The Western outlook. [volume] (San Francisco, Cal.) 1894-1928, 1915-09-04
KEEPING BABY WELL
ESPECIAL ATTENTION NEcEs.
sARY DURING HOT WEATHER.
Many Ills May Be Avoided by Watch
fulness on the Part Of the Moth
er-Government Expert Gives
Advice Worth Needing.

Advice Worth Needing.
prepared by the Children's Bureau, o.
s. Department Of Labor)
Summer complaint" or diarrhea, is
one Of the most dreaded ills which
may befall the baby.
1t is the principal symptom of va
rious forms of indigestion. some of
them mild and some very serious But
any undue looseness of the baby's
bowels should put the mother on guard
against illness.
At the appearance Of diarrhea, the
city mother should take her baby to a
good doctor If she has no doctor, she
should go to the nearest infant welfare
station, where a competent physician
will advise her as to the care Of the
baby, and the nurses in attendance
will help her carry out his directions.
In the country, where it Is very diff.
ficult to get the advice of doctor,
the mother has harder problem. Be-
cause she is out of the range of infant
welfare stations, hospitals, and, often,
of physicians as we'll, 1t Is most i'm
portant to prevent every attack of i'll
ness possible, by careful attention to
the baby's food and general care.
A pamphlet which may be of help to
the country mother is Infant Care"
sent free to anyone mailing a request
to the chief of the chi1dren's bureau,
U. s. department of labor, Washing
ton, D. c. This pamphlet contains
simple directions for the care and
feeding of the baby, and suggests
some ways of dealing with various
emergencies.
The healthy baby usually has one or
two bowel movements a day. If this
number is increased to four or more
1t Is time to take measures against
sickness.
1t Is well to remember, however,
that the bowel movements of a baby
fed entirely at the breast are normally
more frequent than those Of bottle
fed baby, and that slight increase In
the number of movements Is not so
serious a matter to a baby at the
breast as to one artificially fed. A
baby fed at the breast does not usu-
ally have diarrhea, and when such
baby shows signs of digestive disturb
ance, 1t is usually because he Is over.
fed, either he Is nursed too often, or
at irregular intervals, or is allowed
to nurse too long at one time. When
he does have diarrhea, the time be-
tween musings should be increased
to four hours. and the time at the
breast reduced to five or ten minutes.
If the bowels continue loose, the
for several feelings, If necessary, CIV
ing the baby instead cool drinking wa
ter at frequent intervals In this case,
the mother should pump her breasts at
the regular nursing times, both to
keep them from drying up, and to pre-
vent their caking.
Bottle-fed babies are the most fire.
quent sufferers from summer diarrhea,
and this fact furnishes another strong
argument in favor of breast feeding.
best treated by reducing the amount
of food. The bottle should be omitted
for 8, II or "a hours, according to
the severity of the attack, and in place
of the milk should be given as much
boiled and cooled water as the baby
will take.
Food should not be withheld for
more than "a hours, without the ad-
vice of doctor When the bottle is
resumed, the food should be much
weaker than before; water should be
substituted for at least half the milk
previously given. The milk should be
skinned, and the sugar omitted.
The return to the former feeding
should be made gradually by adding
little more milk each day and begin
ming to add sugar. The more severe
the attack has been, the more slowly
should changes be made.
If the baby is on mixed feeding,
that is, partly breast and partly bot
tie fed, the bottle feelings should be
omitted if diarrhea appears, and the
breast given once in four or five hours,
with nothing but drinking water be-
tween meals.
Diarrhea Is much more frequent In
July and August than in the cooler
months of the year, which fact has
earned for it the name of summer
complaint" Accordingly the mother
should use every means in her power
during the hot weather to keep the
baby cool In the heat of the day the
baby should wear only diaper, with
possibly one other thin garment.
Frequent cool spongings and at least
one full tub bath each day, plenty OF
sleep, and constant supply Of fresh
air will help to protect the baby from
the excessive heat, and keep him well.