Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1949-08-19

Know WHAT ) SOOQ IOT DdDlSS.
AS a matter of fact, it's often
the people who are not parents
who have the most need to be
told about babies needs. Moth
ers and fathers in this day and
age are likely to inform them
selves on the rules of baby care.
It's the ignorant baby sitter, the
gushy visitor, or the opinionated
aunt or grandmother who may
harm the baby because they
don't really understand its
needs.
Grandparents and other rela-
Sves tsho have reared children
of their own are particularly
likely to do the wrong thing
with baby. You've probably
heard them say, Il raised my
babies without taking them to
the doctor every month or hav-
ing them immunized against
diptheria or any of these new
tangled things. guess l know to
take care of a baby" Well, may
be they do and maybe they
don't. But the people who know
the mort about babies are usual
ly the ones who realize how
little they know, and are willing
to consult the doctor.
The first year of baby's life
( far the most critical. In
~ J. days of large families,
0ust didn't expect to rear
all the children who were born
to them. Many died during that
hazardous first year of life =
from whooping cough, measles,
diphtheria, scarlet fever, or the
intestinal infection that used to
be known as summer C om-
plant" Today we've practically
wiped out several of those dis
eases, and we possess means of
lessening the severity of others.
A baby born today has good
chance to survive the first year
of life, if he receives proper care
and adequate protection.
I've been told by psychol-
ogist that people don't remem-
Der statistics unless they're
startling. Well, here's one that
~tsuld startle you. OF the 72,-
64 babies born in 1948, ap-
)roximately 1000 of tn e S e
,abies will die before they are
one year of age. The remainder
of the group will reach 35 years
of age before 1000 more have
died. if the causes of death for
the various age groups remain
the same as they were for 1948.
The fact is they will probably
live several years longer before
that second 1000 deaths occur
because of the reductions that
are occurring and will continue
to occur in deaths due to COM
lfnunicable diseases and acci-
dents, ct cetera. A still more
startling figure is that the death
rate during the first year of life
p .el not be again equalled until '
group attains 68 years of
4sl
Small wonder Is it not that
many public health authorities {
state 'The most important part
of any community health plan is }
the infant and child program"
One of the first things you ?
naturally think of in connection !.
with the care of baby is feed :
ing. The baby should be breast
fed if it is at all possible. The 1
bre,st milk of healthy mother y
contains nearly everything a d
young baby needs for nourish- 5
ment, in form that he can 0
easily digest. Nursing is good u
for the baby in another way, too. y
1t gives him a feeling of being Q
loved and protected. Breast n
fed labies are usually more c
healthy and more cOntented than n
those who are not fed by this n
taatH,l method. u
AS for hours of feeding, mod :,
ern baby doctors agree that - :,
feeding schedule should be ad- ., a.
iusted to meat the needs of the y y
baby rather than adjusting all =
babies to a rigid schedule. Most =
babies get hungry about every
four hours some need to be fed o.
more often and others less often. &c
Let the baby fix his own feeding e.
slhedule. There is no one plan II
tlat works for all babies, nor is to
rfere any fixed period during ai
which the baby should be 6
nursed. One infant may get all !"
he wants in five minutes. An y1
other may need to nurse as long ;ye
as twenty minutes. nc nc
In addition to breast milk, =.
The baby needs boiled water es- ~
Mcially in hot weather. A word ~
caution about the boiled 81, l
water from poorly constructed a.
shallow wells frequently has a if
very high nitrate content. We 70
believe this is usually due to the
act that surface water enters :.
he we'll. These nitrates ap- va
,arently do not harm adults but 'e'