El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-06-26

dren's Bureau, Q. S. Department OF
Labor
w TEANING is the process by which
M breast feeding Is stopped and
w another food given IN ITS
nIsce It should be done gradually Az
first give one bottle instead OF one OF
the breast feelings; after a week OF Two
add another bottle, and then eohuii l.,-s
adding them until bottle teedmgs are
entirely substituted Tor the breast
Never hurry the weaving. Give the
babv time 10 get used to the new food.
When II is agreeing with his digestion,
there Is no belching Of gas OF splttlng
nm of milk. and the bowel movements
are soft. yellow and smooth: II any
disturbance appears. stop the bottle IN
tn it is over, giving only the breast
milk
A baby should never be weaned IN the
heat of summer, if 1t Is possible 70
avoid II. He is much more likely 70
he made sick BY a strange food when
the weather is hot than at other times
of the year. Even If the baby has 70
be fed partly on the bottle, the mother
should nurse him often enough thIee
or four times a day. to keep the breast
milk from driving up; for if the baby
should be attacked by diarThea, the
mothers milk may be the means OF
saving his life:
Nurse Through Summer.
Some mothers are able to nurse their
babies a full wear. but many find that
their milk begins to fail BY the time
the baby is s or months old, so that
some additional food will be required
Practically all babies should be entirely
weaned from the breast by the time
they are a year old, unless that brings
--o.wfur IN hot weather.
Babies born in the late summer OF
early fall should be nursed through the
following summer, if the breast milk IS
sufficient IN quantity, IN order TO carry
them past the danger period In July and
August. When breast milk lessons IN
quantity, it does not change IN quality.
By the addition OF a bottle or two,
therefore, the deficient quantity can
be made up.
Process Of WEAVING.
It Is sometimes quite difficult to
wean a baby and great patience is re
ouired on the part Of the mother, but
If the baby has been taught at an early
ace 10 take his drinking water from
bottle or from a cup, weaving will be
easier. If the baby is nursed until he
is ten months old OF longer, he should
be weaned directly to a cup. Earlier 1t
will probably be easier to use a nursing
bottle and nipple; but the bottle should
not be used much beyond the end OF
the first year, save for the bed time
feeding.
Remember when. feeding from a cup,
that the milk must be taken very
slowly, Just as slowly as when feeding
from a bottle. It Is better to feed from
a small spoon than to teach the baby
to drink from a cup.
Be Careful Of Feeding.
The second summer has gained the
reputation Of being the most critical
period Of q baby's life largely because
mothers are apt to feed the baby many
Very much of the food that is given
these older babies is as unfit for them
as artificial food Is at birth.
These improper foods cause trouble
some, dangerous and unnecessary Ill
nesses which are aggravated by the heat.
Careful feeding would prevent most of
them.
Later articles in this series viii deal
with the feeding Of babies from nine to
twelve months, and during the second
year.
When a breast fed baby cries a good
deal from hunger, and does not gain In
weight. the mother Is apt to feel that
her milk does not agree with him, and
so weans him, often because of the well
meaning advice Of some neighbor. This
is a mistake. The trouble is not with
the quality Of her milk, but with the
quantity.
What the Mother Should Do.
Instead Of weaving the baby she
should increase her own diet, by drink
ing plenty of milk. eating eggs, meat,
bread and fresh vegetables, and BY tax
ing moderate exercise IN the open air,
rerIllar DeriOds of rest and bv avoiding
worry and excitement This viii US
uallv increase the milk supply suffic-
iently; if it does not do so, the baby
must be given some additional food.
This additional food, or supplement
sTy" feeding, as has been said, Is given
when it is necessary to supplement the
mothers milk with one OF more bottles
feelings, OF for the purpose Of weaving