Evening star., 1948-03-31
Readers Clearing House
ANSWERS AND QUERIES?

(From Mrs. C. S., Alerandria.)
To the reader who wrote concern
ing trip by car this April with her
husband and triplets age 1S months,
may give her a little advice from
experience? We took our 18 months
old daughter on $500 mile trip last
fall, most of which time was spent
on the road. We found that Septem-
ber and October were sufficiently
warm months, and perhaps April
will be too, to have picnic" lunches,
thereby relieving the strain of three
meals a day in restaurants. For
equipment we carried a camp ice
box which held cod liver oil,
jello, cottage cheese, strained baby
food jars, fruit, as well as sand
wich materials such as butter,
lettuce, luncheon meat, etc. We also
carried gasoline stove which boils
water in very few minutes, but |
seldom used this. We also carried a |
stroller which we used when we
wanted to walk somewhere that the
baby might and also used it at feed
ing time. We carried such other
items as rubber mat for bath tubs,
her own porringer and spoon for
familiarity, few toys and cloth
books. and her own preferred
blanket. We found that by taking
a minimum of clothes we could get
most things in the trunk of the car,
thus leaving enough of the back
seat free so she could stretch out
for a nap, and also climb from floor
to seat, thus affording her some
exercise while in the car and also
allowing her to satisfy the urge to
stand, so prevalent at that age,
which might be impossible if the
whole back seat were packed too
high. We were fortunate to have
a "kiddie koop' which we carried on
brackets on top of the car.
AS we were in the west, we found
motor courts to be more satisfactory
than hotels or tourist homes, espe-
cially as the majority provided
cooking facilities which permitted
cooking supper at night, breakfast
the next morning and preparation
of new supplies of jello, ETC., ETC. We
also endeavored to accommodate her
when possible and stopped occa-
sionally to let her swing in a play
ground, and if too fatigued spent |
half a day in one place; but she
was good traveller and slept we'll
in the car, liked to ride, and appar-
emily expended the energy she would
have used in motor activity on her
vocabulary as we found it increased
greatly in the month that we were
gone. I realize that one baby is a !
great deal easier than three, but
perhaps some of these suggestions
might help and I am sure that hav-
ing survived with triplets this long
and still being of heart to make a
long trip you must be very superior
parents, so bon voyage!
To Mrs. H. E. W., Vienna, con-
cerning linoleum on. the floor of her
children's rooms: I would not hesi-
tate g minute and would further
suggest that she run it up the walls
about 3 feet to serve as washable |
surface for dirty hands, a hard
wearing surface and one in which
tacks can be put holding the child's
own works of art or paper for draw
ings. Even the most conservative
of decorators recommend linoleum
for children's rooms, rooms for food
preparation and serving if there
are children in the home, for bath i
rooms, and halls and entrances. Be-
ing convert to linoleum, as of the
good new materials, I would put
it in my whole house with radiant
heating for warmth!
A few questions: What does a !
laundry, or some other successful
person, use to get black marks
off white collars? I have tried scrub |
brushes, soaking over night, rub
bing bar soap on while dry, and
weak bleach solution to no avail |
Is there any way to keep a child's
plastic bib from getting stiff and
cracking after about a month or
two months wear?