Evening star., 1931-05-21
Your Baby and Mine
By MYRTLE MEYER ELDRED.

To the mother whose baby has been
smothered in woolenS the moment when
these can be removed is always a ter
rifying one Dare take off his woolen
| shirt and replace it with a cot on one?
When can I take off Sonny's union
suit?
| With remembrance Of my own child
| hood and the cautious prohibitions not
to remove the long legs" until the 1st
of May, 1 can Sympathize with the
youngsters. Children are so active that
| they are twice as apt to take cold II
| dressed fer Winter when scampering
about in the hot days of early Spring,
than if dressed in accordance with the
| temperature. 1t is very easy to slip on
a sweater if the weather turns cool, but
| there is not much help for the child
| who runs and perspireS and then sits
down to cool off.
! There should be some safe rule about
| changing clothes that would remove the
responsibility from the shrinking shoul-
| ders of the elders. There should be
something definite for parents to cling
! to. But even dates are not definite
enough. The 1st of May, with the kit
tenishness of very young season, may
! be quite as chilly as the 1St of March,
so any rule to pull off the cold-weather
undies on the 1st of May would be all
wrong.
But we have one solid comfort. the
thermometer. 1t does not lie. If 1t is
20 degrees outside, it is literally in the
Summer weather zone, and children
cannot be harmed by being shorn of
their heavier clothes. Even SO, unless it
be damp SO degrees, is not really cold.
Many of U.S. dressed as for Summer.
keep our homes between 68 and 10 with
no feeling of discomfort The active
child, his blood circulating with the
swiftness of youth and Spring and soft
air, will find 68 degrees just right,
neither warm nor cold. So If We pin
our faith to the thermometer and strip
off woolen shirts from the baby and
heavy union suits from the runabouts
when the temperature is between 68
and 10 degrees we can be comfortably
assured that nothing terrible Is going to
happen.
AS for Summer, as the temperature
rises We ought to remove more and more
clothes. 1t is with good reason that chill
dren plead for the privilege of going
barefoooted. The delicious sensation of
cool earth on shoeless toes. the health
full stimulus of sun and air on feet which
! for months have been deprived of them
! has to be enjoyed to be appreciated
All children adore going barefooted.
Allow this whenever possible, and slip
| off the small child's shoes when he Is
playing in the sand pile, where he can
walk in the yielding sand with no dan
| ger of his feet being cut or hurt by
harsh clunps of earth or sticks or
stones.
The older child may wear sandals all
! during the Summer, and afford his feet
| the opportunity for healthful air and
sunshine. We have leaflet on How to
| Dress the Children in Summer" which
may clear up some puzzles in the mind
of a mother who wants a definite list of
clothes. A self-addressed. stamped en-
velope will bring this leafiet to you. Or
If it is the "Layet for the Summer
Baby" you need you may ask for that
| one. Both Of these leaflets are written
to give detailed information to mothers
| in the matter of clothes for both babies
and children during these next few
months.