Keeping the Baby in a Stew
BABIES have troubles enough which are unavoidable, so that when the baby struggles with unnecessary trouble, it ought to have prompt sympathy. A great proportion of adult people, both men and women, are made very uncomfortable by certain forms of motion, such as that which is produced in a small boat on a heaving sea, or when swinging, and some even by the motion of a rapidly moving railroad train. Yet the majority of babies are obliged to submit to an endless swinging and trotting, sick or well, full or empty, cheerful or fretful. A child accustomed to a cradle may cry when a familiar motion is stopped, but a baby that never has known such motion is not only better off without it, but makes a fuss when the motion begins. The constant jogging and swinging, especially after full meals, and in certain ways, is just as likely to produce seasickness or similar discomfort as the similar motion would in an adult. Baby, however, is powerless to protest or to stop; for when he cries, he is only jogged the harder. It is a safe rule to carry an infant in arms as little as possible. Few people know how to handle him so that he lies in comfort. A good way is to put him in his little basket, which may be passed from hand to hand for inspection, if necessary, for the delectation of admiring friends. A child should always be lifted with both hands, and held lightly, but firmly, the entire length of the back, the head being carefully supported. It is a common and dangerous error to leave the back and the head unsupported. When the little one is not properly carried, the movement of the mother or nurse in walking, or indeed the sudden lurching of the baby itself, may seriously affect the head and spine.—Selected.