The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-08-16
THE BABx,s VACATION.

and boats are carrying thousands or families to the seashore, the noun tains, or the farms for their annual vacations from the hot and crowded cities
 Among the host of travellers are many babies and young children. In , deed, it is chiefly ~on account of them that parents are willing to take all the trouble involved in the annual sum mer pilgrimage, the weariness of the journey, and the many inconven1ences of a temporary, home.
 They are, however, usually repaid by the increased health of the chill dren, and in the early weeks of Sep tem'ber the trains are again filled with returning families of happy children whose sunburned cheeks, arms and legs, and irrepressible spirits show what tonic fingers in mountainside or country spaces.
 Unfortunately. this is not always the case. Whether or not this change from city to country life is to be al- together beneficial or not depends up- on the sort of living conditions into which the children will come, and up on the character of the milk supply and the drinking water.
 Inamost cities, mothers, whether poor or rich, may have the benefit of carefully inspected milk and drinking water. In the country, it is a. wise
  before selecting the summer home. Flies and mosquitoes are two great enemies of the baby, affecting not merely his comfort, but endangering his health, and possibly his life. In going to the country. the mother should select, if possible, a place where the doors and windows and the porches are screened and one where water closets or some form of sanitary prtvy is in use. The latter improve ments are not. necessarily, very ex- pensive. and should be provided.
 The prudent mother will include a bolt Of cotton netting in the outfit she takes to the country in order that the baby's crib. at least, may be protected from insects.
 In going to a new place with a baby all the drinking water, and the milk. also, should be boiled if from a strange supply about the cleanliness of which the mother knows nothing. To travel comfortably with a baby, the first thing to be considered is his food. If the baby is breast fed no trouble will be experienced. For a bottle baby enough feedings must be prepared at home to last throughout the entire Journey, unless the trip takes longer than twenty-four hours. It is best to sterilize the milk for this purpose as follows:
 Stand the filled bottles in a kettle over the fire and let thew ater boil about them for an hour and a half. After boiling, the bottles should be gradually cooled. and then made as cold as possible by standing them in a pail Of cracked ice. They may then 1 be pScked in a small portable refrig- 1 orator. Many types of these have been devised, and may be purchased A portable ice-box may be made at | home as follows:
 Use two covered tin pails, one an | inch or two smaller than the other so that it may stand inside the larger pail. Fill the space between the two l with sawdust; put the bottles with cracked ice in the inner pail and cover both tightly, and make a canvas or flannel cover for the whole. To warm the bottle for the baby. 1 the mother should provide. herself with an enameIIed ware pitcher hold l ing a pint, which the porter will fill | with warm water from the dining car Set the bottle in it, after the water has cooled little so that the sudden heat will not be sufficient to break the bottle.
 The next most troublesome question on a long journey with a baby is how I to take care of the diapers. A seb- 1 arate bag or basket lined with rubber l sheeting. should be provided for them. and with them may be packed a small enamelled ware chamber.
 For a young baby number of in ner pads of soft paper or old cloth i which can be destroyed should be pro- vdded- When one Of these is soiIed wrap it up tightly in newspaper and tthrow it away. Wet diapers may be tightly rolled and kept in the rubber bag
 The two most common mistakes made in travelling with children are l k1 5 their food. In the hot summer weath- Ter, for a long Journey. the little child 1 should be dressed only in the sleeve less gauge shirt and diaper, with one thin outer garment A sleeveless. low necked slip of white china silk is best, sheds the dust and can be washed out in the basin when soi1ed
 l It is well to change the baby's clothing as soon as the journey be- gins, in order to have the regular out l fit clean to put on when leaving the train The little baby may go bare footed but an older child, should have | barefoot sandals to protect the feet from the cinders scattered over the floor
 Mothers should observe the same regular hours for feeding their cl1iI- dren as at home. One of the worst things she can do is to give the baby 1 cdlEA0S, CtIIluy, pdnaIlaS, sweet crackers, and the like, as so many mothers do to keep him quiet in the train Tsis kind of irregular feeding, with unsuit- able foods, together with the beat of the train. and the fatigue and excita- ment of travelling are very apt to up- set the baby and make him irritable and restless.
 An organized campaign for conscrip- ton will be started in England.