Parent and Child Vol. III. | Page 8

compared with the adult. All of these
things make of the child an individual so different from the adult that
he must be treated in accordance with his own nature and needs and
with little regard to the way in which an adult is considered.
Practically everything that the infant needs may be summed up in the
one word nutrition. A sufficient supply of pure milk from the mother is
the one supreme requirement. If this is assured, everything else is
almost certain to follow. Of course, the little one must be kept at the
right temperature, which is comparatively high during the first few
months. An abundance of pure, fresh air also must be supplied to both
mother and child. It is wise for both to spend much time in the open air
and to sleep on a screened porch.
The child should be kept quiet and permitted to sleep as long as nature
dictates. It is a positive sin to snatch the child from its bed, toss it up
and down and screech at it for the edification of curious visitors.
Kissing the child in the mouth should also be positively prohibited. The
use of patent medicines likewise, or even many of the "old mother
remedies" should never be indulged except on the advice of a
competent physician. The needs of the child for some time are strictly
physical. Inner forces are at work which cannot be assisted except
indirectly through care of the physical organism. So far as nervous or
mental development is concerned the rule should be, "Hands off, let
Nature take her course."
Immediately after birth certain reflexive and instinctive movements,
such as sucking, crying, sneezing and clinging are manifested; and the
sense of taste and usually smell are also sufficiently active to enable the
infant to take nourishment. No other senses are active and no other
movements possible except the automatic action of vital organs and a
few vague spasmodic twitchings and movements of parts of the body
known as impulsive. Nothing, however, can be done from without to
hasten the mental awakening; Nature in her own due time will do this,
and do it much better if not hurried or interfered with.

LESSON V
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Show that the infant is not an adult in miniature.
2. What are some important differences between the child and the

adult?
3. What is the supreme need of the infant? Why?
4. What should be observed in caring for the child?
5. What should be avoided in caring for the child?
6. What should be the rule in early mental development?
7. What is active in the child immediately after birth?
"The Care of the Child in Health," by Oppenheim, will be helpful here.
If the book is in the parents' library, let someone prepare and make a
brief report on it for next lesson.
The following other helps may be had for the asking by writing to the
U.S. Bureau of Education: "Parental Care," by Mrs. West, Series No. 1,
publication No. 4, U.S. Department of Labor, Children's Bureau. The
following chapter is taken from one of these bulletins prepared for
parents by our Government.

CARE OF THE BABY IN SUMMER
_Summer Is a Critical Time for the Infant, During This Time It Should
Receive the Most Careful Attention_
A baby must be kept as cool as possible in summer, because
over-heating is a direct cause of summer diarrhea. Even breast-fed
babies find it hard to resist the weakening effects of excessive heat.
Records show that thousands of babies, most of whom are bottle-fed,
die every year in July and August, because of the direct or indirect
effects of the heat. Next in importance to right food in summer are
measures for keeping the baby cool and comfortable; frequent baths,
light clothing and the selection of the coolest available places for him
to play and sleep.
A baby should have a full tub bath every morning. If he is restless and
the weather is very hot, he may have in addition one or two sponge
baths a day. A cool bath at bedtime sometimes makes the baby sleep
more comfortably. For a young baby, the water should be tepid; that is,
it should feel neither hot nor cold to the mother's elbow. For an older
baby it may be slightly cooler, but should not be cold enough to chill or
frighten him.
If the water is very hard a tablespoonful of borax dissolved in a little
water may be added to three quarts of water to soften it. Very little soap
should be used and that a very bland, simple soap, like castile. Never

rub the soap directly on the baby's skin, and be sure that it is thoroughly
rinsed off, as a