The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-04-25

Sucking is necessary for the prop
err development Of the jaws, nose
and roof Of the mouth Here is =
comment:
"Your column is read with in
terest every day at our house. This
mornings paper really did evoke
further comment, at least from
me.
IN regard to the statement that
infants should not be fed from a
cup, | should like TO tell you of our
experience.
After a severe fever when my
little girl was six months old /
was unable to nurse her. An older
doctor suggested feelings from a
cup. Although rather hard to do
at first, she thrived and gained
weight.
I'VE held the child in our laps
and turned the cup towards her as
YOU would drink from it yourself.
There is a sucking motion and if
the child is exceptionally hungry
she nearly pulls the cup from your
hand"
Advises Cup Drinking
A friend Of mine, DR.. G. NJ.
Frizgen. who is the ''compleat ped
iatrician' and qualities as an au-
thority because he brought his two
children up on cup drinking and
has a picture Of them at the age
of six to show how healthy they
are. teaches all his students, so he
tells me, to train mothers to teach
babies to drink out of cup rather
than a nursing bottle.
There are several advantages,
the most important being that it
teaches them to eat. Thus there
is no hiatus at the time when the
baby begins to take more or less
solid food.
Besides there seems to be a
more regular alignment of teeth
in the cup drinkers than in the
bottle suckers. That some changes
are made in the mouth parts from
too vigorous sucking is evidenced
by another letter received from
Toronto:
81 have little son Of three and
one half years Of age. He has
never lost the nursing bubble that
appears on the upper lip Of babies.
He was weaned from the breast
at seven months and on a bottle
for two months. Will this have to
be removed, and if so in what
way"
am assured, again by DR.. Friz-
gen, that these sucking pads all
go away in the course OF time al
though he says he has seen some
persist even TO the fifth year.
Gets Enough Milk
Contrary to expectations and
pre-suppositions the baby who
drinks from the cup does not spill
most Of the meal. He gets all he
needs, as is shown by weight gain,
practically universally found in
cup drinkers.
1t is really Natures method. The
baby at the breast does not suck
the milk out from the mother. 1t
flows out in response to the stimu-
lus of the baby's lips against the
nipple. 1t is only at the end of the
feeding that the baby does any
vigorous sucking and this is an in
stinctive action which stimulates
the breast to begin secreting for
the next meal.
Along these lines have another
letter:
II am the grandmother Of 10
day-old baby boy who weighs sew
en- pounds now and seems healthy.
The trouble and worry for me is
this. The hospital nurse told the
mother to always put the baby on
his stomach. The baby, Of course
helpless, lies upside down, his face
pressed in the bedding, arms and
hands crushed under him.
There is no must about put
ting the baby on the stomach, but
that is the best and natural posi-
ton for going to sleep. II put on
its back it may stay wide eyed and
want to play. 1t also prevents
rubbing hair of the back Of the
head. A healthy baby is not help
less: turns its head on the side TO
get air. The arms and legs won't
get crushed. Most babies move
faster than you can keep them on
the stomach.