to its cause.
Many children undoubtedly inherit
Gus mothers have often nervous babies
and as their influence is the potent one
In the early days as well, it is usually
in an environment calculated to further
enhance nervousness in which the mite.
finds itself
Apart from natural tendencies, too,
present day life, in towns anyway, Is
distinctly exciting to a baby. The
quick movement Of motor traffic out
doors, the brilliancy Of electric light
indoors-all mark very different state
Of things to the old days of leisurely
movement and candles. The sudden
switching on and off Of a light at
night is in itself disturbing or stim-
ulating to baby, and as it has to be-
come accustomed to such things 1t is
only common sense to reduce other
reasons Of excitement to the minimum.
For this reason, as a rule, a baby
should not be played with often, should
not have things ratified at it or dangled
before its eyes. The more near to a
vegetable existence the early days are
passed in, speaking generally, the bet
ter for the child.
Then the room in which the baby
sleeps must be well ventilated, but Sc
cure from drafts. And here may be
mentioned the advantage Of placing
the baby's cot away from the nurses
or mothers bed. Alongside" has be-
come almost a universal rule, but the
result is that the child is breathing air
more or less contaminated by the
grown up person, more especially as
the necessity Of Safeguarding the child
from drafts means that a free cur
rent Of air is. and rightly, absent. In
winter time. when the wicked microbe
Of the common cold Is abroad in the
land, the arrangement will have the
further benefit Of safeguarding the
small person from infection to a re-
markable degree. 1t is perilously easy
to lean over to a cot alongside at every
whimper or movement, to continue
night feeding and otherwise disturb the
long hours Of rest which are so bene-
fcial-nay, Indispensable the prog
ress and good condition of the child;
but 1t is quite another thing when it
necessitates getting up, and the child
Is more likely to have a chance Of
long, unbroken hours Of rest without
being deliberately taught to wake at
intervals. OF course, If baby is i'll or
anthing is the matter 1t Is another
thing.
No baby should be rocked or pat
ted" to sleep. The baby should be laid
down warm and dry, with every care
to each detail Of its comfort, we'll fed
and shaded from any light, even from
the first day, and so accustomed to go
TO sleep UNDECIDED and unrocked. Some |
times it will be awakened suddenly
possibly by some noise or exterior in |
fuence, possibly for cause which can
not be determined; do not Immediately |
take the child up, even If it is crying
although it is the ordinary instinct to |
DO so-but simply turn it over in its |
cot, soothing it with soft words as you |
DO so and giving it a teaspoonful or so
Of cold water if it appears hungry; this |
simple process, carried on in the dark |
Dr. in the same subdued light which OBJ |
-ained before, will in ninety nine cases
put Of hundred induce the little one
to go straight off to sleep again.
OF course a baby should be laid to |
sleep on its side in alternate positions
each night, and care should be taken |
hat the little ear is laid fat and not |
During the first two months of life a
healthy, well managed baby will sleep
almost all the time, waking only at the
'egular feeding times when probably
cry will give notice of the fact. Once
n the twenty-four hours it should be
allowed a lusty fit Of crying, so that
he lungs may be well expanded, and
,ood exercise given generally. The
lime when sleep should be least en-
is in the late hours Of the
lay, as by that means a sounder and
onger sleep is induced at night.
AT six months old two-thirds of the
lay Of twenty-four hours should be
pent in sleep, which means that six
cen hours is the proper time. This
'hould be continued until the first
when a couple of hours less
uff1ces. ten hours being devoted to the
waking time. This fourteen hours
leep is needed by children until they
re five years old, after which about
wo hours may be knocked of (Which
means practically in many cases drop
ing the sleep by day and having only
he long night Of twelve hours), and
fter the seventh birthday still another
our may be stolen from night for day,
Keeping Ham Moist.
Ham may be kept from getting hard