Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-11-25
HOUSEHOLD HINTS
The House or the Baby?

ssTF 1T were not for the babies / could
i keep my house in immaculate order
complained n young housekeeper She had
never quite become reconciled to the con-
fusion which the two very small and very
important young hopefuls brought into her
household.
Nothing ever looked in perfect order. A
cherished bit of china or bric-a-brac was
ever so often smashed carelessly by the
baby hands. Doiles and draperes were
mysterously pulled out of place. Small
items from the sewing room disappeared
constantly. only to turn up some days later
in n wholly out-of-the-way corner Worst
OF all, the innumerable Interruptions inter-
fered with her regular work, and too often
she had to make quick decison-should she
attempt to beat the cake with one hand
while she held the crying infant in the
other, or shall she abandon the cooking to
It's scorched fate in the kitchen stove?
One OF the hard lessons for the splck-and
span young housekeeper to learn In this: If
she must do all her own housework. Il is
foolish to attempt to keep the innumerablo
pretty but not wholly necessary decorations
scattered here and there. True, the doilies
and bric-a-brac and rare bits of decoration
are lovely, and she feels almost heart
broken to have to dismantle even In small
details perfect little home. But, It must
be remembered that all these little items
and cute touches to the house involve care.
1t is much better to put away in storage
tho precious little decorations-paclS them
out of sight for n few years until the chill
dren are old enough to know that certain
things are not to be touched, or until you
can teach them to handle fragile articles
carefully Far better to have them out of
sight than to leave them exposed where
children can break them. Indeed, 1t is bet
ter to pack them away and have the room
look somewhat bare than to have evelast-
ingly to say: Don't touch that, Baby" or
to become panic-stricken at eTery sound.
wondering whether that precious vase has
been pulled of the table and asmashed. Or.
becoming suspicious of too much peace, to
enter the dining room to find baby has
pulled the embroidered dolly off the table
and is putting kitty to sleep In 1t.
A house need not necessarily look bare
when unnecessary decorations are removed
Simple window draperes that are not so
exceedingly delicate as to be easily injured
II baby catches hold of an end, few fiow-
ers and plenty of sunlight are sufficient
decoration TO make CHEEKY room, and they
involve the least amount of work and worry
for the young housekeeper with small chill
dren.
Another point: II is not n good plan to
begin piece of work that must be finished
without interrupton-llke cooking, floor
cleaning and similar tasks-during baby's
waking hours. 1t makes work doubly hard
II you have to drop your mop TO rush out
and pick up baby, who is wailing over a
nav lump, and then to have to rush back
and pick up tools and wonder where you
left or in the meantime realizing that
II you do not hasten through your days
work will not be finished Important clean
ing and cooking which require watching
should be done while the baby maps. so that
the work is done without Interruptions
There are other tasks of the house which
can be done while watching the baby at play
like mending and darning or simple sew
ing
When there is a small baby in the home
and the young housekeeper must do all her
own work, she must face the fact that she
cannot possibly give the baby all the care
he needs, keep him and herself in good
health, cook proper meals and still take
perfect care OF the little decorated house
that was so easy for her before the baby
came. Isn't 1t much better TO let the deco
ratlons 60 temporarily and 10 give first
consideration to baby and personal health?
(CopyriEhD