Evening star., 1951-06-20
CRYING BABY.

ftfOm MRS. IA. ). D., S1tDef Spftng.J
This is an answer to Mrs. j. P.
LIS query on solving the prob
lem" Of her 1-month-old baby,
whose late afternoon and evening
cries can be quieted only by hold
ing him.
First, don't regard the baby as
the problem: it Is, rather, some
external circumstance which
causes the crying, I think. This
assumption seems to be borne out
by the fact that he is quiet when
he Is secure in his mothers arms.
Two months is a very difficult
age for a baby. His perceptions
are developing and he is getting
his first awareness of the world
about him at this age. Soon
usually by 8 months-he will make
his adjustment to his environment
and will behave like a model child
for 2 months or so. Then his
motor activity and his perceptions
carry him into another period in
which his adjustments to his en-
|vironment make him a problem
Ito a mother who doesn't under
stand that this is a natural corol-
larry Of his development.
So. although 1t isn't "conven-
lent" to hold him for hours al
a time, do so much as possible
until he passes through this diff
cult period. If he is allowed to
|cry for extended periods, it only
slows his adjustment to his en-
'vironment and makes it more diff
ficult. I think that it is possible
to comfort him without spelling
him, and informed medical opinion
recommends a little spelling at
difficult stages Of development
And I have proved 1t in my own
case, for my baby. now 6 months
old, acted just as yours does, except
all day long, from bath time until
the night feeding. However, by
a little judicious spelling, I've
gotten her through two difficult
stages, and she plays and sleeps
contentedly, without demanding
excessive attention.
(From J. E. L., WaShington.)
Having had a recent similar
experience with a new grandchild
! suggest that you check with
your doctor concerning the baby's
food. He may be troubled with
indigestion and insufficient nour-
ishment. From mid-afternoon or
he is so hungry and so uncom-
Portable that he Graves the
warmth and comfort of your arms
BY nine he is comforted, fed onct
more, and he is so tired that HI
sleeps. It was the same way with
our baby. Any one seeing her il
the morning said there was moth.
ing the matter, yet she did no
gain at all in three weeks o.
more. 1t took the third formula
to change a fretful crying baby
into a happy satisfied one tha'
gained 9 ounces in one week, ths
same amount gained in all ths
previous 6 weeks. Our baby j!
still eager for her bottle, digest.
the formula well. and is content
| to lie in her baSSinet awake IL she
/ is dry and in a comfortable posi-.
ton. She prefers to lie on the left
side. 1t took six weeks to make
any one see that the baby wa!
slowly starving and was in pair
from indigestion. Babies are not
born spoiled, nor with tempers
but they can become thin, nervous
cross babies from insufficient food
or the improper kind. A well-fed
healthy baby is happy, will lie in
its bed If comfortable and If ii
knows it will get attention when
it needs 1t.
SPINNER WASHER.
(Fronl Mrs. E. B., WashingtonJ
I hasten to defend a spinner
washer! Mrs. o. w. w. states al
her clothes come out too wet tc
hang. I believe it would be well
worth her while to have the spin
|ner adjusted at top and /or bottom
7 have used my three-letter spin
|ner for 20 years and find even
when I spin the clothes a short
time they are much drier than my
|neighbor's wringer- dried clothes
If the weather is foul. I spin
clothes longer and drying time is
cut down tremendously.
My husband adjusted the spin.
lner, but I am sure service cal
by a trained repairman would pay
for itself many times over. Mrs
w.. is losing what consider tht
most valuable feature Of the spin.
ner washer.
TEACHING CROCHET?
from Mrs. e. II. S., Washington. )
I saw something in your column
about making crocheted pothold.
ers. Is there any one who woule
teach a person the different style.
Of holders? I can crochet but an
unable to follow directions from
books. I would like to make soms