Chapter II (7)

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 bass.

What points should I consider in feeding meat? Most meats should be rare, scraped 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.

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What meats should be forbidden? Ham, bacon, sausage, pork, liver, kidney, and all dried and salt meats; also mackerel, cod and shell 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 quantity 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, cucumbers, 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 butter 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.

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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 latitude 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.

At what meals should fruits be used? If the fruit juice is given upon an empty stomach early in the morning, it works more actively upon the bowels, than when given later.

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Is it wise to give cream or milk with sour fruits? No, it is not wise, it is best to give it at midday when no milk is taken as a dessert. The quantity should always be moderate.

Can I give anything besides water and milk to drink? Cocoa, if made very weak, almost all milk is often useful as a hot drink. Tea, coffee, wine, beer and cider are all prohibited under puberty. Lemonade and soda water should not be given until the tenth year at least.

INDIGESTION IN OLDER CHILDREN.

Different ways in which indigestion shows itself in children? First as an acute attack which lasts for a few days only; second, as chronic disturbances which may last for weeks and months.

Which is the most serious? Chronic indigestion, for it often goes on for months and even years unchecked, because it is not recognized.

The symptoms of acute indigestion? Vomiting, pain, diarrhea of undigested food, often fever and prostration.

What are the common causes? Over eating or indulging in improper food or too hearty eating when very tired.

Is it sometimes the forerunner of some acute general sickness? Yes.

How shall I treat acute indigestion? Give castor oil to clean out all undigested food from the bowels. Vomiting usually frees the stomach of food; stop food for from twelve to thirty-six hours, only boiled water being allowed. Let the stomach rest.

Can I then begin with the former diet? No, give at first only broth gruel, very much diluted milk or whey. Increase the diet slowly as the appetite and digestion improve, but this should consume a week or ten days in most cases before the full diet is resumed.

Give the symptoms of chronic indigestion (dyspepsia) in children? Disturbed sleep, tired, grinding teeth, fretfulness, loss of weight and flesh, gas in the stomach and bowels, pain in the bowels, bloated bowels, constipation or loose bowels with mucus in the stools, foul breath, coated tongue, poor appetite, capricious appetite. Some may think worms are present.

Common causes of chronic constipation? Bad system of feeding, prolonged use of improper food or improper methods of feeding, such as coaxing the child to eat, rapid eating, eating between meals, child selects his own food and lives largely upon one article of diet; indulgence in sweets, desserts, pies, etc. Improperly cooked foods especially oatmeal, and vegetables and eating sour or stale fruits. Exclude articles of diet which are known to be hard for children to digest.

How shall chronic indigestion be treated? Remove all causes such as bad foods, habits, etc.

Is it curable? In most cases, but the rules for feeding must be carefully followed for a long period. Medicine will not cure such cases unless the proper food is given in a proper way. That is better than medicine.

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How long must this proper feeding continue? For months, and with many children for two or three years.

Is medicine of any use? It will relieve the symptoms, but the main thing is proper feeding.

SLEEP.

Should a baby sleep with anyone? No, young infants have been smothered by their mothers. It is also a frequent temptation to nursing at night, and this is injurious to both mother and child.

How long does baby usually sleep at first? About nine-tenths of the time.

How should his bed be prepared? The mattress should be firm and soft, the pillow, of hair and very thin; you should change his position so as not to sleep always in the same position.

How many hours should baby sleep at six months? About two-thirds of the time.

How long should the daily nap be continued? Until about four years old.

How shall I put baby to sleep? Darken the room and have quiet. The child's hunger should be satisfied and make him generally comfortable and lay him in the crib while still awake.

Can I rock him to sleep? No. It is a bad habit and, he will readily acquire it. It will be hard to break, and besides it is useless and some times an injurious one. The same may be said of sucking a rubber nipple or pacifier, and all other devices to put baby to sleep.

What principal things disturb baby's sleep? Quiet, peaceful sleep is a sign of perfect health, and disorders of sleep may be produced by almost anything that is wrong with the child. Food and feeding cause disturbed sleep. It may come from chronic indigestion due to improper food. In bottle-fed babies it is often due to over-feeding. In those who nurse it may be due to poor food and hunger. Feeding three or four times during the night makes a restless baby. It may also be due to nervous causes such as bad habits due to faulty training, as when the nursery is light and the baby is taken from its crib whenever it cries or wakes, or when contrivances for producing sleep have been used. Any excitement in a nursing mother or child before sleeping time will cause wakefulness. Romping play just before bedtime and fears aroused by stories and pictures are causes, and children who inherit a nervous constitution are special sufferers from this cause. Cold feet, insufficient or too much clothing, want of pure fresh air in the sleeping room. Tonsils or adenoids may interfere with breathing in older children. Rousing a sleeping child from a good sound sleep, is a frequent cause of poor sleep. If a pregnant woman keeps herself in as good condition as possible, not only physically, but also mentally, she will not be likely to have a nervous baby; and if a baby is not born nervous there is no reason, at all, why it should not sleep well, for sleep is then its most normal condition, nine-tenths of the time. It will then depend upon the food and training it is given. The training many babies receive is enough to make them poor sleepers.

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Unnecessary handling.--Babies are wakened from sleep to show to friends who wish to see them at almost any and all hours. They are handled, petted, and made restless. Sleep is their normal condition and they ought to be given the opportunity nature demands. They are only to be aroused from sleep for nurse, bathing and clothing, and immediately placed in their crib, covered comfortably and warmly with all light shut away from their eyes and quiet about them. They will soon wake of their own accord for meals.

Rocking baby.--Rocking and shaking cause an increased flow of blood to the brain, and this should be avoided, for it of itself will cause sleeplessness. The brain during sleep is comparatively empty of blood; warm feet and cool head tend to produce sleep. Rocking, etc., is unnatural, and baby is made to receive and enjoy the natural. If the baby is sick the mother may take it in her arms and sing to it and coddle it carefully, but it is then sick. If it is trained properly from the beginning, rocking to sleep will be unnecessary; walking with the baby is of the same nature. See that your baby has warm feet and legs and body and a cool head, with comfortable clothes and good careful feeding, and it will sleep. Singing lullabies are soothing, but they do no good at first as the baby is deaf. Such lullabies are good when baby is sick and nervous, and then the mother is allowed and expected to hold and quiet baby. Sleep perhaps as much or more than any other item of nursery regime, depends on habit and mild but decided purpose. A lack of firmness in the early months of the baby's life may not only render its early years a burden to itself, but an annoyance, if not a nuisance to the entire household. Baby's habits are quickly and easily formed, but hard to correct. Dr. Tooker says: "An infant is as plastic as moist clay, you can mold it to your will. But you must have a will and a purpose and a plan, and make your judgment and your duty law."

But suppose baby will not sleep, but continues cross and wakeful and peevish; can I not give medicines to produce sleep? Never. If baby is wakeful and refuses to sleep, there is something wrong with your training, his clothing, covering, or his food, or he may be sick, he may not get enough food, etc., or he may have worms. If everything is all right and you have trained your baby right from his birth, he will sleep. Find out the cause and remove it. All soothing syrups, cordials, and quieting medicines contain opium in some form, and all experienced physicians realize the danger of giving these mixtures to babies. Babies have been killed by medicines which were declared to contain neither opium nor anything else injurious. They are often used. Remember that opium, laudanum and paregoric are dangerous for babies and old people. Careful proper training, allowing plenty of sleeping time, no waking at wrong hours, warm feet, legs and body, cool head, proper modified food, and especially mother nursing, with mother careful with herself, will give a good baby in nine out of ten cases.

Will children ever sleep too much? Not if they are healthy; you must remember a newly-born baby sleeps nine-tenths of the time; excessive sleeping may indicate disease of the brain.

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EXERCISE.

Is exercise necessary for infants? Yes.

How can it be obtained? A young baby usually gets its exercise by screaming, waving its arms, kicking, etc. It is a good plan to let baby lie in the center of a large bed, and with his long skirts drawn up, allow him to kick his little legs about for twenty or twenty-five minutes twice each day or one-half hour once a day. His clothing ought to be loose for this exercise. If the room is all right you can remove all clothing except his shirt, stockings and napkin; change his position sometimes and let him lie on his stomach for awhile. Of course this exercise cannot be taken after a meal and before the fourth month. Take a large clothes basket, put a blanket and some large pillows in it and prop baby up in a half sitting position for a little while each day, beginning with fifteen minutes, then one-half hour, and you can also at this time (fourth month) play with baby for a short time every day, but never just before bedtime, and the best time is just after his morning nap. Do not toss him in the air to make him laugh or crow; he is too tender and delicate for that. When baby is older and in short clothes, place a thick quilt upon the floor and allow him to tumble as he will; a fence two feet high which surrounds a mattress, makes an excellent place, or a box for this young animal to exercise his arms and legs without danger of injury. Before you put baby to sleep at night give him a warm sponge bath with a fresh band and shirt and he will sleep.

When, if ever, is crying useful in a baby? The cry expands the lungs of a new-born baby, and he should use his lungs a few minutes daily in order to keep them well expanded.

How much crying daily is necessary? Twenty to thirty minutes is not too much.

What kind of a cry is it? Loud and strong and infants get red in the face with it. Some call it a scream. It is exercise for baby and necessary for its health.

When is the cry abnormal? When it is very long and too frequent. It is not strong, but rather of a moaning or worrying nature or only a whine.

What causes such crying? Habit, temper, pain, hunger, illness.

What is the indulgence or habit cry? This is the cry of infants who cry to be rocked, or carried about, for a bottle to suck, etc.

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Temper cry? This is loud and strong and is usually accompanied by kicking, stiffening of the body, bending backward and is usually quite violent.

Pain cry? This is generally strong, sharp and quick, but not usually continuous, the features contract, legs draw up and the baby plainly shows symptoms of distress,

Hunger cry? This is a continuous fretful, pitiful cry, not strong and lusty,--baby looks hungry.

The cry of illness? This is moaning, fretful, easily aroused to crying. This can be distinguished even from a little distance before seeing baby, if you have heard it once. A baby who cries to get things stops when he gets them.

If baby cries at night what shall I do? See that he is comfortable, clothing all smooth under and about him, with warm feet and hands, and clean unsoiled napkin. If he is all right, let him cry. If it is habitual, find out the cause.

If baby cries from temper or habit what shall I do? Let him cry it out, you must conquer him or he will make of your life a burden. Be sure first it is habit or temper and then conquer him. I have seen many babies who cried from cause and I have also seen those who needed conquering.

But will not crying cause rupture? Not in young infants if the band is properly applied and not under any conditions after one year.

HOW TO LIFT A CHILD.

Grasp the clothing below the feet with the right hand and slip the left hand and, arm beneath the infant's body to its head. It is then raised upon the left arm and its head is upon your arm or chest. This supports the entire spine and there is no undue pressure upon the chest or abdomen, as is often the case when baby is grasped around the body or under the arms.

How shall I lift a child who is old enough to run about? Place your hands under the child's arms, at the arm-pits and never by the wrists.

Can I injure the child lifting it by its hands or wrists? Yes, it often injures the elbows or shoulder joints.

TEMPERATURE.

Normal temperature of an infant? This varies more than it does in adults. In the rectum it varies from 98 degrees F. to 99.5 degrees F., and a temperature in the rectum of 98 degrees F. or of 100 degrees F. is not of much importance unless it continues.

Where should I take the temperature of infants and young children? First the rectum, next the groin, the first is from one-half a degree to a degree higher than that of the groin.

How long should the thermometer be left in place? Two minutes in the rectum and five minutes in the groin.

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What meaning has the different temperature in a young child? 100 degrees F. to 102 degrees F. means a mild illness.

One hundred four degrees F. or over means a serious illness. The duration of the fever is more important. Slight causes often produce a high temperature in all young children which lasts for a few hours. There is then not much cause for alarm unless the temperature continues high or is accompanied by important symptoms of illness.

Is high temperature a more serious symptom in a young child than in an adult? No, for young children are very sensitive to conditions which produce fever and the thermometer often gives an unduly high idea of the severity of the symptoms. The same cause which would produce a temperature in an adult of 102 degrees F. or 103 degrees F. would likely produce a temperature of 104 degrees or 105 degrees F. in a child.

NERVOUSNESS.

What are the principal causes of nervousness in young infants and in children? The brain is a delicate structure at this time, and it grows rapidly, and during the first year of life grows as much as during all the rest of life. This needs quiet and peaceful surroundings and infants who are naturally nervous should be left almost alone, and few people should see them. Such babies should not play much. The poor little baby is often so tried by the attentions given him by older people that he does not know what to do, and as one author, a lady, says: "If he could speak he would beg for a quiet hour, and be perfectly happy if left alone with his own little hands and toes for his sole amusement." Babies of the very poor are less nervous than those of the wealthy and this is generally due to the fact that their mothers are too busy to constantly entertain and bother them. Children are better companions for babies than adults. Such little attentions given by the parents and relatives make sleepless and nervous babies very often. Playing with them before time and out of season, makes them not only nervous and irritable, but causes indigestion and allied diseases.

TOYS.

It is instinct for baby to put everything in its mouth. However, toys should be chosen that are smooth, easily washed and which cannot be swallowed. Avoid toys with sharp points like corners, or loose parts, small objects that can be pushed into the nose or ear or swallowed, such as coins, marbles, buttons, safety pins, beads, painted toys and those covered with hair or wool. Infants frequently swallow such wool or hair.

KISSING.

What objections are there to kissing babies? They are many and serious. No one, at least, outside of the immediate family has any right to kiss baby. Tuberculosis, diphtheria, syphilis and many other diseases are given by kissing. If infants are kissed at all, they should be kissed upon the cheek or forehead.

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FOREIGN BODIES.

If in the throat, examine and remove with the finger. If it has gone into the stomach, give plenty of dry food, such as bread, potatoes, but do not give an emetic or cathartic. An infant should have its usual food. A cathartic would hurry the foreign body too rapidly through the intestines, and in this way do harm. In the usual way it becomes coated with fecal matter and usually passes the intestines without causing any injury.

What shall I do if it is in the ears? If you can easily remove it with your fingers or small hair pin or crochet hook, do it. If not, take the baby to a physician. If it is a corn, bean or pea, do not wet it, or it will swell and become larger.

What if it is in the nostril? Place baby upon the table with its face toward a good light and use a hair pin bent right and pass this slowly and carefully behind the object, and pull slowly forward; or compress the empty nostril and have the child blow the nose strongly. If not removed easily, see a physician.

COLIC.

This is a very common disturbance in children, and is always due to disturbed digestion. It occurs in both nursed and bottle-fed babies, and may appear in the healthiest baby from error in the last meal, or error of diet or habit in the mother. Some mothers cannot under any circumstances secrete good nourishing milk, suitable for their children, and continued stomach and bowel disturbances with colic and emaciation follow its use. Such mothers should not nurse their baby.

What are the causes of colic? As before stated, it is due to indigestion

What causes indigestion? In nursing babies this may be due to some irregularity in the health or habits of the mother, or change in her dieting, and if the colic is not persistent the cause is not hard to find. Worry, trouble, sorrow, anger, overwork, and errors of diet in the mother often cause this trouble or the child may nurse too fast, too long, too much, or too often, or the milk may be too rich. If so, give baby an ounce of hot water before nursing. Hand-fed children are too often over-fed, and this produces indigestion.

What are the symptoms of colic? The child screams sharply; the cry comes suddenly and returns every few minutes; he draws up his legs and feet; the muscles of his face contract and he has other signs of pain. The belly is usually hard and tense.

What can I do for colic? First warm his feet and hands by placing them against a hot-water bag, or holding them before the open fire, turn him on his stomach, letting him lie on a hot-water bag or hot piece of flannel; pat his back gently to help up the wind and give him a little hot water with a medicine dropper and a few drops of essence of peppermint may be added to the water. If the colic continues, put ten drops of turpentine into a half teacupful of warm water, and inject this slowly into the rectum, and at the same time gently rub the abdomen so as to start the wind. If the wind is in the stomach, give him one-half a soda mint tablet dissolved in a tablespoonful of very warm water, or a little soda. If the attacks are frequent, the foods are too strong; use less cream or milk and more water. Regulate the mother's diet carefully if the baby nurses, and she should take some exercise out of doors, if possible, and try not to be nervous. Cereals, cocoa, milk, eggs, gruels made of corn, oatmeal; most fruits, not tart, and vegetables, with some meat, make a good diet for a nursing mother. The bowels must move freely every day at least once.

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MOTHERS' REMEDIES.--1. Wind Colic, Yarrow Tea for.--"Steep the yarrow tea the same as for catnip tea or any ordinary herb, and give as often as necessary." This is a remedy that has been very much used, and will help in a great many cases. It is perfectly harmless, and no one need have any fear of trying it.

2. Colic, Camphor Cure for.--"One drop of camphor in a teaspoonful of water. This remedy worked like a charm with my little girl." This acts quickly, and is sure to give relief as it warms up the stomach.

3. Wind Colic, Castor Oil for.--"Give large doses of castor oil." Colic, as we all know, is frequently caused by fermentation of the food in the stomach and bowels, and castor oil is one of the best known cathartics in a case of this kind. This can be given to small babies, in small quantities of course.

4. Wind Colic.--A New York mother sends in the following relief for:--"Give enough essence of wintergreen in water to make it taste for a small babe, and more according to age. For mine I give 1/4 to 1/2, cup of warm sweetened water. I have always used this remedy, as it was recommended to me by my mother. It is better than peppermint as it is not so binding."

5. Wind Colic, a Good Herb Remedy for.--Add enough water to one ounce of snake root to make one-half pint." Give in doses according to the age of the child. This is a good remedy, and has been used by many mothers with good success.

6. Wind Colic.--A doctor in New York sends in the following remedy for.--"One-half teaspoonful sweet spirits of nitre in one-third glass of water, for baby. Increase the dose for older children or adults. This warms the stomach, and is highly recommended."

7. Wind Colic, Cloves for.--"Make an infusion of 1 or 2 ounces of cloves. Cloves are warming, cordial and strengthening; they expel wind, and are good for the colic." This treatment has been known to give many a fretful baby a good night's sleep, and will be found very useful in homes where babies have this disease.

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PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT.--Temporary relief is obtained in attacks of colic by emptying the bowels of irritating materials, either by an enema or medicine. Peppermint, anise seed, catnip are effective, but may be harmful if continued long. Gin and whisky, warm, are good when the gas is in the stomach and upper bowel. It is always best to mix them with a solution like the following:

Bicarbonate of soda 40 grains
Aromatic spirits of ammonia 30 drops
Enough peppermint water to make 2 ounces

Put one teaspoonful in a cup of hot water for a child one year old.

The following is good to move the bowels:

Bicarbonate of soda 40 grains
Aromatic syrup of rhubarb 4 drams
Syrup of senna 5 drams
Syrup of orange 1 ounce

One teaspoonful two or three times daily is needed in sour gassy stomach, with constipation or foul smelling stools. Fortunately such medicine is not often needed if the mother is careful, or baby is carefully bottle-fed. When there is vomiting with the colic and the stools contain curds the food is too strong. The nursing baby should be given one ounce of warm water before nursing, and the food for the bottle-fed baby should be made weaker by going back one formula. Sometimes peptonizing the food for a short time will do. This is very good when the proteids (curds) are hard for the baby to digest.

EARACHE.

Many young babies suffer from this trouble without the cause being even suspected. It may come after a cold, an attack of bronchitis or pneumonia, and sometimes during teething. It often accompanies scarlet fever and measles. The child screams, presses his head against his mother or nurse, pulls at his ear as if it hurt him. If you press in front of the ear the baby jumps as if in great pain and cries aloud. The pain is likely to be continuous and prolonged.

What can I do for it? Heat is the best remedy. Wash out the ear with a hot solution of boric acid fifteen to twenty grains to the ounce of water, and then apply heat in various ways. Have the child lie with the painful ear against a covered hot water bag or heat a flannel over a lamp and place it against the ear, changing it often to keep it hot. A bag of hot salt or bran is also very good. Laudanum and oil should not be used unless ordered by a physician. As soon as possible after the first attack of pain the baby should be examined by a doctor and unnecessary deafness is often avoided by such action. For a more extended account, see General Department. Fomentations applied are often beneficial, especially of hot water.

(See Earache, Mothers' Remedies, etc. under General Department).

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CROUP.

This disease is treated fully in the general department; only a general outline is given here. This is a disease dreaded by most mothers. It is more distressing than dangerous. Its appearance is sudden and generally at night. The baby may have had a slight cold or have been exposed to a bad wind or it may have come on without any known cause.

Symptoms.--They are known to almost everyone. There is a hard, dry, barking, hoarse cough, generally with difficulty in breathing to a greater or less degree with a distressed look.

(For Mothers' Remedies, see General Department.)

Treatment.--If the child has eaten a big supper, it is well to give a simple emetic, such as warm mustard water, alum and molasses, or goose grease, or melted lard. Wring out pieces of flannel in hot water and put them on the child's throat as hot as he can bear them and change them often to keep them hot. Make a tent by spreading a sheet over an opened umbrella over the crib then place a croup kettle or teakettle close to the crib, directing the steam under the sheet into the tent so that baby may inhale the vapor, taking care not to burn him. This affords much relief. If necessary give ten drops of syrup of ipecac until vomiting occurs; a teaspoonful of castor oil should also be given and if the baby is constipated, give an enema of soapsuds and water. Keep the child indoors the next day.

CONSTIPATION IN BABIES.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES.--1. Constipation, Olive Oil Treatment for.--"Rub the abdomen with a firm yet gentle motion from left to right with pure olive oil. This is what the doctor told me to do for my babe of three years." This treatment will be found very beneficial as the olive oil is very strengthening and the rubbing will always give relief.

2. Constipation, A Pleasant Treatment for.--"One-half teaspoonful olive oil, one-half teaspoonful orange juice, three times a day after feeding."

3. Constipation, Prunes a Medicine for.--"Abate heat and gently open the bowels by the use of prunes. These should be fed to children more often. This would often prevent sickness. A very useful way of administering prunes as a medicine is to simmer for one-half hour, a few in water enough to cover, with 1/2 oz. senna leaves; remove the prunes, allow to dry and let the child eat them when needed. This is very good."

4. Constipation, Soothing Syrup Made by a Mother in New York for.--"One- half ounce spearmint, one-quarter ounce lady's slipper, one-half ounce rhubarb, one-quarter ounce cinnamon powder; pour one-half pint boiling water on the whole, mix and let stand to boil fifteen minutes, strain and sweeten well with syrup or honey. Give a teaspoonful every half hour, diminishing as the pain subsides." This will be found very beneficial in children, and may be used without any fear whatever, as it is perfectly harmless.

5. Constipation, Figs as a Medicine for.--"Grind up equal amounts of figs and senna leaves, put in closed jar and eat dry when needed." This will be found especially good for children, and most of them like it.

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CONSTIPATION may be caused by many things, inheritance, malformation of the rectum and other parts, errors of food in the mother and in bottle-fed babies.

What is the treatment? If the baby is nursed and the mother is constipated, she should at once change her habits and diet. She should exercise in the open air at least two hours every day, and have a movement daily, even if she must take some mild laxative.

What should she drink and eat? She should drink plenty of water, and pure rich milk, cocoa, eat oatmeal and cornmeal gruels. She should not drink tea or coffee. She can eat fruit, most green vegetables and some meat, but not much starchy food. Baby may not get enough residue in his bowels. Give him one or two meals daily of modified milk made up of oatmeal gruel instead of barley, and give him plenty of water between his meals. One teaspoonful of cream in a little hot water given before nursing is often beneficial, or one or two teaspoonfuls of beef juice may be given night and morning, After six months a little orange or prune juice may be added.

BOTTLE-FED BABIES.

Add a little more top-milk or cream to each bottle than the formula gives; do not pasteurize the food unless it is necessary; do not use lime-water, but bicarbonate of soda in proper strength in its place, as lime-water is often very constipating. Malted food may be added to each bottle for some time. If necessary, stimulate the rectum mildly; this can be done by holding the baby over a small chamber at exactly the same time after a meal each day and insert into the bowel a small cone of oiled paper, or use a small castile soap suppository. This may form a habit in a few days. Suppositories of gluten are very beneficial if used in the morning. The child should not be allowed to go longer than twenty-four hours without a passage. A enema made up of one or two tablespoonfuls of sweet oil may be given with a bulb syringe, or an ounce of warm water to which has been added one-half teaspoonful of glycerin, or one-half pint of warm soap-suds. Do not give it every day; massage the baby's abdomen. Your hand should be warm. Begin at the right side groin and make a series of circular movements with your fingers, lightly at first, and then press down harder as the baby becomes accustomed to it; work your way up gradually to the ribs, then across to the ribs on the left side, and down to the left groin. This can be done twice daily for eight or ten minutes at a time, and always at the same time of day, but never soon after a meal. Olive oil may safely be given for constipation to a baby,--from twenty drops to one teaspoonful one or two times daily, but castor oil should not be given for constipation, as after a time it leaves the baby more constipated than ever. Sometimes inserting your finger, well oiled, into the rectum, will produce a passage. For older children, decrease the amount of white bread, toast, potatoes, and give green vegetables, oatmeal, and graham bread instead, with plenty of proper fruit twice daily; raw, scraped apples are sometimes the best fruit to use.

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DIARRHEA. (For Older Children).

What shall I do for this trouble? Rid the system of the irritating matter by giving the baby one teaspoonful of castor oil. Then stop all solid food and give boiled water if there is only a moderate looseness. Keep the child perfectly quiet. If the attack is more severe and attended by fever and vomiting all food and milk should be stopped at once in children of all ages, and only broth, barley water or some thin gruel given. Castor oil is required for a severe attack. If the patient is an infant the milk should be diluted or stopped. In severe attacks with vomiting or frequent foul stools, stop all food for at least twelve hours and all milk for a longer time, and the bowels should be freely moved by a cathartic. Give plenty of water to drink.

Food.--Albumin water is often better than plain water or anything else. To make it stir the white of an egg into a pint of cold water. See that they are well mixed, add a pinch of salt and strain. Give baby one teaspoonful every one-half hour, and if he vomits all other food, give two ounces every two hours; barley gruel, wheat flour gruel, mutton broth may be given also.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES.--1. Inflammation of the Bowels, Poultice of Hot Mush for.--"Wrap the child in a poultice of hot mush. Place the poultice over the abdomen." A poultice of this kind retains the heat, and is very good for inflammation of the abdominal cavity, and would help to take away the soreness and bloating in the bowels that is always present in this disease.

2. Bowel Trouble, a Good Tonic for.--

Powdered rhubarb 1 heaping teaspoonful
Soda 1/4 teaspoonful
Sugar 1 teaspoonful
Peppermint essence 1/2 teaspoonful
Hot water 1/2 cup (scant)

Dose:--One-half teaspoonful every hour until bowels show signs of right color.

The soda and the peppermint will tone up the stomach and relieve any trouble present there, while the rhubarb will act on the bowels and carry off all impurities.

3. Bowel Trouble, Rhubarb and Licorice for.--"Compound tincture of rhubarb one ounce bicarbonate of soda 1 dram, fluid extract of licorice 1 dram, pure water 6 ounces. Give from one to two teaspoonfuls according to the age of the child." This will be found a very good treatment for this trouble, and one that has been thoroughly tried.

[614 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

RICKETS.

You should always be suspicious if your baby has no teeth at the end of the first year. A hearty baby should have six or eight, and if the soft spot in the head just above the forehead is as much open as it was for months previously you should be doubly suspicious. This soft spot should be closed in a well-nourished infant between the fifteenth and twentieth months. If in addition to this the child sweats about the head whenever it sleeps, cries whenever it is handled (unless it has scurvy or rheumatism) and does not like to play, the indications of rickets are very nearly conclusive. Rickets is a constitutional disease showing itself in different ways.

At what age does it usually occur? Between six months and two and one-half years.

What are the causes of rickets? Improper food, or inability to absorb the food, unhygienic conditions. Nursing babies who have a healthy mother are not troubled with this disease unless she nurses too long into the second year. Starchy foods, too little milk or other animal food, taking the infant to the family table and allowing it to eat whatever it wants, these are the most common errors in baby feeding which very often result in rickets. Babies who are brought up on condensed milk, or other foods that contain little fat are likely to have rickets. Insufficient clothing, damp and badly ventilated buildings, a lack of out-door air and sunshine, and inherited constitutional weakness, are other causes.

When do the most marked symptoms usually occur? Between the sixth or fifteenth months.

What are the symptoms? Such children are likely to be nervous and irritable; child's head sweats profusely at night, so much so that the pillows are very wet. The chest is poorly shaped and frequently has depressions at the sides, and little nodules or "beads" in the ribs where the ribs and breast-bone join. The child's head is also peculiar. It is often very flat on the top and measures more around than a normal child at the same age. The forehead stands out and the sides and top are flattened. The soft spot in the skull is large and late in closing. He is late in cutting his teeth. His abdomen is generally large and prominent, pot belly; his muscles are soft and flabby, and his wrists and ankles are enlarged a little later. He takes cold easily. He is pale and anemic, although he may be plump and fat, and when he begins to walk his legs bend easily, and he will have bow-legs. When he sits, his back will look as if curved and this alarms his parents, who may think his spine is diseased.

Is such a disease curable? Yes, if taken in time; you can arrest its progress.

Do they ever die of rickets? Very seldom, but they do not stand other diseases very well.

[ALL ABOUT BABY 615]

When and what shall I do for it? If you recognize the condition, have the baby attended to immediately by a physician. The food should be changed--such children require fats; very little starchy or sweet foods allowed. A baby ten to twelve months old can suck a piece of boiled bacon for a few minutes every day. Fruit juices can be given early, raw meat juice once a day. Give him his tub bath daily, and if he is apt to take cold easily he should have a little cold water dashed over his chest and spine, followed by a gentle brisk rubbing to start up the circulation. Sun baths are beneficial. Place the baby directly in the sun with his back to it, for an hour every day. Give him plenty of air and sunshine, both indoors and outdoors.

Medicine.--Cod liver oil is an excellent remedy with the hypophosphites. Cod liver oil alone with calcarea phosphoricum 3X (homeopathic) is splendid treatment also. The whole treatment must be continued for months--calcarea phos. four times daily.

SCURVY.--This disease is sometimes seen in infants. It attacks infants who have been fed for a long time on a proprietary food or else on milk that has been over sterilized. Nursing children seldom have it, or those who have been properly fed on modified cows' milk. Babies who are delicate and poorly nourished are more subject to it. The first symptoms a mother notices is that it seems to hurt very much when his legs are touched; sometimes both hurt, and then again only one is painful; at other times the arms will be most painful and again both arms and legs seem to pain alike. So it goes on; the joints enlarge somewhat and sometimes little red spots appear just under the skin and very often the gums will become red and spongy; this is especially noticeable around the incisor teeth of the upper gums, if they have already appeared. Rheumatism is very rarely seen so early and with that, there is generally fever.

Treatment.--A cure is soon affected. Stop the patent food at once, or if the milk has been sterilized, it must be discontinued and the baby put on unsterilized milk diluted to the proper strength for his special age. Strained juice of an orange should be given him every day; if under six months he can have the juice of one-half an orange; over that the juice of one orange. This is given in intervals during the day. Beef juice is good, about two ounces in twenty-four hours. Smaller amount if necessary. Improvement is noticed twenty-four to forty-eight hours after treatment.

MALNUTRITION. (Marasmus).--Marasmus is a term applied to infants who grow thinner and thinner. No matter how much or little they eat there is a constant wasting or fading away of the body.

What are the causes? Syphilis, tuberculosis, chronic vomiting, persistent loose bowels, poor assimilation of the food. Marasmus is really a later and more severe form of malnutrition.

Symptoms.--He looks shriveled, the skin is dry, eyes are sunken, anemia is marked, the belly is much distended, while the other parts of the body seem to be all bones and no flesh; he is constantly whining and fretful, has a tired and anxious expression most of the time; under six months it is hard to cure.

Treatment.--A physician is needed to watch over and prescribe, no set rule can be given. Sometimes cod-liver oil or iron is needed. It needs constant care and watching to cure this trouble.

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CONVULSIONS.--Young children are more subject to convulsions than older people. Convulsions may be due to brain trouble, but an overloaded stomach is the first thing a doctor thinks of, and so the mother should remember what was eaten that might be unusual.

First Thing for the Mother to do? Undress the baby and put him to bed in a quiet room, and place an ice bag on his head, or wring cloths out of ice water or very cold water and place them on baby's head, and change often to keep them cold. Warm the feet with a hot water bag. If the doctor can not be present soon, give baby a mustard foot bath in bed; use two tablespoonfuls to a gallon of water, some advise stronger. If the convulsions are severe wring towels out of mustard water and place a rubber sheet on the bed and wrap the child's body and feet in the hot wet towels until the parts are quite red, and afterward cover the body with warm flannels. Have plenty of hot water ready, so the doctor can give a full tub bath when he comes, if he thinks it necessary. If the child can swallow, give him a teaspoonful of castor oil; or if the convulsions continue, wash out the bowels or give an injection as soon as possible.

When is a hot bath needed and useful? If the convulsions have continued until the pulse is weak, the face is very pale, the nails and lips blue, the feet and hands cold: it will do good by bringing the blood to the surface and relieve the brain, heart and lungs.

How shall I give it? Use a thermometer to see that the temperature of the water is not over 106 degrees F.; if no thermometer is handy put your arm into the water to your elbow. It should feel warm, but not so hot as to be uncomfortable. Put one-half teacupful of powdered mustard in the tub. Place the baby in the tub, body all covered, and hold the head out of the water; keep him in the bath for five to ten minutes; wrap him in a blanket and put into bed without drying.

The following is given to prevent convulsions:--

Bromide of Potash 1/2 dram
Chloral Hydrate 15 grains
Simple Syrup 2 ounces
Mix thoroughly.

Give one teaspoonful every hour, while the baby is nervous or feverish. For one-year-old child.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES.--1. Convulsions, a Grandmother's Remedy for.--"Dip the feet and limbs in warm water; give dry salt in mouth." Care should be taken not to give too much salt as you may choke the child. Also apply cold cloths to the head, to draw the blood from the brain.

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2. Convulsions, Hot Mustard Water for.--"Put patient in tub of hot mustard water, with cold cloths to the head," The hot mustard water draws the blood from the head to the feet and the cold cloths assist in doing good by keeping the blood away from the head. This is, an old, tried and effective remedy,

3. Convulsions, Old Tried Remedy for.--"Put patient in hot bath; give castor oil and rub vigorously." The castor oil does good in cases where the bowels are too loose or constipated, as the case may be, by carrying off the impurities, and the hot bath equalizes the circulation, relieving the convulsion.

4. Convulsions, A New York Mother's Remedy for.--"Chloroform one-half dram, tincture of cardamom, one-half ounce, spearmint water, two and one-half ounces. Shake well and give one-half teaspoonful in water to child one year old, smaller children a proportionate dose." The chloroform is very quieting, and the tincture of cardamom and spearmint act on the bowels. This combination will quiet the child, and in that way relieve the trouble.

(See "Convulsions" in General Department for Mothers' Remedies).

INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN.