Mother's Remedies / Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada

by Thomas Jefferson Ritter

[618 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

MOTHERS' REMEDIES.—l. Cleaning Baby's Head, Common Lard for.—"Nothing is better than common lard. Grease the head good at night, using plenty of lard, especially if very heavily coated. Let stand over night, the lard softens the coating so you can take a fine comb and remove it. Comb from the forehead back. You need never have any scale on the baby's head." Care should be taken in using a fine comb, as it will very often make a child's head very sore.

2. Scald Head, An Experienced Mother's Remedy for.—

"Boracic acid 2 drams
Salol 2 drams
Balsam Peru 1 dram
Carbolic acid 20 drops
Vaselin 1 ounce
Lanoline 1 ounce
Mix."

Then wash the head thoroughly with castile soap, and apply the above morning and night, and use internally the following:—

Iodide Potash 192 grains
Fluid Extract Stillingia 1 ounce
Fluid Ext. Prickly Ash Bark 1/2 ounce
Fluid Ext. Yellow Dock 1 ounce
Compound Syrup Sarsaparilla, q. s 8 ounces
Mix."

Take about one-half teaspoonful from two to four times a day, according to the age of the child. If this treatment is kept up faithfully, you will be sure to obtain a cure.

TEETHING.—There are twenty teeth in the first set. There is sometimes slight fever, restlessness, sleepless nights, maybe loss of appetite and some indigestion. If signs of indigestion are seen, give less food, and replace same with boiled water. If he is a nursing baby give him an ounce of boiled water before nursing and nurse him only ten to fifteen minutes. If he is restless at night give him a warm sponge bath, and if there is any fever, add one teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda to a basin of tepid water. If the gums are very much congested and swollen and the child suffers, they may need to be lanced. Sometimes the teeth come earlier, but generally between the fifth and ninth months. They appear usually as follows:—

2 lower central incisors 6 to 9 months (often earlier) 4 upper incisors 7 to 10 months 2 lower lateral incisors 12 to 14 months 2 anterior upper molars 12 to 16 months 2 anterior lower molars 12 to 16 months 2 upper canines (eye teeth) 18 to 24 months 2 lower canines (stomach teeth) 18 to 24 months 2 lower and 2 upper posterior molars 24 to 30 months

During the first year the child should cut six teeth; next six months, six or more; at two years he should have sixteen; at two and one-half years twenty. About the sixth year the permanent teeth are cut and follow closely after the shedding of the milk teeth.

[ALL ABOUT BABY 619]

TEETHING.—PERMANENT TEETH, USUAL ORDER.

4 first molars 6 years 4 central incisors 7 years 4 lateral incisors 8 years 4 first bicuspids 8-1/2 to 9 years 4 second bicuspids 10 years 4 canines 11 or 12 to 14 years 4 second molars 12 to 13 years, (12 to 15) 4 wisdom teeth 18 to 25 years (17 to 25)

HICCOUGH.—Some infants are very liable to hiccoughs. It is generally a matter of little importance. It is a spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm, often caused by gas or wind or too much food in the baby's stomach. It is very annoying, and should not be allowed to go on indefinitely. Pat the baby gently, but suddenly, on the back, or give him a little hot water in which there are a few grains of sugar or a drop of essence of peppermint. See that he does not feed too fast or suck an empty bottle.

ENLARGED GLANDS.—Cutting teeth or sometimes a bad cold or other things cause the glands at the sides of the neck to swell and enlarge. This does not always give any discomfort to the baby, but it annoys and worries the mother. Frequently the enlargement will soon disappear of itself, but sometimes the gland grows larger, gets quite hard and often much inflamed—matter or pus will then form, and a discharge soon follows.

Treatment.—If the gland keeps on enlarging, a doctor should be seen, and if it needs lancing he can do so at the proper time, and save the neck from a bad scar. Medicine can also be given that will sometimes stop it. Syrup of iodide of iron three to ten drops, three times a day for a one-year-old child is good; cod-liver oil should be given to pale, thin children for a long time.

BED-WETTING.—If a child continues to wet the bed after he is three years old, something should be done for this annoying habit. The child should be examined by a doctor; circumcision will often effect a cure in boys; or pin worms may be the cause of the trouble; a stone in the bladder, or any trouble that makes him nervous, or it may be due to habit.

Treatment.—Scolding will not do any good. The child should not drink any fluids after four in the afternoon. He should not have any bread and milk or water for supper, but instead have bread and a dry cereal, with a little stewed fruit; sometimes a child needs a tonic. It is a tedious trouble to treat and it takes a long time to gain control of it. The mother must have a large stock of patience and co-operate with the doctor. The child should pass urine before retiring, have the foot of the bedstead elevated, not too warmly covered so as to become restless. His suppers should not be hearty, bowels should be regular. The following is a good remedy:—Tincture of belladonna; give five drops at bed-time and increase the dose, drop by drop, each night until it produces a fine scarlet rash upon the skin. This should be marked "poison" and only given under the care of a doctor. It is a good remedy, but it must be watched.

[620 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

HIVES.—Hives, or urticaria, is often seen in young children, It is generally caused by indigestion. It is not a serious disease, but it is uncomfortable and makes a baby cross. The eruption is bright red in color, and appears in blotches or wheels.

Treatment.—Give the child a laxative like magnesia or citrate of magnesia, or epsom salts and cream of tartar, of each two ounces. Dose, one-half teaspoonful in water every three hours until the bowels move freely. (One-year-old).

To relieve the itching.—Sop the spots with warm water, and a little soda, or an entire bath can be given of this if the eruption is extensive.

RUPTURE in a Baby. (Navel).—Take a strip of oxide of zinc adhesive plaster about one and one-half inches wide and long enough to reach three-fourths around the baby's body. Fasten one end of this to one side of the abdomen and with the other hand gently push the rupture back; bring the skin on either side of the navel together so that it will meet and hold the rupture. Bring the plaster tightly across the abdomen, across the navel and attach it firmly to the other side; change this dressing every few days and continue treatment until healed.

COLDS in Babies.—Many babies seem to take cold without any cause. It is often due to the fact that the room is too warm, or they are clothed too warmly; they get easily overheated and feel the slightest draught of air. If it is in his nose and it is stopped up, twist a piece of cotton on a small wooden piece like a tooth-pick and dip it into olive oil and put it into the nostrils a short distance. If necessary, buy a nose syringe with a soft rubber tip, and use it twice daily. The following solution is good: one-half teaspoonful of boric acid powder, one ounce of glycerin, and eight ounces of warm water. Mix. Place the child on your lap, head against your chest, bend his head well forward and syringe one nostril and then the other. Camphor cream is a good remedy. For a cough and much wheezing use a mustard plaster. Take one part mustard, six parts flour and mix it into a smooth paste with a little cold water, spread it between two layers of muslin, warm it and moisten with a little water if necessary, and put it on the upper part of the breastbone. Leave it on only long enough to redden the skin (five to six minutes). Put it on just before baby goes to bed. A drop of camphor every three hours is often good for a cold at the beginning. Aconite in small doses is also very good.

[ALL ABOUT BABY 621]

MOTHERS' REMEDIES. Colds, Catnip Tea for.—"Give a little sweetened catnip tea, then grease well with camphor and lard." This is a very simple and effective remedy, especially for small babies.

(See "Colds" under General Department for more Mothers' Remedies,)

Early signs of sickness.—When a baby who persistently refuses his food is drowsy at unusual times, fretful, feverish, and is uncomfortable, the mother should look in baby's mouth, for sore throat or tonsils, or on his body for rashes. Undress the baby and put him to bed in a quiet room away from the rest of the family, and if he is hot and restless give him a sponge bath with one teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda to a basin of luke-warm water. Give him also an enema to move his bowels, especially if they are not regular. Dilute his usual food with water or barley water to one-half the usual strength. If he is old enough to eat solid food, stop it. A dose of a teaspoonful of castor oil is safe to give until the doctor comes. Give him water to drink for he is thirsty. Take his temperature.