Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-08-06

4 LMOST every baby, no matter
~ how healthy, seems to have one
~ cross period every day. 1t
4 4 arrives oftenest between and
= in the afternoon. There are
often some definite reasons for the
baby'S restless walls. With the nursing
baby, the scantiest feeding is very apt
to be the afternoon one. The amount
Of breast milk f1uctuates with each
feeding The late afternoon nursing,
One may easily determine whether
because of the mothers fatigue, is COIN
cident with baby's audible diSsatis-
this is true by weighing the baby before
and after each feeding in the day. Note
on paper the gain in ounces. This
represents the amount the baby has
just narsed. If the amounts following
the 2 p.m. and 6 pm. feelings are much
lower than at other periods in the day,
those feelings offer an excellent time
to make use of Complementary feelings.
My leaf1et, How to Figure Compile
mentary Feelings" discusses the in
gradients and proportions of the for
mula. Any reader may obtain it by
sending a self addressed, stamped
envelope with each request to me in
care of this newspaper. --.
There are other reasons than under
nourlshment which may occasion the
afternoon screams. If the baby is i'm
oibing very ricn breast or cows milk,
there may tend to be an accumulation
of fat in the stomach during the late
afternoon Fat is slowly digested ele-
menb. Water. sugar. and proteins leave
the stomach first, fats last If feed
ing is given to baby before the fat
from the preceding feeding has left the
stomach. there will be more fat to
wrestle with BY the end of the day
this accumulation may mean a real
digestive burden
Undernourishment and overlooking
are best differentiated by noting baby'S
gains in weight during the week, as
we'll as after individual feelings. The
baby making enormous weekly gains,
seven or eight or more ounces is apt
to be suffering from overlooking. If
the beby's weekly gain is average, but
his - ms after each feeding show con-
side axe variation, he is probably
mere " cuffering deficiency at certain
feed 20
In :? EDITION to these causes. it IS
natural for the late afternoon hours to
DE the baby's wakeful ones during the
day. He has had his last nap and is
not yet ready for bed. An hour or 50
OF EakeluneSS brings him TO the END
of his patience He wriggles and frets
until his mother is tuning ...
There is no better hour. Winter or
Surmer- than this last one of the day
to give the baby some gentle exercises.
Let him lie on wide bed Let The
mother put her hand to the soleS of
his feet so thot he may push against
them end propel himself about the
Ltd. She NAV hold his hands firmly
and pull him to a sitting position slow
ly. She NAV flex his legs and arms
carefully. She may turn him on his
stomPch. SO that he may be encouraged
to lift his head
II he IS content to lie on the bed
and do his own stretching end rolling
and exercising. that is just as valuable
He should be free of clothes AS a
finish he NAV have cool sponge bath
in this weather, be daintily powdered
and fed. During this last tedious hour
he has been happily engaged and is
ready for bed This is better than
boisterous exciting plav that leaves
baby too highly stimulated to settle
down to quiet sleep.