The Care and Feeding of Children A Catechism for the Use of Mothers and Children's Nurses   By: L. Emmett Holt (1855-1924)

A CATECHISM FOR THE USE OF MOTHERS AND CHILDREN'S NURSES

By

L. EMMETT HOLT, M.D., LL.D.

PROFESSOR OF DISEASES OF CHILDREN IN THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS (COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY)

ATTENDING PHYSICIAN TO THE BABIES' HOSPITAL AND THE FOUNDLING HOSPITAL, NEW YORK

Fourth Edition, Revised and Enlarged

NEW YORK AND LONDON D. APPLETON AND COMPANY

1907

COPYRIGHT, 1894, 1897, 1903, 1906 By D. APPLETON AND COMPANY

[Transcriber's Note: The text scans did not include a Table of Contents so the following has been added for the convenience of the reader.]

CONTENTS

I. THE CARE OF CHILDREN

Bathing Genital Organs Eyes Mouth Skin Clothing Napkins Nursery Airing Weight, Growth, and Development Dentition

II. INFANT FEEDING

Nursing Weaning Artificial Feeding Selection and Care of Milk Used for Infant Feeding Modification of Cow's Milk Food for Healthy Infants The Early Months Food for Healthy Infants The Later Months General Rules for Guidance in the Use of the Formulas Given Addition of Other Foods to Milk Overfeeding Loss of Appetite Changes in Food Required by Special Symptoms or Conditions Common Mistakes in Milk Modification and Infant Feeding Preparation of Cow's Milk at Home Directions for Feeding Infants Intervals of Feeding Regularity in Feeding Sterilized Milk Modified Milk of the Milk Laboratories Peptonized Milk Feeding During the Second Year Feeding During the Third Year

III. THE DIET OF OLDER CHILDREN

Milk and Cream Eggs Meats and Fish Vegetables Cereals Broths and Soups Bread, Crackers, and Cakes Desserts Fruits Indigestion in Older Children General Rules to be Observed in Feeding Food Formulas

IV. MISCELLANEOUS

Bowels Sleep Exercise Cry Lifting Children Temperature Nervousness Toys Kissing Convulsions Foreign Bodies Colic Earache Croup Contagious Diseases Scurvy Constipation Diarrhoea Bad Habits Vaccination Weight Charts

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF CHILDREN

PART I

THE CARE OF CHILDREN

BATHING

At what age may a child be given a full tub bath?

Usually when ten days old; it should not be given before the cord has come off.

How should the bath be given?

It should not be given sooner than one hour after feeding. The room should be warm; if possible there should be an open fire. The head and face should first be washed and dried; then the body should be soaped and the infant placed in the tub with its body well supported by the hand of the nurse. The bath should be given quickly, and the body dried rapidly with a soft towel, but with very little rubbing.

At what temperature should the bath be given?

For the first few weeks at 100° F.; later, during early infancy, at 98° F.; after six months, at 95° F.; during the second year, from 85° to 90° F.

With what should the bath be given?

Soft sponges are useful for bathing the body, limbs and scalp. There should be a separate wash cloth for the face and another for the buttocks.

What are the objections to bath sponges?

When used frequently, they become very dirty and are liable to cause infection of the eyes, mouth or genital organs.

Under what circumstances should the daily tub bath be omitted?

In the case of very feeble or delicate infants on account of the exposure and fatigue, and in all forms of acute illness except by direction of the physician. In eczema and many other forms of skin disease much harm is often done by bathing with soap and water, or even with water alone.

GENITAL ORGANS

How should the genital organs of a female child be cleansed?