COMMON MISTAKES IN FORMULAS
First and foremost, we believe a great mistake is often made in using too heavy cream mixtures; babies as a rule do not stand the use of too high a percentage of cream. Formulas that call for whole milk should contain four per cent fat or cream; and while babies often gain rapidly on the higher percentage of cream found in a rich Jersey milk, nevertheless, sooner or later serious disturbances of digestion usually occur. Herd milk is, therefore, better for the babies because in the "whole milk" of the herd of Holsteins we have only about four per cent fat.
Another common mistake is too heavy feeding at the time of an attack of indigestion; even the usual feeding may be too heavy during this time of indisposition. It is not at all uncommon for us to dilute baby's food to one-third its strength at the time of an acute illness.
Still another trouble maker is dirt—dirt on the dish-towel, dirt on the nipple, dirt in the milk, dirt on the mother's hands. Dirt is an ever present evil and an endless trouble maker, as evidenced by stool disturbances, indigestion, fretful days, and sleepless nights. A dirty refrigerator is another factor which has been responsible for much illness and distress.
Indigestion is often brought on because a nurse, caretaker, or possibly the mother, not wishing to go down to the refrigerator in the middle of the night, brings up the food early in the evening and allows it to become warm—to remain in a thermos bottle—and we are sure that had they been able to see the enormous multiplication of germs because of this warm temperature, they would never have given occasion for such an increase in bacteria just to save themselves a trifle of inconvenience.
Still another common mistake is to use one formula too long; a feeding mixture which was good for four or possibly six weeks, must be changed as the child grows older and his requirements become greater. Let the weight, stools, general disposition and sleep of the child be your guides, and with these in mind errors in feeding can be quickly detected and minor mistakes speedily rectified.