The mothercraft manual

by Mary L. Read

Illustration of Method in Making out a Dietary.

Age: 4 years	Activity: Out-of-doors
Sex: Boy	Season: Winter
Health: Robust	Temperament: Active
Height: 39 inches

1. Normal weight: 35 pounds; Calories per pound: 38; Total Calories: 1330

2. Estimated Calories: Protein, 200; Fat, 465; Carbohydrates, 665

3.-5. Analysis of Day’s Food

Food	Quantity (Uncooked)	Calories	Prot.	Fat	Cbhy.	Lime	Phos.	Iron
			Cal.	Cal.	Cal.	Grams	Grams	Grams
Grape juice	5 T	75			75	.016	.03
Milk	1½ pt.	500	95	260	145	1.195	1.515	.0017
Oatmeal	1 T	25	4	2	19	.007	.054	.0002
Bread (whole wheat)	2 slice	200	30	10	160	.032	.32	.0012
Butter	1½ cube	150	1	149		.004	.006
Crackers (Wheatsworth)	1	25	4	5	16	.004	.061	.0003
Rice	1 T	50	5		45	.004	.085	.0004
Potato	½ med.	50	6		44	.009	.083	.0007
Peas (fresh)	2 T	50	14	2	34	.016	.12	.0008
Egg	1	74	24	50	0	.044	.175	.0014
Apple sauce	1 apple	100	3	7	90	.022	.05	.0005
Dates	3	50	1	4	45	.01	.01	.0005
		1349	187	489	673	1.363	2.509	.0079

6.-7. Feedings, 4. Hours, 7:30, 10:00 A.M., 12:00; 5:00 P.M.

Day’s menu: (See menu for child 2 to 4 years, page [181]).

8. Method of preparation: For first teeth; vegetables diced; whole dates, prunes.

Typical Menus For Different Ages[24]

I. Twelve to Fifteen Months

Calculated for 21 pounds at 45 calories = 945 calories

		Calories	Vita.	Alka.	Lax.	Hard
A.M.
6:00	1½ glass warm milk	150	s	s
8:00	orange juice	75	s	s	s
10:00	oatmeal jelly	25
	1½ glass milk	150	s	s
	½ t top milk	5	s	s
P.M.
2:00	½ potato, baked	25		s
	1 t top milk	15	s	s
	½ slice bread, toasted	50			s	s
	prune pulp	100	s	(?)	s
	1½ glass milk	150	s	s
5:30	oatmeal jelly	25
	1½ glass milk	155	s	s
	small slice zwieback	25				s
	Totals as analyzed	950

	CALORIES			GRAMS
	Prot.	Fat	Cbhy.	Lime	Phos.	Iron
Calculated:	142	331	473
Analyzed:	145	333	472	1.622	2.293	.0043

Vitamines may exist in some degree in slightly cooked foods.

II. Fifteen to Twenty-Four Months

Calculated for 26 pounds at 42 calories = 1092 calories

		Calories	Vita.	Alka.	Lax.	Hard
A.M.
6:00	2 glasses warm milk	200	s	s
	1 Wheatsworth cracker	25			s
8:00	orange juice	75	s	s	s
10:00	oatmeal gruel	50
	2 glasses milk	200	s	s
	1-2 slice toast, whole wheat	50	s	s
P.M.
2:00	½ coddled egg	37	s
	¼ baked potato	25		s
	1 T spinach	10	s	s	s
	¼ slice bread, whole wheat	25			s
	¼ T butter	25	s	s
5:30	oatmeal gruel	50
	½ slice toast, whole wheat	50			s	s
	1 Wheatsworth cracker	25			s
	2 glasses milk	200	s	s
	Totals as analyzed	1047

	CALORIES			GRAMS
	Prot.	Fat	Cbhy.	Lime	Phos.	Iron
Calculated:	164	382	546
Analyzed:	177	386	484	1.647	2.592	.0068

III. Two to Four Years

Calculated for 35 pounds at 38 calories = 1330 calories

		Calories	Vita.	Alka.	Lax.	Hard
A.M.
6:30	grape juice	75	s	s	s
7:30	¼ serving oatmeal	25
	2 glasses milk	200	s	s
	½ slice toast, whole wheat	50			s	s
	½ T butter	50	s	s
10:00	1 glass milk	100	s	s
	1 Wheatsworth cracker	25			s
12:00	½ potato baked	50		s
	1 T peas	50		s
	1 egg coddled	74	s
	1 T butter	100	s	s
	apple sauce	100		s	s
	½ slice bread, whole wheat	50			s
P.M.
5:00	rice (unpolished)	50
	date pulp	50	s	s	s
	2 glasses milk	200	s	s
	1 slice zwieback	100			s	s
	Totals as analyzed	1349

	CALORIES			GRAMS
	Prot.	Fat	Cbhy.	Lime	Phos.	Iron
Calculated:	200	465	665
Analyzed:	187	489	673	1.363	2.509	.0079

IV. Four to Six Years

Calculated for 40 pounds at 37 calories = 1480 calories

		Calories	Vita.	Alka.	Lax.	Hard
A.M.
6:30	orange juice	100	s	s	s
7:30	rice	50
	chopped figs	50	s	s	s
	2½ glasses milk	250	s	s
	1 slice toast, whole wheat	100			s	s
	butter	75	s	s
12:00	lima beans, fresh	50		s
	2 T spinach	25	s	s	s
	potato, boiled in skin	50		s
	chicken	25
	1 slice bread, whole wheat	100			s
	butter	100	s	s
	2 plums	50	s	(?)	s
P.M.
5:00	½ shredded wheat	50			s
	2½ glasses milk	250	s	s
	molasses cookie, hard	100			s	s
	Totals as analyzed	1475

	CALORIES			GRAMS
	Prot.	Fat	Cbhy.	Lime	Phos.	Iron
Calculated:	222	518	740
Analyzed:	203	481	791	1.557	2.760	.0109

Day’s Menu for Child Two to Four Years.

Day’s Menu for Child Four to Six Years.

V. Six to Eight Years

Calculated for 47 pounds at 33 calories = 1551 calories

		Calories	Vita.	Alka.	Lax.	Hard
A.M.
6:30	orange juice	100	s	s	s
7:30	whole wheat cereal	100			s
	1½ glass milk	150	s	s
	1 slice toast, whole wheat	100			s	s
	½ T butter	50	s	s
	soft boiled egg	74	s
	½ fig	50	s	s	s
12:00	½ portion macaroni	50
	1 T cheese, cooked	100
	4 T string beans	25		s
	lettuce, oil, lemon juice	55	s	s	s
	1 slice bread	100			s
	½ T butter	50	s	s
	raw apple	100	s	s	s
P.M.
5:00	1 shredded wheat	100			s
	1 cup milk	100	s	s
	1 cup custard	150
	1 slice toast, whole wheat	100			s	s
	½ T butter	50	s	s
	Totals as analyzed	1604

	CALORIES			GRAMS
	Prot.	Fat	Cbhy.	Lime	Phos.	Iron
Calculated:	233	543	775
Analyzed:	214	517	873	1.475	1.865	.0099

Care of Food. All food should be kept covered, protected from dust, bacteria, insects, odors, poisonous gases (from bad drainage in refrigerator or kitchen). Butter should be kept in oiled paper or covered by a salted muslin cloth.

Cooked foods should be quickly and thoroughly cooled, and then covered and kept in a cool place.

Milk requires the most painstaking care, as bacteria multiply in it very rapidly unless it is kept cool and clean. It should be kept in a seamless, non-rusting receptacle, covered from dust and insects (preferably with a clean, double muslin cloth that will admit air but keep out dust); and placed in a clean, odorless, ventilated place. If a refrigerator or clean, cool cellar, springhouse, or well is not available, a homemade refrigerator may be constructed, similar to the fireless cooker, that will require little ice. Or the bottle may be placed in a basin of cool running water and covered with a clean muslin cloth the edges of which absorb the water; if thus placed in a draft, the evaporation will keep the milk cool. In hot weather it should be pasteurized for children under six years, and at other seasons for children under four, unless certified.

Milk should preferably be bottled at the dairy for delivery. If delivered from cans it should be exposed as little as possible to the air and dust, the measures should be scrupulously clean, and it should be poured at once into bottles or jars that have been sterilized by boiling and that are covered from dust until filled. It should be immediately covered.

If milk is delivered in bottles, provision should be made for protecting these from dust, sun, and animals until they are brought into the kitchen. The bottles should be well washed in cool water, especially around the top and cover, before opening. The rim of the bottle should be wiped with a clean cloth and the cover replaced immediately after pouring.

Milk which has been warmed or which has stood uncovered outside the bottle should not be poured back or used again for the children to drink, as bacteria have multiplied in it very rapidly. It may be used for cooking.

Milk. The production of milk requires the greatest cleanliness. If a cow is kept, the dairy, utensils, methods of milking and caring for the new milk should conform to the standards set forth in the Federal and State Health Bulletins. If milk is purchased, inspection should, if possible, be made of the dairy and the methods of cooling and transportation. In the large cities, milk is now graded according to the degree of care and the cleanliness as indicated by the bacteria count. Certified or Grade “A” should be used for children under three years of age. Grade “A” is preferable, but Grade “B” can be used for children over two years. Grade “C” and loose milk are fit only for cooking.

The milk from a herd is more uniform from day to day than from a single cow. Holstein or Guernsey milk is preferable for children, especially for infants, as the lower fat content and softer curds make it more easily digested than Jersey milk.

Sterilized or condensed milk is less easily digested and less nutritious than raw milk, and is conducive to constipation. The high degree of heat to which they have been subjected has reduced the vitamines and affected the protein.

Milk may spoil even before it has soured. Pasteurizing delays souring but not spoiling. Unscrupulous dealers sometimes add preservatives to prevent souring. Such milk is dangerous. Clean, freshly soured milk is harmless, but should not be given to children under three except as buttermilk. With young children and babies, buttermilk can sometimes be retained and digested when sweet milk cannot be taken. The special tablets containing the Bulgarian bacillus should be used, and usually, with the whole milk, in making buttermilk for young children. These tablets may be obtained from the druggist.

Skimmed milk has all the value of whole milk except the cream. Whey contains the minerals, sugar and fats. Bottled commercial cream has a very high bacteria count and should never be used for children. Ice cream should be freshly made of fresh, pasteurized milk, with scrupulous cleanliness.

Principles of Cooking. Before food can be utilized by the body, it must be made soluble—changed into substances that are dissolved so they can pass readily through the walls of the food tube into the blood. In the digestive tract fats, carbohydrates, and protein must first be separated, as different digestive fluids are provided to act upon each of these. Cooking for children should (1) make foods easily soluble; (2) produce little mixture of protein, carbohydrates and fats; (3) improve the flavor, and (4) raise the temperature to about blood heat (98° F.), when served.

The degree of development of the digestive fluids, the stomach, and the teeth must be considered in preparing food for an individual child. In infancy the digestive system is undeveloped, lacking in digestive fluids, stomach small, and there is no provision for chewing.

Until nine months of age babies do not have digestive fluids for starch, or for protein except the curds of milk; their teeth are not yet serviceable for chewing, and solid food of any kind is so indigestible that it often causes convulsions, if given.

After nine months, starches thoroughly cooked and without cellulose may be given cautiously.

All food must be easily soluble until two years of age, that is, until enough of the first teeth have developed for adequate chewing of soft cellulose.

For children under 18 months, cellulose and fibers strained out of vegetables.

For children 18 months to 3 years (before first teeth are all cut) vegetables mashed or chopped fine; coarse cellulose removed.

At three years, all the first teeth (20) should be cut, and the child can chew the cellulose of vegetables and fruits.

For children three years (first teeth all cut) to 8 years (second teeth partially cut) vegetables diced, whole cooked fruits.

During the first two years of second dentition (from 6 to 8 years) the missing teeth make chewing less adequate, and care is needed to provide easily divided food. After eight years enough of the permanent teeth have been cut to permit fibers of meat in the diet.

Cooking for Children. Before beginning the preparation of food, wash the hands thoroughly and clean the finger nails. See that all utensils are scrupulously clean, as well as dish towels with which they are wiped. Use agate or enamelware for all acid fruits and vegetables, and a double boiler for milk. Do not use aluminum ware for acids or eggs, or tin for acids, as poisonous compounds would be formed. Taste food before serving, using a clean spoon which is not replaced in the food but immediately washed. Keep food uncovered as little as possible.

Milk. In heating milk always use a double boiler and do not let the milk reach the boiling point. Boiling hardens the protein and makes it difficult of digestion.

To pasteurize milk: put in sterilized bottles, stoppered with non-absorbent cotton. Place bottles in kettle with cold water coming to height of milk in bottles. Put cloth or paper in bottom of kettle and between bottles, to prevent breaking. Milk is advisably pasteurized by bringing water to 145° F. and maintaining at exactly this temperature for thirty minutes, either turning fire low or removing kettle from fire, leaving bottles in water for half an hour, or placing the kettle in a fireless cooker, or covering tightly with newspapers. Cool bottles quickly by placing in lukewarm water, then in cold water, then on ice, or where temperature of 45° can be maintained.

Toast. Use stale bread. Make in the oven, drying hard throughout, the outside then lightly browned in gas oven or over coals or an electric toaster.

Dried fruits. Sort carefully, remove blemishes, wash thoroughly in colander. Soak overnight in water to cover; bring to boil, and let simmer with low fire or in fireless cooker until soft. Add no sugar to prunes, dates, figs, seedless raisins, and little to peaches, apples, apricots. California prunes should be used, as they are sweeter and less acid. Honey may be used, instead of sugar, for sweetening other fruits. Soda should be added to tart fruits, as apricots. For children one to three years, make pulp by removing pits and mashing through fine colander (not tin). For children over three, dates and figs may be served uncooked, after thorough washing, or sterilizing for ten minutes in a colander over steam and then drying.

Cereals. Cereals require a high degree of heat for the first five or ten minutes, to burst the covering of the tiny starch cells, then long cooking at a moderate temperature. This applies to oatmeal, barley, wheat cereals, corn meal, samp, rice, tapioca, sago. A double boiler should be used and, unless a coal fire is available for a long period, a fireless cooker. The latter can be made in a few hours at a cost of less than half a dollar, by using a wooden box with a hinged cover, sawdust for packing, and asbestos paper for lining.

In cooking any cereal, have the water boiling in both the upper and lower parts of the double boiler. Put the upper part directly over the heat and let the water boil violently for a minute. Add salt in the proportion of 1 tablespoon to one quart of water. Pour in the cereal very slowly, so the boiling does not stop. Let this boil five minutes, shaking gently, then place in boiler and put into fireless cooker, or over low fire.

Gruel or porridge:

1 part rolled or flaked oatmeal or wheat to 2 parts water

1 part corn meal or rice to 3 parts water

1 part fine wheat or hominy, coarse oatmeal, tapioca or barley to 4 parts water

Cereal jelly is made by straining the gruel through cheesecloth or finest wire strainer.

Cereal water is made by using a smaller proportion of cereal—from 1 to 2 tablespoons to 1 pint of water,—and straining. It may be made from the prepared barley, wheat, oat, or rice flour, using 1 tablespoon of the flour, blended with 2 tablespoons cold water, and proceeding then as with the whole cereal, stirring occasionally, and cooking from thirty to sixty minutes.

Note that cereal water contains little nourishment and, unless made from the whole grains, little mineral.

The ready-cooked oatmeals and wheat cereals should be cooked not less than one hour for children.

The dry, ready-to-serve cereals are thoroughly dextrinized and easily digested if well chewed, and therefore as advantageous for children over two or three.

Eggs. Eggs are quite easily digested raw, strained through a fine sieve. Raw egg is usually laxative. They should be cooked merely until the whites begin to set and are like soft jelly. Or the grated yolk, after boiling twenty minutes, may be used.

To soft boil. Place in boiling water which is immediately removed from the fire; let stand eight to ten minutes. Or put into cold water in covered saucepan; bring to boiling point and remove saucepan from fire.

To poach. Grease the bottom of a small skillet with some fat. Put in boiling water with 1 teaspoon salt. Drop in egg from saucer, and turn fire low, or remove skillet. Let stand 2 to 5 minutes, until white is set. Remove with perforated spoon or ladle. Serve on toast which has been dipped in boiling salted water and slightly buttered.

Cocoa. For children four to eight years old, make cocoa weak, using only ¼ teaspoon cocoa to a cup of milk. Blend the cocoa with ¼ teaspoon sugar and 1 tablespoon boiling water. Add ½ cup of boiling water and boil for five minutes. A larger portion may be made at one time, and kept on ice. Heat the milk in a double boiler and add the hot cocoa to this. Do not let the milk boil.

Soups and Purées. For thin soups, take equal parts of milk and the vegetable water from cooking potatoes, rice, spinach, carrots, celery, corn, lima or string beans, peas. Heat in double boiler.

Purées are made by mashing and straining any of these vegetables, and adding milk.

The most nutritious thickening is given by adding cereal gruel, or raw egg beaten in just before serving, after removing from the stove. Thickening of flour or cornstarch requires cooking for half an hour. Flour in melted fat is indigestible.

Vegetables. Use fresh, tender vegetables. Sort carefully, removing bruised and blemished places. Wash or scrub thoroughly through two or three waters, using a colander. If canned, remove all immediately from container. For children under two years, potatoes should be baked, and other vegetables cooked thoroughly and put through a fine sieve, removing all cellulose. For children of two and three years, vegetables should be minced; for those four to eight years, merely diced.

Baked potato. Remove skin from two ends to permit escape of steam in cooking. Bake in hot oven until mealy—about forty-five minutes. Pierce with hot fork or break open slightly to permit escape of steam.

Boiled potatoes. Boil in skins to prevent loss of mineral nutrients. Put into boiling water; add 1 teaspoon of salt to each pint of water, and boil gently for half an hour. Test with a fork, and when mellow, drain off the water, remove the cover, and let the moisture evaporate. If very large potatoes are used, add a cup of cold water when the outside is cooked; this prevents overcooking of outside portion.

Other vegetables may be baked, steamed (cooked in a steamer), or stewed. The ordinary method of cooking vegetables by boiling in a large quantity of water removes the essential minerals and watersoaks the vegetables.

Dried peas, beans, lentils, should be soaked overnight, salted and boiled for fifteen minutes, then put into the casserole or fireless cooker and cooked from six to ten hours.

Young beets, string beans, lima beans, carrots, spinach, peas, asparagus, summer squash are best steamed until tender (from thirty to sixty minutes). They may be stewed by putting in a covered saucepan with just enough salted water to prevent burning, and with the water just boiling.

Onions should be put into boiling water with 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon soda, and a piece of charcoal to 1 quart of water. After cooking five minutes, pour off the water and add freshly boiling, salted water; after ten minutes drain again and put into salted boiling water. Boil until tender—forty-five to sixty minutes. Leave the cover off to avoid odors. Spanish or Bermuda onions are mildest in flavor.

T = Tablespoon t = teaspoon c = cup

3 t	= 1 T
16 T	= 1 c
2 c	= 1 pt.
1 t	= ½ oz.
1 T	= 1½ oz.
1 c	= 8 oz.
16 fluid oz.	= 1 pt.
16 oz. by wt.	= 1 lb.
1 oz.	= 28 grams (metric)
2½ lb.	= 1 Kilogram (metric)

Spoonful or cupful means level. Teaspoons vary in size.

In serving vegetables, add a little cream for young children; omit sauces.

Serving. Let the child eat outdoors whenever possible. If indoors, have the room well ventilated and not above 68° F.

Until six years of age the child preferably should have his meals, at least dinner and supper, at separate hours from the adults. He will give better attention to his food, will not be tempted by adult food, and not subjected to the table conversation which is too often directed at him or not of interest.

A low chair and table is much to be preferred to a high chair, until six years; then a higher chair, comfortable for the dining table, with a foot rest, should be provided, to be cut down as the child grows.

Serve milk at blood heat (98° F.) to children under two years of age, and in cold weather for children to six years. Serve warm milk for cooked cereal.

The serving plate for children under three should be kept warm during the mealtime. Special children’s plates are now procurable that have thermos qualities or that are kept warm by hot water.

Avoid any possibility of infection. For example: Do not return spoon or fork to child’s food, or give to child, after you have used it yourself, or another child has used it. Do not blow into child’s food; use some other means of cooling.

Cereals should be fresh cooked within twelve hours for children under two, and within twenty-four hours for older children. Baked potatoes and eggs should be fresh cooked for each meal. Vegetables, soups, and purées should be cooked within twenty-four hours.

Toast should be buttered when cold. If buttered hot, the fat surrounds the starch grains and makes their digestion difficult or impossible.

Cereal should be served without sugar or butter, which make digestion difficult and form a rich combination that spoils the appetite for simple, wholesome foods. Top milk may be added, and for children two years, chopped stewed fruit.

The digestive juices in the mouth have an important part in the digestion of starches, therefore every means should be used for the insalivation of starchy foods. Dry buttered toast or whole wheat cracker, for instance, eaten with cereal, necessitates longer chewing of the cereal. The saliva is alkaline, and its action upon starches is hindered by the presence of an acid; therefore acid fruits, such as apple sauce, should not be taken into the mouth at the same time as starchy foods, such as bread, crackers, or cookies. Bread and milk are more digestible when taken together, as the milk is thus divided into smaller curds. Milk from a glass should be slowly sipped, in small swallows; this is a very important habit to cultivate in small children.

The diet should be carefully selected and analyzed, carefully prepared and daintily served with the minimum portions to meet the child’s needs. With these conditions a child should be trained to eat what is set before him, without argument, having a second helping of the simple foods to the limit of his caloric needs. Do not permit a child to be finicky about his food. The tastes and food habits are formed in early childhood.

Cultivate a taste for vegetables by giving first in vegetable broths, and then gradually give a teaspoonful of the mashed vegetable.

If a wholesome food is refused on first offering at one meal, give that first at a subsequent meal and withhold more desired foods until this is taken. Keep dessert out of sight until other food is eaten. An occasional child is not able to digest some special food, as milk, eggs, strawberries, fish. Some children cannot digest plain milk but can take it in foods, as in broth, junket, custard, pudding.

Common faults and tendencies in the child to be guarded against are:

Insufficient chewing
Eating too rapidly
Drinking milk rapidly instead of sipping
Dawdling over meals
Eating with fingers
Carelessness about the dropping of food on table and floor
Unwillingness to try new foods
Unwillingness to eat vegetables
Preference for sweets and starches
Overeating of bread

Common faults of adults, in the feeding of children:

Overfeeding
Irregular feeding
Allowing child to choose or refuse food and become finicky
Giving too large a portion of bread and cereal
Too much mushy food
More than one quart of milk a day
Insufficient hard foods
Coaxing child to eat when not hungry or when tired or ill

School children should always have an adequate warm breakfast, with plenty of time to eat without hurrying, and a warm midday meal. If the school is too far away for them to return home, some provision should be made with the teacher, school principal, or near-by home, for one or two warm dishes.

Children under six years should always have the mother or other intelligent attendant with them during meals to train in careful chewing and drinking, neatness, courtesy, conversation. With children under four years a spirit of play may be brought into the feeding, especially with the less desired foods; this should gradually be dropped during the fifth year.

Utilize the opportunity for training in motor coördination and self-reliance. Babies can be given water from a spoon at one month, and can begin drinking from a cup at six months; thus trained, they will never acquire the bottle habit, and they can learn to feed themselves during the second or third year. The motor control and self-reliance thus gained are far more important than the messing of food during a few months. Let the children help clear their table (18 months); brush up any crumbs (2 years); bring in their own dishes and food (3 years); wash dishes (3 years); help with the cooking (4 years).

Use enamel cups, sauce dishes, and plates until at about three years the child can confidently handle dishes without breaking them.

The serving of food has the value of a religious ceremony and a social banquet, as well as the satisfying of physical needs. With intelligence and forethought it can be made of such significance, and a means of teaching reverence, courtesy, self-control of physical appetites, pleasant conversation.