The Care and Feeding of Children

The Care and Feeding of
Children

Project Gutenberg's The Care and Feeding of Children, by L. Emmett
Holt This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Care and Feeding of Children A Catechism for the Use of
Mothers and Children's Nurses
Author: L. Emmett Holt
Release Date: March 27, 2005 [EBook #15484]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CARE
AND FEEDING OF CHILDREN ***

Produced by Juliet Sutherland and the PG Online Distributed
Proofreading Team.

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF CHILDREN

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?
Best with fresh absorbent cotton and tepid water, or a solution of boric

acid, two teaspoonfuls to the pint. This should be done carefully at least
once a day. If any discharge is present, the boric-acid solution should
invariably be used twice a day. Great care is necessary at all times to
prevent infection which often arises from soiled napkins.
How should the genital organs of a male child be cleansed?
In infancy and early childhood the foreskin should be pushed back at
least twice a week while the