Mother's Remedies, Thomas Jefferson Ritter [reading well .TXT] 📗

disease. Bottle-fed babies get it because of uncleanness of the nipple and bottle.

Should the baby continue to nurse? Yes, but the mother should thoroughly cleanse her nipple with a solution of boric acid after each nursing.

What should be done for it? It should be washed before and after every feeding with a solution of baking soda or boric acid of the strength of one even teaspoonful to twenty-four teaspoonfuls of water, or listerine, one teaspoonful to twenty-four teaspoonfuls of warm water, can be used. (This will be treated more fully later under diseases). A solution of borax (twenty grains to eight teaspoonfuls of water) can be applied every two hours with a camel's hair brush. Borax, sage and honey are good old remedies.

Should the scalp have special care at birth? It should then and afterward be kept clean to keep scurf from accumulating. It should be wet before the body is immersed in the bath. The hair should always be dried carefully; brush first with a soft towel and then with a fine, smooth hair-brush. Never use a comb on an infant's head.

Should any dressing be put on the scalp? No, for if the hair is washed and brushed, the oil from the scalp will keep it soft, glossy and healthful.

[ALL ABOUT BABY 551] QUESTIONS AND REMEDIES FOR SORE MOUTH. CANKER. THRUSH.

Explain more about thrush or sprue? It is an inflammation of the mouth where small particles looking like milk curds appear on the tongue, gums and cheek. This is really a more severe type of sore mouth, and is of a fungus origin.

Causes of sore mouth. Uncleanness, failing to keep the mouth—especially of bottle-fed infants—and the nipples and bottles, clean. Babies who are allowed to suck a "pacifier" or rag with sugar on it. Thrush is parasitic in origin and is always due to uncleanness in bottles, nipples and the mouth, and is commonly associated with the stomach trouble. Diarrhea frequently goes with it.

(See Mothers' Remedies for Sore Mouth, Canker, etc., in general department).

PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Thrush. Severe Sore Mouth. 1. Boric acid in a saturated solution (five teaspoonfuls to a pint of distilled water) is a specific for it.

Dr. Tuley, of Louisville, Ky., says:

2. Powdered Borax 8 teaspoonfuls
      Strained Honey 3 teaspoonfuls
      Mix thoroughly.

3. Glycerin 1 ounce
      Distilled water 1 ounce
      Boric Acid 2 drams

4. Golden seal diluted one-half with boiled water makes an excellent mouth wash. Also a weak solution of alum. Use a piece of absorbent cotton or soft linen on your little finger or small round piece of wood and dip in solution and apply. Dr. Douglas, of Detroit, advises the use of a soft brush. This should be boiled after using.

5. In Mild Cases of Sore Mouth.—The medicines need not be as strong as for thrush. One teaspoonful of boric acid or baking soda to a pint of boiled water is usually sufficient; wash after each nursing or four or five times a day.

6. Powdered Borax 1 teaspoonful
     Powdered Sugar 4 teaspoonfuls

Put a pinch on the tongue every two or three hours. The child's tongue will work it around. This avoids the pain from washing, etc.

7. Another Mouth' Wash.—

     Borax 1/2 teaspoonful
     Tincture of Myrrh 1/2 teaspoonful
     Glycerin 1 teaspoonful
     Boiled water enough for one ounce.

Apply gently to the inside of the mouth several times a day in thrush or any form of sore mouth or gums. Use a camel's hair brush.

[552 MOTHERS' REMEDIES] WHAT CARE SHOULD BE GIVEN THE DIAPERS?

A diaper should never be used more than once without washing. It should be removed as soon as it is wet and placed in a covered pail in the bathroom, etc., and washed at the first opportunity. Pure white soap only should be used, and the diapers should be thoroughly rinsed and boiled. Dry them in the sun and air and never before the nursery fire. They should be warmed before they are again used. Unclean, soiled diapers frequently cause chafing.

Should a baby cry while passing urine? No; it may be too acid, alkaline, too little of it or too concentrated, or have sand in it. Examine the diapers.

How about bands for the baby? Straight pieces of flannel, twenty-two by five inches or wider. They may be knitted.

How long should they be worn? The snug bands, flannel or knitted should be worn, not tight, three months; then if one is worn it should be loose. It may prevent rupture and bowel trouble.

Do you approve of rubber diapers as an outside covering? No, because they confine the dampness cause more sweating of the parts and may thus cause chafing, etc.

How large should a diaper be? A diaper should be twice as long as wide. They may be different sizes, eighteen by thirty-six inches, twenty-two by forty-four, or twenty-seven by fifty-four.

CHAFING.

Chafing is a very common trouble in infants. What causes chafing? A wet diaper left on too long; not drying the folds of the flesh properly; too much and too strong soap in the bath, or in the diapers when they are washed, or failure to wash the child clean.

Where are the places where baby is most likely to chafe? The buttocks, in the folds of the neck and in the groins.

How can you prevent chafing? Use very little soap; no strong soap; rinse the body carefully; dry thoroughly after rinsing; use clean diapers; use dusting powder in the folds of the flesh, especially in fat babies.

If the skin is very sensitive, what then? Do not use any soap, but use bran or salt baths.

How can you prepare a bran bath? Place one pint of wheat bran in coarse muslin or cheese-cloth bag and put this in the bath water. It should then be squeezed for five minutes until the water looks like porridge.

How is a salt bath prepared? One teaspoonful of common salt to each two gallons of water.

If the parts are chafed what should we do? Do not use any soap, and give only bran or salt baths or use pure olive oil and no water at all on the chafed parts. Dry the parts carefully with old, soft linen and dust them with a powder made of starch and talcum—equal part—with one-fourth as much boric acid, all carefully mixed together. Or use starch two parts and boric acid one part. Pure stearate of zinc powder is also good. Keep a little piece of soft linen between the folds of the flesh, so they will not be irritated by rubbing together.

[Illustration: Portait of Ardis]

[ALL ABOUT BABY 553]

MOTHERS' REMEDY.—1. Chafing in Infants, Mutton Tallow for.—"Five cents' worth of mutton tallow, melted. Apply at night." If there is a tendency to chafe during the day, use talcum powder, putting the mutton tallow on at night when the child will be quiet, giving it an opportunity to heal.

How shall I take care of the buttocks to prevent chafing? This is the most common place for chafing, as it is so frequently wet and soiled; hence all napkins should be renewed as soon as wet and soiled and the parts always kept perfectly clean.

What is prickly heat, and how caused? Fine, red pimples appear, caused by excessive sweating and from irritation of flannel underwear.

How should I treat it? Muslin or linen should be worn next to the skin. The entire body sponged frequently with vinegar and water (equal parts) and plenty of starch and boric acid powder used; starch, two parts; boric acid (one part) should be put on.

(See Mother's Remedies under "Prickly Heat," General Department.)

CLOTHING FOR THE BABY.

The chest should be well covered with soft flannel, the limbs protected, but not cramped, the abdomen supported by a band, not too tight. The clothing should be neither too tight nor too loose. No pins should be used, but all bands should be fastened to the body. The petticoats should be supported by shoulder straps.

How should a baby be held during dressing? It should lie on the lap until quite old enough to sit alone. Draw the clothes over the child's feet and do not slip them over the head.

Why use the band, and how long should it be worn? It protects the abdomen, but its main use is to support the abdominal walls in very young infants and thus prevents rupture. The snug flannel band should not be worn more than four months. Then in healthy infants a knitted band may be used and worn up to eighteen months. If the baby is thin and the abdominal organs are not protected by fat, they may be troubled with diarrhea and need protection. In such condition, the band may be worn until the third year.

BABY'S FIRST WARDROBE.

Four to six dozen diapers (bird's-eye cotton), two to three shirts (wool), four flannel skirts, two white skirts (nainsook), two to four night dresses (outing flannel), six day dresses, two wrappers, six pairs of socks, four to six flannel bands, two flannel sacks, two shawls or afghans. The dresses to be worn after the first four or six weeks. Of course this can be less or more elaborate, according to the conditions and circumstances of the parents, etc.

[554 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

What changes should be made in the clothing in summer? The thinnest gauze flannel undershirts should be worn, the outside garments to be changed for the changing weather. They should not be kept too hot in the middle of the day, while in the morning and evening extra wraps should be used.

Should older children go with bare legs? There is no objection, if they are strong and well, to doing this in warm weather.

What kind of underwear should be worn in cold weather? Next to the heaviest is thick enough.

Do children require heavy flannels? Not as a rule, as they usually live in the nursery and they sweat readily while playing. When they go out-of-doors, coats and leggings render thick flannels unnecessary.

Are many children too thinly clad in the house? Very few. The usual mistake is excessive clothing and too warm rooms. These cause them to take cold so easily.

GENERAL DRESSING FOR DIFFERENT SEASONS.

At night baby may have a warm sponge bath, a fresh band, shirt and skirt put on. In the winter he should sleep in a flannel nightdress and this can be made with a drawing string or button on the bottom so that he cannot expose his feet. In the summer he can wear a cotton night-dress and after the third month the skirt may be left off in very warm weather. By the time baby has entered his second month he may wear simple little "Bishop" dresses instead of his plain slips. At the end of the third month, the flannel band may be discarded, usually, and a ribbed knitted one used. The band should be of wool in the winter, and of silk and wool in the summer. It should be put over the child's feet when he is being dressed each morning, and be changed for a fresh one at night, if possible. If the baby is healthy he may begin going out in March, if the days are mild and there are no stormy cold winds. Begin by letting him stay out one-half hour during the warmest part of the day, then one hour, etc. When there is much melting snow he should not be taken out. In cold weather the baby's cap and cloak should be lined with flannel or lamb's wool. Woolen mittens should cover his hands. A veil is not necessary.

Cap for Baby's Ears.—If baby's ears stand out from his head a considerable distance, it can be corrected best when he is young. A skeleton cap is made for this purpose. This can be bought or the mother can make one out of thin lawn or pieces of broad tape. It should fit snugly in order to do any good and be worn for some time.

Drooling.—If the baby drools much