Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1926-08-18
LIKED BABIES BOILED.
Some Mothers are Serving Their
Babies That Way

Babies That Way
"And how do you like babies, Mr..
Spencer" asked a friend one day.
Babies? Bah! l like them
boiled!"
Herbert Spencer, famous English
philosopher and scientist, was no
lover of babies. Tradition has it
that this was his reply to his
friends question after he had lis
tened to a long and enthusiastic dis
cussion on their admirable qualities,
at which he was obviously bored.
He had shot him a glance cold and
sharp enough to freeze him. and
then had fairly exploded.
No mother will subscribe to Mr..
Spencer's philosophy. In fact most
of them will experience a feeling of
repMsion, and will want to stop
reading this long enough to cast his
learned works out of the window.
But wait! While coroners' records
list few instances of mothers boiling
their babies, doctors and public
health experts tell us that many of
them are literally "steaming" their
babies every summer. And this be-
cause they are over anxious to pro-
tect the delicate little bodies from
Gods pure sunshine and fresh air.
This custom, or health idea, hanks
back to a notion that babies are
delicate little things that must be
protected with yards Of swaddling
clothes from possible chill breezes.
Babies are delicate-they must be
protected-but they must not be
either boiled or steamed" with the
same clothes in hot weather that we
use to protect them on cooler days.
Many mothers fear to change the
clothing of the baby, although the
proverbial old mercury takes gay
climb skyward. They are afraid OF
these Sudden changes" in wearing
apparel. And then the "steaming"
begins. Baby gets hot, perspirat1on
gathers on his little forehead and
trickles down his body, he breaks
out with prickly heat, refuses to eat,
and is generally miserable.
Modern medical science is break
ing down this tradition, just as it is
breaking down hundreds of other
false ideas about. health and child
care.
How much clothing does a child
need in summer? The question is
about as easy to answer as the age
old one, "How long is string?"
There can be no hard and fast rule
about this, no more than there can
be about the time you will begin
wearing your overcoat next fall. 1t
all depends on the weather.
One eminent authority on child
care says: "Only the thinnest gauze
flannel undershirt should be worn,
and changes in temperature should
be met by changes in the outer gar
ments. The greatest care should
he taken to see that children are not
kept too hot in the middle OF the
day, while extra wraps should De
used both morning and evening,
especially at the seashore."
The hands and feet of BABY are
safe gauges by which to regulate MS
clothing. If his hands and feet are
warm, then his body is sufhclently
protected. If they are cold, the
child should have warmer clothing.
This is a simple test, and as good
guide as the mother can find to gov
ern her in clothing the baby.
When beads of perspiration gather
on the child's upper lip or cling 10
the back of the head of even the
tiniest baby, and when crops Of
brilliant red pimples appear, the
mother can be sure that the child
is too warm and should regulate his
clothing accordingly. Remember
that there is no reason for fearing to
undress the baby as long as his
hands and feet stay warm. In
very hot weather, the only attire
baby needs is diaper.
Attention also must be given to
the baby's bed. When adults are
suffering from something they have
brought on themselves, people say:
HE made his bed; now let him lie
in it," But remember that with the
baby, you make the bed, and ne
must lie in it! So in the name OF
healthy childhood, let us make is as
comfortable as possible.
- A bed, a bassinet or carriage
whose solid ends and sides, or cur
tains, shut out the air, is certain to
be hot and uncomfortable in warm
weather. A bed may be pushed into
corner and safely protected from
draughts-but draughts, after all,
are very rare on extremely hot days.
Remember that the rubber sheet,
necessary protection to the mattress,
can become an instrument OF tor
ture on a hot day, and a depression
in the mattress deep enough to en-
velop the body will act very much
like a steam cooker. 1t is much better
to spreak thick blanket or pad COW
cred with rubber sheet on the
floor in a well-ventilated room than
to use a bed which will make the
baby uncomfortable and cause I'M
necessary suffering.
So if you disagree with Herbert
Spencer, and wish neither to boil nor
steam your baby, remember these
three things: Avoid handling the
child; use only enough clothing to
keep his hands and feet warm, and
arrange only such protection from
draughts as is necessary to keep the
body from chilling.