Mother's Remedies Part 157

What essential point should I consider in its use? The Jersey cow gives too rich milk, and it must be greatly diluted. Children who digest milk with difficulty should take it diluted about four parts milk, one part water, a little salt or bicarbonate of soda should be added. Do not give milk at meals when fruits, especially if they are sour, are allowed.

How much milk can I allow to advantage? For an average child with good digestion, you can allow one and one-half pints to one quart daily, including what is also used upon cereals and in other ways. Two quarts are too much, for a mixed diet will do better.

How much cream can I allow? Older children do not need so much fat as do infants, and cream, especially when very rich, often produces indigestion.

It is a common cause of the coated tongue, foul breath, and pale greasy stools, or biliousness so-called. Will not cream overcome constipation? It does so in some degree in infants, but not so much so in older children; and if it produces the above given symptoms it should not be given.

EGGS.

What is the value of eggs in the diet of this period? They form a very valuable food. They must be fresh and only slightly cooked, being either soft-boiled, poached or coddled. Fried eggs and omelets are prohibited.

Is the white or yolk more digestible? Generally the white in most children. This is a very digestible proteid and can be used to great advantage even in the latter part of the first year.

Do eggs often cause biliousness? Very seldom if they are carefully prepared and fed.

How often may I give eggs to the child? Most children at this period will be able to take one egg for breakfast and one for supper, with relish and advantage; however, some few children cannot eat them at all.

MEAT AND FISH.

What kinds of meat can I give to my child? Beefsteak, mutton-chop, roast beef, lamb, boiled chicken and fish, such as shad or ba.s.s.

What points should I consider in feeding meat? Most meats should be rare, sc.r.a.ped or finely divided, as a child will not chew it properly. Boiled or roast beef is best; fried meats should not be given to a child.

How often can I give meats? Only at the midday meal, at this period.

Do you think it causes nervousness in children? Not unless too much is given and too often.

[600 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

What meats should be forbidden? Ham, bacon, sausage, pork, liver, kidney, and all dried and salt meats; also mackerel, cod and sh.e.l.l fish. A child should not eat any of these until after the tenth year.

Are gravies healthy and nutritious? Beef juice or so-called "platter gravy" from a roast is very nourishing and desirable, but many of the gravies that are thickened are harder to digest and too much is given.

Only a small quant.i.ty should be allowed.

What about vegetables? Baked, boiled or mashed potatoes may be given first, but never fried. After the sixth or seventh year baked sweet potato, turnips, boiled onions and cauliflower, all well cooked, may be given moderately. They must be thoroughly cooked and mashed. This is the great trouble.

Can I give canned vegetables? Peas, and asparagus of the best brands can be used. They are often better than stale green vegetables.

What vegetables should be prohibited? Any that are eaten raw such as celery, radishes, onions, cuc.u.mbers, tomatoes or lettuce; corn, lima beans, cabbage, egg plant, even when well cooked; none of these should be given to a child under ten years old.

Can I give vegetable salads? As a rule none should be allowed at this period. They are difficult to digest and create great disturbances in children of all ages.

CEREALS.

What points should I consider in selecting and preparing these? They must be properly cooked and not used in excess. He should not make a meal of them because he is fond of them, and eat two or three saucerfuls at once.

Proper cooking is essential. Oatmeal, hominy, rice, wheaten grits need two hours' cooking at least, in a double boiler; cornstarch, arrow-root, and barley should be cooked twenty minutes or more. All the market preparations need cooking.

How should they be eaten? Usually with milk or milk and cream; plenty of salt, no sugar or very little--one-half teaspoonful to a saucer--syrups or b.u.t.ter and sugar are prohibited.

What broths and soup do you recommend? Meat broths are generally to be preferred to vegetable broths, mutton and chicken usually being the best liked. Almost all plain broths can be given. Those thickened with rice, barley or cornstarch make a good variety, especially with milk added.

Tomato soup should not be given to young children.

BREAD, CRACKERS, AND CHEESE.

What forms of bread can I give? Stale bread cut thin and freshly dried in the oven until it is crisp is very useful, also the unsweetened zwieback.

Fresh bread should not be eaten. Gluten, oatmeal, or graham crackers, or the Huntley and Palmer breakfast biscuits, stale rolls or corn bread which has been cut in two or toasted or dried to a crisp form a sufficient variety.

[ALL ABOUT BABY 601]

What kinds of breadstuffs should be prohibited? All hot breads, all fresh rolls, buckwheat and other griddle cakes, all fresh sweet cakes, especially when covered with icing and those containing any dried fruits.

Lady finger (stale) or a piece of sponge cake is all that can be allowed to children up to seven or eight years old.

DESSERTS.

Can I give any desserts to young children? Mistakes are very often made here. Junket, plain rice pudding without raisins, plain custard, and not more than once a week, a small amount of ice cream are all that can be allowed up to six or seven years.

What are prohibited? Pies, tarts, and pastry of every kind and jams, syrups, and preserved fruits; nut candy and dried fruits.

Can I give a little? No, for it develops a taste for this sort of food, and then the plainer food is taken with less relish. The little is soon likely to become a great deal.

A child has an instinctive desire for sweets, why not satisfy it? A child's fondness for sweets is not a normal instinct. A free indulgence in desserts and sweets by young children produces more digestive disorders than any other causes. It is a growing tendency and hard to control as the child grows older. The only safe rule is to give none in early childhood.

FRUITS.

Are fruits an important or essential part of children's diet? Very important, and they should be begun young. They have a splendid effect upon the bowels. They should be carefully selected, especially in large cities. A greater lat.i.tude can be all owed in the country where fruit is fresh.

What fruit can I safely give to children up to five years? Generally only cooked fruits and fresh fruit juices.

What kind of fruit juices can I use? That from fresh, sweet oranges is best. The fresh juice of grape fruit, peaches, strawberries, and raspberries may also be used.

What stewed fruits may I use? Stewed and baked apples, prunes, pears, peaches and apricots.

What raw fruits should be avoided? The pulp of oranges or grape fruit, also cherries, berries, bananas and pineapple.

What care should be exercised in regard to the use of fruits? In hot weather they should be used with greater care, and in children who are easily attacked with intestinal indigestion.

What symptoms suggest that I should avoid fruits? Looseness of the bowels or a tendency thereto, with discharge of mucus, or frequent attacks of colic (abdominal pain) or stomach-ache.