The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-08-07

done gradually. At first given one bottle instead of one of the breast feedings; after a week or two add an other bottIe9and then continue adding them until bottle feelings are entirely substituted for the breast.
 Never hurry the weaning. Give the baby time to get used to the new food When it is agreeing with his digestion, there is no be1ching of gas or splitting up of milk, and the bowel movements are soft, yellow, and smooth. If any disturban nee appears, stop the bottle until it is over. giving only the breast milk.
 A baby should never be weaned in the heat of summer. if it is possible to avoid it. He is much more likely to be made sick by strange food when the weather is hot than at other times of the year. Even if the baby has to be fed partly on the bottle the mother should nurse him often enough (three or four times a, day) to keep the breast milk from drying up; for if the baby should be attacked by diarrhea. the mothers milk may be the means of saving his life.
 Some mothers are able to nurse their babies full year, but many find that their milk begins to fail by the time the baby is 6 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. un- less that brings the weaning in hot weather.
 Babies born in the late summer or early fall should be nursed through the following summer, if the, breast milk is sufficient in quantity, in order 1 to carry them past the danger period in July and August. When breast milk lessens in quantity, it does not ! change in quality. By the addition fla 1ao ficient quantity can be made up. lit is som etimes quite difhcult to wean a baby and great patience is re- quired on the part of the mother, but l if the haby has been taught at an early age to take his drinking water from a bottle or from a cup. weaning will be easier. If the baby is nursed until i he is ten months old or longer, he should be weaned directly to a. cup. Earlier it 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 l for the bedtime feeding.
 Remember when feding from a cup. lthat the milk must be taken very slowly, just as slowly as when feeding from a bottle It is better to feed from small spoon than to teach the Ebaby to drinkJfrorn a cup.
 The second summer has gained the lreputation of being the most critical period of a baby's life largely because mothers are apt to feed the baby many different things after he is weaned. T Every much of the food that is given lthese older babies. is as unfit for them las artificial food is at birth.
 These improper foods cause trouble some, dangeroas and unnecessary ill., nesses which are aggravated by the T heat. Careful feeding would prevent most of them.
 ioIo 1ayS yxyiH f6e al with the feding ef/babies from nine Ito twelve months. and during the second year.
 fl When breast-fed baby cries a. good Ideal from hunger, and does not gain in weight thetmother3is apt to feel that her milk does not agree with him, and I so weans him, often because of the weII-meaning advice of some neigh Dor. This is a mistake The trouble is not with the quality of her milk, but with the quantity.
 Instead of weaning the baby she should increase her own diet, by drinking plenty of milk. eating eggs meat bread and fresh vegetables, and lby taking moderate exercises in the open air, regular periods of rest, and by avoiding worry and excitement This will usually increase the milk supply sufficiently. if it does not do so, the baby must be given some addi- tional food.
 This additional food, or supple llnentary,' feeding. as has been said is given when if is necessary to sup, lpIenent the mothers milk with one or more bottle feedings or for tht 51 purpose of weaning the baby. Cows milk is the only supplementary food 1 to use. It should be the best and cleanest milk that it is possible to get
 mixed with water and sugar as des. i cribed in the preceding article A verS much weaker solution than that nor
 nnaIIy required for baby Of the give1 age should be tried at first. increas ling the strength slightly day by da!
 if, the baby shows no signs of indiges
 ton, until the full strength food i Ireached
 To begin with give the baby on, : bottle in place of one breast feding If he shoVvssas gaiTfsin weight, this ma.
 be enough. If after week there i
 no gain. two bottles may be givel } each day The mother should mean } while be doing all she can by rest ant ! increased food to build up the breas g milk but if with all these measure 6 the baby still fails to gain or give
 evidence of illness the advice goo,
 doctor must be sought and followed s Do not delay in securing this advic -i until the baby is seriously i'll. : The preceding article gave direc f tions for the proper amount of mil s mixture for babies of given ages the mother desiers fuller infromatio 1 she may write to the Children's bu 2 reau of the<U S. Department of La bor, at Washington. D. C., for a bul letin called Infant Care, which give simple directions for preparing tn
 baby's feedings- ana shows wha
 amount will suit the baby of a give
 age. This book is sent free to every ione who asks for it. A post card re
 quest will do. The name and the ad
 dress of the applicant should be writ
 ten very plainly.
 Weaning from the bottle should be
 gin by the end of the first year, ar
 after the baby is fl months old h
 should have the bottle only when h
 goes to bed at night Teach him
 drink from af cup and eat from
 spoon.
 En zuaan a t,a l,,.- from tlae hoAtle hs