Mother's Remedies Part 147

The baby needs water as much as any adult person. Boil a fresh supply daily and cool and keep it in a covered dish or bottle. A little,--four to eight teaspoonfuls,--should be offered to the baby between each meal. It can be given from a spoon, a medicine dropper, or taken from a nursing bottle, and either hot or cold. This aids in overcoming constipation and teaches a breast-fed baby to use a nursing bottle, which will be of much benefit should sudden weaning be necessary.

During the second month his meals should be given every two and one-half hours during the day, having eight meals in twenty-four hours of three to four ounces at each meal. At night he should be fed at ten and two.

Meals for the Third Month.--Baby should be regularly nursed or fed every three hours up to ten p. m. Then have one meal at two or three a. m., and nothing more until seven a. m. If bottle fed he should be given three and one-half to four ounces at each feeding.

Fourth Month.--If the mother is nursing her baby, it is a good plan now to teach him how to use the bottle. Some doctors advise one bottle feeding each day from the start, for, should the mother's milk suddenly fail, or should she be obliged to stop nursing for any reason, there will be no struggle, which would be very hard for the baby if it happened in hot weather. Also the gradual accustoming of the digestive organs to the cow's milk before weaning must be commenced and does away in some degree, at least, with the danger from indigestion from the cow's milk given regularly.

Fifth Month.--Night feeding should now be discontinued; he should be taught to sleep from ten p. m. to seven a. m. There may be a few nights of crying and a struggle when the night feeding is first stopped, but he will soon learn to sleep without waking for his meal. He should be fed every three hours until ten p. m., and if bottle fed he should be given five to six and one-half ounces at each meal, making six meals in twenty-four hours.

Sixth Month.--The baby sleeps about two-thirds of the time. He shows signs of increasing intelligence. The baby should now accustom itself to taking either condensed milk or only the best prepared foods once or twice daily.

The mother may become ill or unable to nurse for some reason, or wish to take a journey, etc., and baby is then prepared for emergencies.

When the baby is seven months old he will need more exercise than a clothes basket will afford. An exercise pen should be made.

Teeth.--As soon as the teeth come they should be kept clean, otherwise they will decay, milk is likely to remain in the mouth, turn sour and gradually destroy the enamel of the teeth.

With a soft linen cloth or a piece of absorbent cotton dipped in a solution of boric acid wash out the mouth and teeth, twice a day at least, carefully. A soft brush may be used later when baby has eight or ten teeth, and a little finely prepared chalk may be put on the brush, if there are any specks on the teeth. The baby should have three meals in twenty-four hours of six or seven ounces at each meal, if bottle-fed.

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Eighth Month.--Baby should be allowed to creep on the floor a little or in his pen. It is good exercise and it will benefit him, but he should not be urged to do it. Many mothers give baby potato, etc., at this period; this is bad, as potato is hard to digest on account of having so much starch.

Bread and cakes are also prohibited; convulsions are often caused by such food. Milk gruel and broths are enough for the baby and he will thrive using them. Baby should feed every three hours up to ten p. m., six and one-half to seven and one-half ounces at each meal.

Mosquito Bites.--If baby is bitten by mosquitoes wash the spot off with a little camphor water, soda water, or a wet compress of witch-hazel should be kept on the bite or boracic acid or soda solution. Keep the baby from scratching the part by fixing his hands; scratching will further poison the part.

Flies.--They often carry germs of disease on their legs and wings, and they frequently light on baby's mouth or on the nipple of the nursing bottle. Diseases can be contracted in this way. The windows should be screened. Everything that the fly has touched should be washed with some light antiseptic solution.

Ninth Month.--His long morning nap should be encouraged and he should sleep in the early afternoon. If the baby is heavy his little moccasin or kid shoes will not now support his ankles and he should have a shoe with a piece of stiffening at the side. The shoe should have no heels; laced shoes fit better and should be preferred. The baby (bottle-fed) can take seven to eight ounces of the proper food every three hours until ten p. m.

Tenth Month.--He can now take a little beef juice, beginning with one teaspoonful once a day and soon twice a day; then increase to two teaspoonfuls at a time and keep on until he is taking eight teaspoonfuls daily.

This should be given between his regular meals. Some babies cannot take beef juice; orange juice may then be tried, strained through cheesecloth or fine muslin and be given at first in doses of one teaspoonful and increased until baby gets the juice of one-half an orange.

If the mother is nursing baby and he has been given one bottle of milk daily, as advised for a four-months-old babe, he can now have two bottle feedings daily. Every healthy baby should be weaned when one year old, and it is better to do it gradually in this way. The baby's food should now be given him every three and one-half hours up to ten p. m., thus making five meals in twenty-four hours of seven to eight ounces at each meal.

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Eleventh Month.--Baby can now have added to his diet another cereal like farina well cooked,--twice as long as the directions advise and it should be half solid when finished. Begin with one teaspoonful and then try two.

This should be given in addition to his beef juice or orange juice. It should come between his regular meals, which should now be given at four-hour intervals. He should take eight or nine ounces to a meal.

Twelfth Month.--Baby should go to bed at six p. m., and take long morning nap. He should have five meals a day of such food as directed later.

INFANTS' FEEDING.

What is the best food for an infant? Mothers' milk.

What is the composition of mothers' milk? About thirteen parts solids and eighty-seven parts water.

Name the solids? Fat, sugar, proteids and salts.

What is sugar? Milk sugar or "lactose."

What are the proteids? The curd of the milk, which is very similar to the white of an egg, and is the muscle making element in the milk.

Is it necessary to have all these elements? Yes.

What benefit is the fat? It is needed for the growth of the bones, nerves, fat of the body and also for producing heat.

Give the use of sugar? It is needed to produce heat and make fat in the body.

Use of the proteids? They are needed for the growth of the cells of the body, such as those of the blood, the various organs of the muscles.

What do the salts do? Help in the growth of bone.

What is the use of water? Water keeps the food minutely subdivided or in solution, so that the infant's delicate organs can digest it. It also enables the body to get rid of the waste material.

NURSING.

Should all mothers make an attempt at nursing their babies? Yes, as a rule.

What are the most important conditions that may prevent nursing?

Tuberculosis now or in the past or, in fact, any other serious chronic diseases; very delicate health herself. Some acute disease like typhoid fever or cancer.

How soon after labor should the baby be put to the breast? As soon as the mother is able to have it.

What is the food called that it then obtains? Colostrum.

What does this do? It aids in cleaning the baby's system.

Should the mother nurse the baby inclining or lying? Yes.

Does nursing drain the mother? Not if she is reasonably well. It is a natural process.

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If the mother cannot nurse immediately after labor, what should you feed baby? The baby will not starve in a few days. Give it warm water regularly every few hours, or a little cream and warm water.

Are there any impediments to nursing? Sometimes the baby is tongue-tied.

Is the baby ever too weak to nurse? Yes.

What should be done in that case? Draw the milk from the breast and feed it through a free flowing nursing bottle. Such babies are generally born prematurely.

Are the mother's nipples ever at fault? Yes, they are; poorly developed, retracted, that the baby's tongue cannot surround it to draw upon it.