Progress and Achievements of the Colored People / Containing the Story of the Wonderful Advancement of the Colored Americans—the Most Marvelous in the History of Nations—Their Past Accomplishments, Together With Their Present-day Opportunities and a Glimpse Into the Future for Further Developments—the Dawn of a Triumphant Era. A Handbook for Self-improvement Which Leads to Greater Success

by Kelly Miller; Joseph R. Gay

HOW TO KEEP THE BABY WELL

Many young mothers are anxious to learn all they can about the physiology and hygiene of babyhood. Hours of anxiety might be spared them if they could only profit by the experience of those who have raised large families.

Babies’ hands and feet frequently become cold in a room where older people are quite comfortable. This is sometimes caused by having the clothing too tight. Keep the temperature of the room as near seventy degrees as possible and have it well ventilated, but do not allow the little one to lie in a draught, or an attack of colic may be the result. Take him out in the fresh air frequently if the weather is good, but when the wind is blowing and the air is damp the best place for the baby is in the nursery. It is never safe to expose him to all kinds of weather in order to get him used to it, for it may cost his life.

Give the baby a bath every day in hot weather, never having the water cool enough to cause him to catch his breath, nor warm enough to make him cry. He will soon learn to enjoy it. “My baby will laugh and clap his hands every time he is put in the water,” says one happy mother, “and after a few minutes’ bath and a good rubbing he is ready for a long, refreshing sleep.”

If the baby’s head becomes covered with a yellow coating rub vaseline well into the scalp, and after it has remained four or five hours take a fine comb and carefully comb it all off; wash thoroughly with soft water and good toilet soap as often as may be necessary to keep the scalp white and healthy. The vaseline loosens the scurf and makes it easy to comb out.

Nothing is so important as the baby’s diet. Of course the mother’s milk is the food nature intended for him, but frequently the supply is not sufficient for his needs, and there are many cases where it is impossible for a mother to nurse her baby. Cow’s milk is sometimes used, but the result is seldom satisfactory. It sours so easily in warm weather and is then really poisonous to the little one. Then we can never be sure that the cow is healthy, and we seldom have any means of knowing what kind of food she eats, or if the water she drinks is pure. All these things seriously affect the child’s health. Various prepared foods are good, but what agrees with one baby may not agree with another, so the effects of the one chosen should be carefully watched. It should be freshly prepared for each meal; there will then be none of the bad effects that so often follow the use of stale food. Do not get into the habit of offering the baby the bottle every time he cries, regardless of the cause. He may be thirsty, and a few spoonfuls of cold water will quiet him.

Do not feed the baby with a spoon. It is not nature’s way, and the sucking motion of the lips and mouth is needed to mix the food with the fluids of the mouth and keep it from getting into the stomach too fast. Use a plain nursing-bottle with a rubber nipple, which should be taken off after each feeding so that both bottle and rubber may be washed thoroughly. Let them soak in hot water two or three times every day to destroy any germs that may be left in them. Under no circumstances ever use a bottle with a long tube of rubber. Absolute cleanliness in everything pertaining to his food is necessary to keep the baby healthy.

Do not put anything in his mouth that needs chewing, until he has his teeth. In fact until he is seven months old the prepared food will be all that is necessary for him. After that he will take a little oatmeal gruel that has been strained through a coarse wire sieve to remove the husks, or some of the excellent preparations of wheat now on the market. If he is constipated, the juice of stewed fruit is beneficial in small quantities.

RULES FOR ACCIDENTS AND EMERGENCIES
Poisons and Their Treatment—Bites, Stings, Bruises, Splinters, Cuts, Sprains and Burns—Lockjaw—Poison Ivy—How to Bring the Drowned to Life—Suffocation—Fainting—Sunstroke—Freezing—The Eyes and How to Care for Them—Earache and Toothache—Felons, Warts, Corns and Boils—Home Remedies for Diphtheria—Treatment of Smallpox—Convenient Disinfectants—Sick Room Suggestions—Fruit in Sickness—An Antidote for Intemperance—Milk Strippings for Consumption—Stammering Cured at Home

Here are some short and simple rules for quick action in the event of accidents:

For Dust in the Eyes, avoid rubbing, and dash water into them. Remove cinders, etc., with the rounded end of a lead pencil or a small camel’s hair brush dipped in water.

Remove Insects from the Ear by tepid water; never put a hard instrument into the ear.

If an Artery Is Cut compress above the wound; if a vein is cut compress below.

If Choked get upon all fours and cough.

For Light Burns dip the part in cold water; if the skin is destroyed cover with varnish.

Smother a Fire with carpets, etc.; water will often spread burning oil and increase the danger.

Before Passing through Smoke take a full breath and then stoop low; but if carbonic acid gas is suspected then walk erect.

Suck Poisoned Wounds unless your mouth is sore. Enlarge the wound, or better, cut out the part without delay. Hold the wounded part as long as can be borne to a hot coal or end of a cigar.