OUR BABIES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 133, 7 June 1934, Page 2

OUR BABIES

HARDENING OFT Last week we spoke of hardening children, and promised to give a few hints to the mother who courageously determines to go about what one calls “the hardening-off process.” First of all it is good policy to make sure the child is not suffering from adenoids or diseased tonsils, for these are an everlasting source of trouble, and need the attention of a doctor. Now to discuss methods of toning up the system generally and educating the skin to perform its protective functions properly:— Exposure of the Skin. The first thing is to overcome the tendency to fear exposure of the skin and to restrict this exposure to the occasion of the warm bath. Warm j baths are necessary for cleanliness, but i air baths, cool water, and sun are necessary for the purpose of developing the function of the skin and for their general tonic effect. At whatever time of the day the warm bath is given, let it be warm, but not really hot. and cultivate the habit of cooling down tho water at the last moment. Cold Water. One may lay it down as an axiom that the cold bath is one of the surest of all preventives of a common cold and one of th© best all-round tonic known. The ideal time to start the cold bath habit is in infancy, so that it becomes “second nature.” Although everyone cannot take a cold plunge with benefit (and to some it may be harmful), all healthy people can accustom themselves to some form of cold or tepid sponge, shower, or rub down, and every child should be taught to regard such as an essential health habit. However, if we ar© starting to “harder. off” a coddled child we must proceed slowly and cautiously towards the ideal. We would suggest the following procedure:—lnstead of bustling the child straight from night to day clothes without any exposure of the skin, make an invariable rule of stripping him and applying brisk friction to tho whole surface of the body. Start by giving a vigorous rub down with a dry towel after washing hands and face in the usual way. After a few days of this, extend the usual wash to include the chest and arms, using luke-warm water, sponging quickly, and drying briskly. Having got this far habituate the child to a proper shower, which is a more bracing procedure than sponging. The whole procedure occupies only two or three minutes. The quicker it is done the better. Exercise. Of course, it is imperative to the success of this treatment to get a good reaction and a warm glow afterwards. Towels must be dry, friction ‘liorough. and dressing quick. Put on . i extra jersey or coat until th© child warms up. Thon set him to a vigorous game; let him race up and down the hall. After a time, as he grows more hardy and the sun gets warmer send him outside to run around the house or to tricycle to the gate and back several times before .breakfast, and keep up this run throughout the coming year unless it is actually bleak or raining. Clothing. As a child becomes hardier and the circulation improves he will not feel the cold so much. Very gradually you can, with benefit, lessen the number of garments to th© minimum the child requires in order to keep comfortably warm and happy. Except in hot weather, tho average healthy child needs one complete covering of woo] (combination or singlet and underpants) long enough to cover chest and thighs with no Chilly gaps, a bodice and pants, and a frock or suit of warmth and weight according to the weather. Cardigans or sweaters are very useful for extra warmth at odd times, and much depends on watchfulness in putting on or taking off clothing as required. It is just as foolish to go to an extreme of scantiness in clothing as to systematically overclothe. Bedclothes and the Bedroom. By degrees reduce the number of bedclothes to the fewest required to ensure warmth and comfortable sleep, and open the bedroom window wide — not just a few inches at the top with the blind over that. Place the bed out of all possibility of direct draught, and let the fresh air blow through. If you are lucky enough to have a sleeping porch or sheltered veranda, take advantage of the first warm weather to accustom the child to sleep outside. It is a wonderful health measure. At the Karitane Hospital all normal babies sleep on the veranda all night, even when snow falls and frosts arc hard. One may go around these children in the small hours and feeling inside the blankets find their bodies as “warm as toast,” though their little noses may be cold. Sun Baths. In addition to the air. cold water, and friction baths already achieved, aim to arrive at definite sun baths by tho time spring has advanced to the stage of providing us with warm sunny mornings. If this programme is conscientiously carried out, persevered with, and believed in (in spite of adverse criticism of well-meaning friends), and provided at the same time the diet is adequate and the bowles regular, and the child is not overstimulated or “fussed,” it is perfectly safe to predict that the child’s resistance will be increased against coughs, colds, and other ailments. _________________