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The feeding bottle with the long tube should on no account be used, since it is
impossible to keep the inside of this tube clean and with it children are liable to be
given too much. The best bottle is the boat-shaped pattern with nothing but a teat.
This should be scalded, immediately after feeding, with water to which a little
washing soda has been added, and kept when not in use along with the teat lying in
plain water which has been boiled.
After the eighth month the child may begin to have its milk thickened with a
little oatmeal once or twice a day made so that it can pass easily through the teat of the
bottle. Foods which contain starch, such as arrowroot, rice, bread and oatmeal, should
not be given before this period as the child's stomach cannot possibly digest them
earlier.
At ten months a litle bread and milk, bread and butter, or milk pudding may be
given.
At twelve months a little mutton broth, gravy mixed with mashed potatoes,
porridge and milk, a lightly boiled egg and milk to drink, and at eighteen months a
little fish, fowl or meat, may be added to the diet. During the summer months the
milk should be boiled immediately it is received from the milkman.
If cows' milk is found to disagree, condensed milk may be tried for a short time,
but should not be continued. A whole milk brand should always be chosen, and the
cheap forms of "separated" or "skimmed" milk should NEVER BE USED for feeding
children, as there is little or no nourishment in them. Once a tin is opened it should
be carefully recovered and kept in a cool place until it is used again. Children should
have their meals regularly and at not too long intervals. They should not be allowed
to eat between meal times. WINES, SPIRITS, BEER, TEA, COFFEE, CAKES,
OR SWEETMEATS SHOULD NEVER BE GIVEN TO INFANTS. They must not
have the ordinary food of parents, and condiments such as mustard, pepper, etc., should
be avoided.
Clothing.
Children should wear flannel next to the skin, and all clothing should be warm and
light. The legs and arms should not be exposed. Stiff binders put on with the idea of
"supporting" the child should not be used. Anything which injures the free movements
of the body, and especially of the lungs, should be avoided. PARENTS ARE
SPECIALLY REMINDED OF THE GREAT DANGER OF FLANNELETTE
CLOTHING COMING IN CONTACT WITH FIRE.
Air.
Children should be trained to sleep in a room with the window open, and the
sleeping room should be well flushed by opening wide all the windows and doors two or
three times a day.
Sleep.
Babies and young children require at least twelve hours' sleep, and should be put
to bed early. They should never sleep in the same bed as their parents, BUT FROM
BIRTH SHOULD HAVE A SEPARATE COT. If this cannot be afforded, an orange
box or clothes basket will do just as well. In this way only can so many deaths from
suffocation due to overlaying be avoided.
Washing.
The child should be washed all over every day with soap and warm water. Plain
yellow soap is the best.
How to prepare Barley Water.
Take a teaspoonful of pearl barley and scald it. Then place it in a pint and a half
of clean water and simmer gently down to a pint—strain. It should be made twice
a day.
How to prepare Lime Water.
Take a piece of quicklime about the size of an orange and slake it by pouring a
little water on it. Then place it in a gallon jar, fill up with water, and cork. Shake
it and allow it to settle for twenty-four hours. Pour off the top what is required, and
fill up again with water. The jar must be kept tightly corked as the lime water soon
becomes spoiled by exposure to the air.
Senile Mortality.
The number of deaths over 65 years of age in 1904 was 478, against 396 in 1903. The
increase here is principally due to bronchitis and pneumonia.
Death Certification.
There were five deaths uncertified in 1904, the corresponding figure for 1903 being also
five.
Zymotic Diseases
The following table gives the death rates for the principal zymotic diseases. Corresponding
figures are given for London for comparison.