Advice to a Mother on the Management of Her Children Part 10

115. In concluding the first part of our subject--Infancy--I beg to remark: there are four things essentially necessary to a babe's well-doing, namely, (1) plenty of water for his skin; (2) plenty of fresh genuine milk mixed with water for his stomach (of course, giving him ONLY his mother's milk during the first six, eight, or nine months of his existence); (3) plenty of pure air for his lungs; (4) plenty of sleep for his brain: these are the four grand essentials for an infant; without an abundance of one and all of them, perfect health is utterly impossible! Perfect health! the greatest earthly blessing, and more to be coveted than ought else beside! There is not a more charming sight in the universe than the beaming face of a perfectly healthy babe,--

"His are the joys of nature, his the smile, The cherub smile, of innocence and health."--_Knox._

PART II.

CHILDHOOD.

_The child is father of the man_.--WORDSWORTH.

_Bairns are blessings_--SHAKESPEARE.

_These are MY jewels!_--CORNELLA.

ABLUTION.

116. _At twelve months old, do you still recommend a child to be_ PUT IN HIS TUB _to be washed_?

Certainly I do, as I have previously recommended at page 6, in order that his skin may be well and thoroughly cleansed. If it be summer time, the water should be used cold; if it be winter, a dash of warm must be added, so that it may be of the temperature of new milk: but do not, on any account use _very warm_ water. The head must be washed (but not dried) before he be placed in a tub, then, putting him in the tub (containing the necessary quant.i.ty of water, and was.h.i.+ng him as previously recommended), [Footnote: See Infancy-Ablution, page 6.] a large sponge should be filled with the water and squeezed over his head, so that the water may stream over the whole surface of his body. A jugful of water should, just before taking him out of his bath, be poured over and down his loins; all this ought rapidly to be done, and he must be quickly dried with soft towels, and then expeditiously dressed. For the was.h.i.+ng of your child I would recommend you to use Castile soap in preference to any other; it is more pure, and less irritating, and hence does not injure the texture of the skin. Take care that the soap does not get into his eyes, or it might produce irritation and smarting.

117. _Some mothers object to a child's STANDING in the water._

If the head be wetted before he be placed in the tub, and if he be washed as above directed, there can be no valid objection to it. He must not be allowed to remain in his tab more than five minutes.

118. _Does not was.h.i.+ng the child's head, every morning, make him more liable to catch cold, and does it not tend to weaken his sight_?

It does neither the one nor the other; on the contrary, it prevents cold, and strengthens his sight; it cleanses his scalp, prevents scurf, and, by that means, causes a more beautiful bead of hair. The head, after each was.h.i.+ng, ought, with a soft brush, to be well brushed, but should not be combed. The brus.h.i.+ng causes a healthy circulation of the scalp; but combing the hair makes the head scurfy, and pulls out the hair by the roots.

119. _If the head, notwithstanding the was.h.i.+ng, be scurfy, what should be done_?

After the head has been well dried, let a little cocoa-nut oil be well rubbed, for five minutes each time, into the roots of the hair, and, afterwards, let the head be well brushed, but not combed. The fine-tooth comb will cause a greater acc.u.mulation of scurf, and will scratch and injure the scalp.

120. _Do you recommend a child to be washed_ IN HIS TUB _every night and morning_?

No; once a day is quite sufficient; in the morning in preference to the evening; unless he be poorly, then, evening instead of morning; as, immediately after he has been washed and dried, he can be put to bed.

121. _Ought a child to be placed in his tub whilst he is in a state of perspiration_?

Not whilst he is perspiring _violently,_ or the perspiration might he checked suddenly, and ill consequences would ensue; _nor ought he to be put in his tub when he is cold,_ or his blood would be chilled, and would be sent from the skin to some internal vital part, and thus would be likely to light up inflammation--probably of the lungs. His skin, when he is placed in his bath, ought to be moderately and comfortably warm; neither too hot nor too cold.

122. _When the child is a year old, do you recommend cold or warm water to be used_?

If it be winter, a little warm water ought to be added, so as to raise the temperature to that of new milk. As the summer advances, less and less warm water is required, so that, at length, none is needed.

123. _If a child be delicate, do you recommend anything to be added to the water which may tend to brace and strengthen him_?

Either a handful of table-salt, or half a handful of bay-salt, or of Tidman's sea-salt, should be previously dissolved in a quart jug of _cold_ water; then, just before taking the child out of his morning bath, let the above be poured over and down the back and loins of the child--holding the jug, while pouring its contents on the back, a foot distant from the child, in order that it might act as a kind of douche bath.

124. _Do you recommend the child, after he has been dried with the towel, to be rubbed with the hand_?

I do; as friction encourages the cutaneous circulation, and causes the skin to perform its functions properly, thus preventing the perspiration (which is one of the impurities of the body) from being sent inwardly either to the lungs or to other parts. The back, the chest, the bowels, and the limbs are the parts that ought to be well rubbed.

CLOTHING

125. _Have you any remarks to make on the clothing of a child_?

Children, boys and girls, especially if they be delicate, ought always to wear high dresses up to their necks. The exposure of the upper part of the chest (if the child be weakly) is dangerous. It is in the _upper_ part of the lungs, in the region of the collar bones, that consumption first shows itself. The clothing of a child, more especially about the chest, should be large and full in every part, and be free from tight strings, so that the circulation of the blood may not be impeded, and that there may be plenty of room for the fall development of the rapidly-growing body.

His frock, or tonic, ought to be of woollen material--warm, light, and porous, in order that the perspiration may rapidly evaporate. The practice of some mothers in allowing their children to wear tight bands round their waists, and tight clothes, is truly reprehensible.

_Tight_ bands or _tight_ belts around the waist of a child are very injurious to health; they crib in the chest, and thus interfere with the rising and the falling of the ribs--so essential to breathing. _Tight_ hats ought never to be worn; by interfering with the circulation they cause headaches. Nature delights in freedom, and resents interference!

126. _What parts of the body in particular ought to be kept warm_?

The chest, the bowels, and the feet, should be kept comfortably warm. We must guard against an opposite extreme, and not keep them too hot. The head alone should be kept cool, on which account I do not approve either of night or of day caps.

127. _What are the best kinds of hat for a child_?

The best covering for the head, when he is out and about, is a loose-fitting straw hat, which will allow the perspiration to escape. It should have a broad rim, to screen the eyes. A sun-shade, that is to say, a sea-side hat--a hat made of cotton--with a wide brim to keep off the sun, is also an excellent hat for a child; it is very light, and allows a free escape of the perspiration. It can be bought, ready made, at a baby-linen warehouse.

A knitted or crocheted woollen hat, with woollen rosettes to keep the ears warm, and which may be procured at any baby-linen warehouse, makes a nice and comfortable winter's hat for a child. It is also a good hat for him to wear while performing a long journey. The colour chosen is generally scarlet and white, which, in cold weather, gives it a warm and comfortable appearance.

It is an abominable practice to cover a child's head with beaver or with felt, or with any thick impervious material It is a well-ascertained fact, that beaver and silk hats cause men to suffer from headache, and to lose their hair--the reason being, that the perspiration cannot possibly escape through them. Now, if the perspiration cannot escape, dangerous, or at all events injurious, consequences must ensue, as it is well known that the skin is a breathing apparatus, and that it will not with impunity bear interference.

Neither a child nor any one else should be permitted to be in the glare of the son without his hat. If he be allowed, he is likely to have a sun-stroke, which might either at once kill him, or might make him an idiot for the remainder of his life; which latter would be the worse alternative of the two.

128. _Have you, any remarks to make on keeping a child's hands and legs warm when in the winter time he it carried out_?

When a child either walks or is carried out in wintry weather, be sure and see that both his hands and legs are well protected from the cold. There is nothing for this purpose like woollen gloves, and woollen stockings coming up over the knees.

129. _Do you approve of a child wearing a flannel nightgown_?

He frequently throws the clothes off him, and has occasion to be taken up in the night, and if he have not a flannel gown on, is likely to catch cold; on which account I recommend it to be worn. The usual calico night-gown should be worn _under_ it.

130. _Do you advise a child to be LIGHTLY clad, in order that he may be hardened thereby_?

I should fear that such a plan, instead of hardening, would be likely to produce a contrary effect. It is an ascertained fact that more children of the poor, who are thus lightly clad, die, than of those who are properly defended from the cold. Again, what holds good with a young plant is equally applicable to a young child; and we all know that it is ridiculous to think of unnecessarily exposing a tender plant to harden it. If it were thus exposed, it would wither and die.

131. _If a child be delicate, if he have a cold body, or a languid circulation, or if he be predisposed to inflammation of the lungs, do you approve of his wearing flannel instead of linen s.h.i.+rts_?

I do; as flannel tends to keep the body at an equal temperature, thus obviating the effects of the sudden changes of the weather, and promotes by gentle friction the cutaneous circulation, thus warming the cold body, and giving an impetus to the languid circulation, and preventing an undue quant.i.ty of blood from being sent to the lungs, either to light up or to feed inflammation _Fine_ flannel, of course, ought to be worn, which should be changed as frequently as the usual s.h.i.+rts.

If a child have had an attack either of bronchitis or of inflammation of the lungs, or if he have just recovered from scarlet fever, by all means, if he have not previously worn flannel, _instantly_ let him begin to do so, and let him, _next_ to the skin, wear a flannel waistcoat. _This is important advice, and ought not to be disregarded_.

_Scarlet_ flannel is now much used instead of _white_ flannel; and as scarlet flannel has a more comfortable appearance, and does not shrink so much in was.h.i.+ng, it may be subst.i.tuted for the white.