I. INFANT FEEDING.--The care of milk, milk sterilization, care of
bottles, preparation of commonly employed infant foods, the general
principles of infant feeding, with rules as to quality and
frequency.
II. BATHING.--The daily bath; the use of hot, cold and mustard
baths.
III. HYGIENE OF THE SKIN. Care of the mouth, eyes and ears.
Ventilation, temperature, cleanliness, care of napkins, etc.
IV. TRAINING OF CHILDREN in proper bodily habits. Simple means of
treatment in sickness, etc.
8. THE CRY OF THE SICK CHILD.--The cry of the child is a language
by which the character of its suffering to some extent may be
ascertained. The manner in which the cry is uttered, or the pitch and
tone is generally a symptom of a certain kind of disease.
9. STOMACHACHE.--The cry of the child in suffering with pain of the
stomach is loud, excitable and spasmodic. The legs are drawn up and as
the pain ceases, they are relaxed and the child sobs itself to sleep,
and rests until awakened again by pain.
10. LUNG TROUBLE.--When a child is suffering with an affection of the
lungs or throat, it never cries loudly or continuously. A distress in
breathing causes a sort of subdued cry and low moaning. If there is
a slight cough it is generally a sign that there is some complication
with the lungs.
11. DISEASE OF THE BRAIN.--In disease of the brain the cry is always
sharp, short and piercing. Drowsiness generally follows each spasm of
pain.
12. FEVERS.--Children rarely cry when suffering with fever unless they
are disturbed. They should be handled very gently and spoken to in a
very quiet and tender tone of voice.
13. THE CHAMBER OF THE SICK ROOM.--The room of the sick child should
be kept scrupulously clean. No noise should disturb the quiet and rest
of the child. If the weather is mild, plenty of fresh air should
be admitted; the temperature should be kept at about 70 degrees. A
thermometer should be kept in the room, and the air should be changed
several times during the day. This may be done with safety to the
child by covering it up with woolen blankets to protect it from draft,
while the windows and doors are opened. Fresh air often does more to
restore the sick child than the doctor's medicine. Take the best
room in the house. If necessary take the parlor, always make the room
pleasant for the sick.
14. VISITORS.--Carefully avoid the conversation of visitors or the
loud and boisterous playing of children in the house. If there is much
noise about the house that cannot be avoided, it is a good plan to put
cotton in the ears of the patient.
15. LIGHT IN THE ROOM.--Light has a tendency to produce nervous
irritability, consequently it is best to exclude as much daylight
as possible and keep the room in a sort of twilight until the child
begins to improve. Be careful to avoid any odor coming from a burning
lamp in the night. When the child begins to recover, give it plenty of
sunlight. After the child begins to get better let in all the sunlight
the windows will admit. Take a south room for the sick bed.
16. SICKNESS IN SUMMER.--If the weather is very hot it is a good plan
to dampen the floors with cold water, or set several dishes of water
in the room, but be careful to keep the patient out of the draft, and
avoid any sudden change of temperature.
17. BATHING.--Bathe every sick child in warm water once a day unless
prohibited by the doctor. If the child has a spasm or any attack of a
serious nervous character in absence of the doctor, place him in a hot
bath at once. Hot water is one of the finest agencies for the cure of
nervous diseases.
[Illustration]
18. SCARLET FEVER AND MEASLES.--Bathe the child in warm water to bring
out the rash, and put in about a dessertspoonsful of mustard into each
bath.
19. DRINKS.--If a child is suffering with fevers, let it have all the
water it wants. Toast-water will be found nourishing. When the stomach
of the child is in an irritable condition, nourishments containing
milk or any other fluid should be given very sparingly. Barley-water
and rice-water are very soothing to an irritable stomach.
20. FOOD.--Mellin's Food and milk is very nourishing if the child
will take it. Oatmeal gruel, white of eggs, etc. are excellent and
nourishing articles. See "How to cook for the Sick."
21. EATING FRUIT.--Let children who are recovering from sickness eat
moderately of good fresh fruit. Never let a child, whether well or
sick, eat the skins of any kind of fruit. The outer covering of fruit
was not made to eat, and often has poisonous matter very injurious to
health upon its surface. Contagious and infectious diseases are often
communicated in that way.
22. SUDDEN STARTINGS with the thumbs drawn into the palms, portend
trouble with the brain, and often end in convulsions, which are far
more serious in infants than in children. Convulsions in children
often result from a suppression of urine. If you have occasion to
believe that such is the case, get the patient to sweating as soon as
possible. Give it a hot bath, after which cover it up in bed and put
bags of hot salt over the lower part of the abdomen.
23. SYMPTOMS OF INDIGESTION.--If the baby shows symptoms of
indigestion, do not begin giving it medicine. It is wiser to decrease
the quantity and quality of the food and let the little one omit one
meal entirely, that his stomach may rest. Avoid all starchy foods,
as the organs of digestion are not sufficiently developed to receive
them.