So much emphasis has been put upon the necessity of water as a constituent of baby diet, that it is almost venturing too far to remind any of the fact that most milk dealers are careful that this constituent shall be already supplied.
Formerly, dropsical, emaciated, half-starved, fretful babes were very numerous; but since, of late, judicious legislation has been brought to bear on the matter of adulterating milk, things have changed.
Henceforth we may hope to hear that infantile deaths from this probable cause decrease annually.
With meagre feeding a “bouncing fat boy” will soon present the appearance of a wrinkled old man. And, too, the condition in which food is presented to a child is equally as important as the quality and quantity. It is impossible to rule the stomach of another; a spunky child will resent the attempt some way, and at some time, even though it be after the injury is irreparable. A uniformity in heating the milk or food of any kind is very important. Hot things should never enter a babe’s mouth. If milk is in the least sour, it is running a great risk to try to sweeten it by adding soda, as some persons do, for convenience.
The coarse habit of “stuffing” babes, to avoid frequent feeding of them, should vanish like dew before the noonday sun; as it probably will, under the management of educated mothers and nurses. The old-fashioned way of compelling babes to suck a “sugar teat” or a piece of fat meat rind for hours together to keep them quiet, is cheating, to say the least. Our domestic fowls will eat meal, grain and vegetables when they can get them. And if all supply of food is cut off, they may be seen to pick, pick, day after day; this they will do if the ground is frozen and bare. But are they getting food? Nay, they are only tasting, smelling, and hunting for food.
Sucking a sugar teat or meat rind, like gum-chewing, tends to undermine the natural vigor of the mind, by a waste of the fluids that are intended to prepare the food for making pure blood.
A child can just as kindly be fed, changed, and laid quietly to rest; it does not need patting or rocking.
Baby raising is made irksome by adults themselves. The feeding and putting to sleep should be superintended by some competent person, as by intrusting it to children, or even young girls, the feeding may be imperfect. Many children scream with fright at the noise created to get them to sleep.