Evening star., 1944-09-07
Z 4 4 4
BABY PROBLEM.
Thanks to Mrs. r. M. M,

HstAAfs0s tW.f
Since have been reader Of the
column for some time and enjoyed
1t very much / wish to make q
contribution as well. To the mother
of the baby who will not give up
the bottle I would like to suggest
that she let the child get hungry
once and 1t will drink milk from the
glass. I had the same trouble with
my young son and that treatment
was successful. One day was sum-
cient and he never refused his milk
in glass again.
Thanks to Mrs. r. W.. Arlington J
In reply to Mrs. c. Els inquiry. !
was so successful in changing my
baby from bottle to cup at the age
of 10 months, ut which time she
had started stretching and snap
ping the nipples, as Mrs. c. E.. de-
scribes her 14-month-old child as
doing. However, I do not believe
there Is any magic guaranteed to
work for all mothers and babies. We
can only follow approved and sue
cessful methods as far as we are
able and to whatever degree the
individual child responds. 1 say "as
far as we are able" because while 1t
is generallF agreed that all babies
differ, We frequently overlook the
problem that parents also differ
both in physical energy and tenn
permanent.
While Mrs. A. may be able to
exact obedience from both her own
child and from Mrs. BIS child;
Mrs. B. may not be able to obtain
the same results, even though fol-
lowing the same procedure, because
she is temperamentally unsuited to
execute that method successfully
Even a very young child senses the
difference in the authority of adults
So any suggestion a mother wishes
to take from another, no matter
how successfully it worked, must
f1rst be considered from her own
point of view of will I be able to
% it,"
At the noon meal I offered my
baby her milk in glass (bottles
and nipples were all out of sight.
She refused it first mildly then with
cries, kicking and screaming. /
quieted her and put her in her bed
for about Is minutes. She was calm
by then, and We tried again Same
thing, more bed The third time,
she drank the milk, although not all
of it. but didn't press it. I COM
plimented her, petted her and we
forgot all about the fact that she
had drank only half of her allot-
ment. For supper, she again drank
only about half, but without any
fuss. From there on she not only
would drink her cup of milk, but
have refills.
want to stress, however. that she
had already been trained to drink
water and juice from a cup and
could drink very well. l think it is
unfair to the child to take it's bottle
away before it is thoroughly trained
to drink liquids from cup, because
it needs to be able to GET it's milk,
and only broken of the habit of
sucking it.
1lo"CNCA, tildl flly CARSll-
ence was unusually easy. perhaps
because she was quite young, Most
pediatricians feel a child should re-
linquiSh its bottle around year, ii
not sooner. From my poll of moth
ers, I have found that the longer
one waits, the harder it Is. One
child not weaned until Is months,
would not drink any milk Except
what he got in his food until he
was 2 years old Then he asked for
it voluntarily and is q good milk
drinker now.
One thing, "behaviorists' are
agreed upon. is that once you take
the bottle away, keep 1t away. If
you let the baby show you who's
boss by returning the bottle because
it is cried for, and because the cup
is refused, he has learned his first
lesson. or rather, he has taught you
your first lesson, as to who is going
to be the voice of authority.
I hope, Mrs. G. E., that you will
throw your bottles and nipples away,
put a small cup of milk on your
daughters tray, and offer it to her
at every meal. If she refuses it,
say nothing about it. Even if she
pours it on the floor, just wipe it
up without comment. 1t may take
some time, but she will drink it
eventually. And don't put choco-
late, sirup or color in it to entice
her. She will learn to drink it as it
is, and trying to coddle to a child S
Whims merely exhausts your in
genuity. You might put it in differ
ent cups or glasses, but that is as
far as l would 60.
Y
Branded PEACHES.
Thanks to H. R. H., Washington. J
Peel the peaches and pack tightly
with sugar. Use firm, not too ripe
peaches. A wide-mouth jar is neces-
sary. Close jar tightly, wrap in
,oou-cnonor onI cforo in cool. do III