Absolute cleanliness is a necessity in the care of a baby's food, bottles and rubber tops.
The bottle should be held, while the baby is feeding, in such a position that the top is full of milk. If air is sucked in with the milk stomach-ache will likely result.
Starchy food should not be given to a child until it is able to masticate. (See digestion of starch, Chap. VIII.)
Arrowroot, cornstarch, rice, etc., must not be given to infants.
Flour Ball.
Put a bowlful of flour into a strong cloth, tie it up like a pudding, and place it in a kettle of boiling water. Boil for 10 or 12 hours. When boiled turn it out of the cloth and cut away the soft outside coating. When cool, grate the hard inside portion and use a teaspoonful at each feeding, for a baby 8 months old, increasing the amount for an older child. This may be prepared in the same manner as cornstarch or flour. The long boiling converts the starch into dextrine, which is more easily digested than starch. This is especially valuable in cases of diarrhœa, and may be used instead of barley gruel as a food.
Oatmeal Gruel.
Pound a cupful of oatmeal in a pestle or on a bread board. Put in a bowl and pour over it 1 pint of cold water. Stir it up, then let the mixture settle for a few minutes. Pour off the milky fluid, repeat this process. Boil this water for an hour, adding a pinch of salt, and use it to dilute the milk instead of water.
A thicker gruel may be made from oatmeal by allowing 1 tablespoonful to a cup of boiling water. Let it boil 1 hour, then strain through a wire strainer.
Farina Gruel.