BABY'S LAYETTE

In preparing an outfit for the newcomer it is wise to provide for the necessities only, because of the fact that since the baby grows very fast the layette will soon have to be discarded; it is always possible to get more clothing after the baby is here and started on his little career. We offer the following list of essentials for the new born baby:

Slips8 to 10
Skirts (flannel)3
Shirts3
Light-weight wool wrappers2
Abdominal bands3 to 5
Diapers (first size)2 doz.
Diapers (first size)2 doz.
Stockings, pairs3
Booties, pairs3
Nightgowns7
Handling blankets2
Silkaline puffs2
Baby blankets, pair1
Hair or cotton mattress 1
Basinet1

BANDS AND SHIRTS

The binder should be made of an unhemmed strip of flannel six inches wide and twenty inches long, so that it goes around the abdomen once with a small overlap. This binder should be sewed on instead of being pinned, and serves the purpose of holding the dressings of the cord in place. It is usually worn from four to six weeks, when it is replaced by a silk and wool barrel-shaped band with shoulder straps and tabs at the bottom, both front and back, to which may be pinned the diaper. This band is worn through the first three or four years to protect the abdomen from drafts and chilling, thus guarding against those intestinal disturbances which are caused by sudden weather changes.

There is great danger of having the bellyband too tight, and, in the early weeks, it is often the cause of great discomfort—often interfering with the normal expansion of the stomach at meal time.

No matter what the season, the new-born baby should be clothed in a light-weight silk and wool shirt, preferably the second size. After the first month, if the weather is exceedingly warm, this woolen shirt may be displaced by a thin silk or lisle shirt. In buying the second-size shirts always secure the stretchers at the same time, for in the laundering they soon shrink so that they are very uncomfortable for the young babe.