Give the Baby Its Nap

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Jul 2, 1914

Give the Baby Its Nap

“EVERY baby needs twenty hours of sleep a day in its first month, and not less than sixteen up to the twelfth month of its first year.” So says a government bulletin on the care of the baby. The bulletin continues: “It should sleep alone, not in a cradle, but in a crib. If no crib is available, a clothes basket or a box of sufficient size is a good substitute. An expensive mattress is not necessary. A simple mattress made of excelsior and covered with a heavy blanket will answer very well. A sufficient quantity of clean bed clothing should be provided. The room should be darkened and well ventilated; the windows should always be open at the top at least six inches, except in the coldest weather. If the baby cries when it should be asleep, it is probably sick, overfed, or hungry. All children should take a nap of from one to two hours in the middle of the day until they are six years old.”