The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-03-09
Care of the Baby.

The baby usually cuts his first
tooth when he is to months old,
and by the end of the first year, has
ordinarily, s teeth. He should have
IL teeth at 18 months of age; Is
when he is two years old, and before
the end of the third year the entire
set Of 20 milk teeth.
The process of teething in a
healthy baby cannot properly be held
responsible for the illness commonly
attributed to it. The first half-doz-
en- teeth rarely give the baby any
pain, but as the double teeth appear
there is occasionally at the same
time little disturbance, such as loss
of appetite, and possibly evidence Of
slight Indigestion, which may last for
a few days. But If the disturbance
is more serious than this, some other
reason for it should be sought.
Teething takes place through the
weaving period and during the sec
ond year, when mistakes in feeding
are so often made which upset the
baby's digestion, even if they do not
make him seriously i'll. On this ac-
count it is often unjustly blamed for
making the baby sick, when the real
reason lies in the fact that he was
overfed or improperly fed, or perhaps
that the weather was very hot.
It must be remembered that ex-
cessive heat aggravates any i'll the
baby may have, and is quite sufficient
in itself to make the baby sick. 1t is
necessary in summer, therefore, both
on account of the heat and because of
the disturbances connected with wean-
ing and teething, to take great care
of the baby in all respects, and es-
pecially to feed him with great eau
ton. Directions for feeding the ba-
by are given in pamphlet called
Infant Care" which will be sent
free to anyone who asks for it, ap-
plying to the Chief of the Children's s
Bureau. U. S. department of labor,
Washington, D. c..
The baby may not gain in weight
during the cutting of his various
double teeth, but it is not serious
matter to have the weight remain
stationary for short time. The ba-
by will quickly regain the lost ground
when he is well again, and eating his
full rations.
The mother should never allow
anyone to persuade her to give the
baby patent medicines, such as sooth-
ing syrups to relieve the pain OF
teething. If they do relieve it they
probably contain opium in some
form, which is much worse for the
baby than the suffering. 1t is a safe
rule never to give medicine of any
sort to baby, save that which is or
dered by doctor.
From the time when the double
teeth make their appearance through
out life the teeth should have daily
care. For the baby very soft brush
is necessary and the utmost care
should be taken not to injure in any
way the delicate tissues of the mouth
when brushing the tiny teeth. After
the baby has several teeth, the moth
er should see to it that no particles
of solid food are left between them
after the baby has eaten. If the first
set of teeth is we'll taken care of, the
second set will be healthier, and in
addition the child will have been
taught a good habit that will last all
his life.
There is considerable variation in
the time that the teeth first appear,
but if the baby has no teeth by the
time he is one year old, he should
have medical attention to see if any
disease is causing this unusual delay
in the development of the teeth, or
whether it is due to improper diet.
One way to live without work is to
work somebody else.