The Omaha guide., 1932-09-17
KEEP THE WELL. CHILD
WELL"
A Story of What Happened When
We Let The Child Go on His Own
(by The Visiting Nurse Assn. Of
Omaha)

(by The Visiting Nurse Ass n. OF
0maha)
If your child looks well, acts
well, eats well, sleeps well, and is
well, do you see any reason why
his daily program should be SUI
pervised? When the nurse sug-
gests that we make a record Of
his health program, have you
ever thought the suggestion I'M
necessary, probably even a bit
foolish?
Well, if you have thought that,
You are not alone. Not so many
years ago, even Health Organic
atoms thought the same thing.
But listen to the story of what
really happened right here in the
United States-a discovery that
changed many peoples minds a.
bout what to do with the well
child.
Most of you know why we have
Baby Stations, don't you? Baby
Stations are not for the sick bah
les; they are for the WE'LL bah
les; they are intended to help the
parents keep these well babies
well. For many years, Health
Organizations have been holding
Baby Stations all over the coun-
try, from one coast to another.
What has been the result? AT
the age Of two years, hundreds
and hundreds of perfectly fine
splendid children have been grad
uated from these Baby Stations
every year. Can't you just see
them, these little two-year olds,
the finest lot Of children you
could find anywhere-plump,
rosy-cheeked, with perfect teeth,
happy, playful, never sick?
And how proud we parents and
health workers were Of them;
how proud of the good job we
had done. They were 50 fine that
all of us thought that there was
not another thing we could do to
improve them. And so not an.
other thing did we do for them
not until they were almost five
years old and ready to go to
school. That was three years
later. Then we had them exam
med to see if they were "all right
for school,.
What do you suppose we found
what do you suppose these hun
dreds and hundreds Of fine, hap
ply, perfectly well two-year olds
looked like after those three
years had passed? Can you make
a guess? Well, this is what we
found-and all over the United
States too. Instead of the fine
happy, perfectly well group of
two year olds, we found that
eight out Of every ten children
had something definitely wrong
with them! Some had bad ton
sils; some had enlarged glands:
there vel running ears; many
had decayed teeth; a large num-
Der was underweight; some had
defective posture; many were
nervous, cross, irritable; most
were taking colds easily and sick
frequently. What a sad, sad,
picture when compared with the
splendid, happy, healthy group
they were three years earlier
And why was this so? Just be-
cause we all wrongly thought that
those little children were so fine
at two years Of age that "there
WASH t anything else for us to do"
But why didn't the parents see
what was happening, you may
ask? Chiefly because it usual
ly takes a long, long time for the
results of bad health habits to
SHOW It is not until a great
deal of damage has been done
that we see the outward signs of
it.
To prevent the same situation
happening agin is the reason for
our Pre-school Conferences. Reg
ular supervision Of u children's |
health program will give no
chance whatever Of their slipping
down slowly into Danger Valley.
This is the ONLY way we can be
sure of their staying on top of
Safety Hill, if they are not right
on the very top Of Safety Hill,
bring them to Pre-school Confer
ence where we will work out to-
gether the best health program we
can for your children to get to
the top of Safety Hill as fast as
they can-and once there. con-
tinue their health program every
day so that we can KEEP them
the finest. healthiest. manifest
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