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56
HINTS AS TO THE REARING OP INFANTS.
The Public Health Committee hope that mothers and others having the care of
infants will read and (subject to the advice of any medical 'practitioner in attendance)
endeavour to follow the instructions herein contained.
WARM CLOTHING, FRESH AIR, CLEANLINESS.
1.—Babes should be kept warm. Their clothing should be warm and fitting to the
skin but not tightly, and sleeves and stockings should be long.
2.—They should have plenty of fresh air; windows should be open two or three times
every day; babes should be sent out as often as the weather permits of.
8.—Cleanliness is of the greatest importance, and infants should be washed all over
with warm water twice daily.
FOOD.
4.—Overfeeding is extremely harmful; an infant of one or two months old should not
be suckled oftener than every two or three hours; a baby of six months and over
should have the breast five times in the 24 hours.
(a) Under Seven Months.
5.—If the mother has plenty of milk let the child have nothing but its mother's milk
until it is seven months old; if the mother has but little milk, let the infant have
it alternately with cow's milk, prepared as directed below for bringing up a child
by hand.
6.—Begin to wean the child when it is seven months old.
7.—All cow's milk used for feeding infants should be boiled.
8.—To bring up a child by hand it should be fed with warm milk and water out of a
bottle, at first one part of milk to two of water with a little sugar should be given;
when one month old the infant should have the amount of milk gradually increased
until two parts of milk to one of water are given; should the milk
disagree, it may be given more diluted, or some thin barley water may be added
each bottleful should have half a teaspoonful of white sugar put into it.
9.—No food other than that given above should be given to infants under seven
months old; for the first ten days of its existence an infant requires about two
tablespoonfuls given every two hours; a baby under a month old does not require
more than one sixth part of a pint of milk and water for one meal.