INFANT FOODS

Rickets and scurvy have so often followed the prolonged use of the so-called "infant foods" which have flooded the market for the past decade, that intelligent physicians unanimously agree that they are injurious and quite unfit for continued use in the feeding of infants.

If they are prescribed to replace milk during an acute illness, or at other times when the fats and proteins should be withheld for a short period, both the physician and the mother should be in the possession of definite and exact knowledge as to just what they do and do not contain. To provide such knowledge, we present the a.n.a.lysis (Holt) of some of the more commonly used infant foods.

1. _The Milk Foods._ Nestle's Food is perhaps the most widely known.

The others closely resembling it in composition are the Anglo-Swiss, the Franco-Swiss, the American-Swiss, and Gerber's Food. These foods are essentially sweetened, condensed milk evaporated to dryness, with the addition of some form of flour which has been dextrinized; they all contain a large proportion of unchanged starch.

2. _The Liebig or Malted Foods._ Mellin's Food may be taken as a type of the cla.s.s. Others which resemble it more or less closely are Liebig's, Horlick's Food, Hawley's Food, malted milk, and cereal milk.

Mellin's food is composed princ.i.p.ally (eighty per cent) of soluble carbohydrates. They are derived from malted wheat and barley flour, and are composed chiefly of a mixture of dextrins, dextrose, and maltose.

3. _The Farinaceous Foods._ These are Imperial Granum, Ridge's Food, Hubbell's Prepared Wheat, and Robinson's Patent Barley. The first consists of wheat flour previously prepared by baking, by which a small proportion of the starch--from one to six per cent--has been converted into sugar.

In chemical composition these four foods are very similar to each other, consisting mainly of unchanged starch which forms from seventy-five to eighty per cent of their solid const.i.tuents.

4. _Miscellaneous Foods._ Under this head may be mentioned Carnrick's Soluble Food and Eskay's Food.

The composition of the foods mentioned is given in the accompanying table.

COMPOSITION OF INFANT FOODS

Malted Nestle's Mellin's Eskay's Milk Ingredients Food Food Food (Horlick's) Per cent Per cent Per cent Per cent

Fat 5.50 0.24 1.16 8.78 Proteins 14.34 11.50 5.82 16.35 Cane Sugar 25.00 ... ... ...

Dextrose ... ... } 53.46[1] ...

Lactose (milk sugar) 6.57 ... } } 49.15[2]

Maltose } 27.36 60.80 ... } Dextrins } 19.20 14.35 18.80 Carbohydrates (soluble) 58.93 80.00 67.81 67.95 Starch 15.39 ... 21.21 ...

Inorganic Salts 2.03 3.59 1.30 3.86 Water 3.81 4.73 2.70 3.06

Ridge's Imperial Carnrick's Ingredients Food Granum Food Per cent Per cent Per cent

Fat 1.11 1.04 7.45 Proteins 11.81 14.00 10.25 Cane Sugar ... ... ...

Dextrose 0.52 0.42 ...

Lactose (milk sugar) ... ...

Maltose ... ...

Dextrins 1.28 1.38 ...

Carbohydrates (soluble) 1.80 1.80 27.08 Starch 76.21 73.54 37.37 Inorganic Salts 0.49 0.39 4.42 Water 8.58 9.23 3.42

[1] Chiefly Lactose.

[2] Largely Maltose.

CHAPTER XX

BABY'S BATH AND TOILET

From earliest girlhood, women have loved their dolls, and one of the greatest joys connected with the adored experience was the make-believe bath and the dressing of the make-believe baby; so now, when we are the happy possessors of real live dolls, we should go about the task with the same lightheartedness of a score of years ago when we hugged, kissed, bathed, and dressed our dolls. There is one big advantage now, the doll won't break; but, we sigh as we stop to think, we can't stick pins into it as we all did into the sawdust bodies of our dolls those years and years ago.

THE FIRST WEEK

In the chapter on "Baby's Early Care," this subject was fully discussed and we only wish to repeat, in pa.s.sing, that before baby's bath or toilet is undertaken the hands of the mother, nurse, or caretaker must be scrupulously clean. And while the first day's bath usually consists of sweet oil, albolene, or benzoated lard, if the new baby happens to come during the very warm days of July or August and the oil seems to irritate the soft downy skin, as it often does during those hot days, a simple sponge bath may be subst.i.tuted. The cord dressing remains as the doctor left it, and if there be any interference, let it be subject to his orders.

The cord usually drops off, and the abdomen is entirely healed by the seventh to the tenth day, after which time baby is daily sponged for another week. And now we will describe in detail the simplest, easiest manner of administering an oil bath or a sponge bath.

GIVING THE BATH

A large pillow or a folded soft comfort is placed on a table in a warm room--temperature not below 75 F. On baby's tray near by, and within reaching distance, are the boracic acid solution in a small cup, a medicine dropper, the warm saucer of oil, the toothpick applicators (made by twisting cotton about one end, making sure the sharp end of the pick is well protected), a gla.s.s jar of small cotton b.a.l.l.s made from sterile absorbent cotton, the castile soap, talc.u.m powder, needle and thread. A vessel of warm water, several old, soft, warmed towels and the clean garments required, complete the layout.

Into the warm, soft blanket on the pillow or comfort we place the partially undressed baby, for the binder, diaper, and socks are not removed until the head-and-face toilet is completed.

The top of the head, behind the ears, the folds of the neck, and the armpits are now gently but thoroughly rubbed with oil, which is then all rubbed off with a soft linen towel. The eyes next receive two or three drops of the boracic acid solution, put in by the aid of the medicine dropper, while, with a separate piece of cotton, the surplus solution is wiped off each eye, rubbing from the nose outward.

Then with the applicator made by wrapping cotton about the end of a toothpick, oil is put into each nostril, all the time exercising the utmost care not to harm the tender mucous membrane. The ears are also carefully cleansed with a squeezed-out dip of boracic acid on the applicator.

Unless there is an inflammation present in the mouth, and the physician in attendance has ordered mouth swabbing, do not touch it; for much harm is done the mucous membrane of the baby's mouth by the forceful manner in which much of the swabbing is done. The face and head are then washed with warm water; very little soap is needed and, when used, must be most thoroughly rinsed off.

THE SECOND WEEK

And now during the second week, we proceed to sponge the baby's body; the hands are washed with soap and rinsed, and, only those who have performed this feat know just how tightly they hold shut their little fists. These hands must be relaxed, and all the lint, dirt, and perspiration be thoroughly washed away. The arms, shoulders, chest, and back are then sponged. All the time the nurse or caretaker is standing while carrying out this most pleasant task. At any time she may quickly cover the babe and stop for this or that with no inconvenience to herself or the child.

After the thorough drying of baby's upper body, a bit of talc.u.m is put under the arms, in the folds of neck, etc., and the shirt is slipped on. Next the band, diaper, and stockings are removed and after first oiling the groin and the folds of the thighs and the b.u.t.tocks, the same sponging, drying, and powdering is done here as on the upper body.

The band is now applied, and _sewed on_. The diaper, stockings, booties, and--if a winter baby--the skirt and outing flannel gown (for babies should wear only night dresses for the first two or three weeks) are now slipped over the feet and drawn upward, and baby is ready for nursing or for his nap.

TEMPERATURE OF BATHS

First few weeks, 100 F.; early infancy, 98 F.; after six months, 97 F., cooling down to 90 F.

A wooden bath thermometer may be purchased for twenty-five cents and it should be in every home where babies are bathed. In the absence of a thermometer do not depend upon the hand to determine temperature.

Thrust the bared elbow into the water and if it is just comfortable--neither hot or cool--it is probably about the correct temperature for baby. Do not shock the baby by dashes of cold water, for, while it may amuse an onlooker, it unnecessarily frightens your child, and, subconsciously, he learns to dread his bath.

THE BATHING PLACE

If the bathroom is warm--temperature 75 F.--that is the most logical place for the bath, provided baby has his own tub. Place a couple of strong slats several inches wide across the big tub, six inches apart, and on this place the baby's tub. Of course, care must be exercised to prevent slipping by means of properly fitted cleats on the under surface of the slats. The mother should always stand to bathe her baby and the small tub should be placed at such a height that she neither has to stoop nor bend. Thus the bathing of the baby becomes a pleasure instead of a "job" or an "irksome task."

If the bathroom is not warm then the kitchen table or a small table pulled up near the stove is a place par excellence for the dip.

Many boils seen on young baby's tender skin have been traced to the careless use of the family tub to bathe the baby in. Not until the child is two or three years of age, when his skin has become more toughened, should he be allowed to use the family tub.