absorbent cotton, it should be drawn forward again. No force should be employed in retracting the foreskin; the physician should be consulted if it cannot be retracted easily.
The Development of Habits.
—During his first few months crying is a child's only means of expression, and he quickly learns to make effective use of his limited opportunities. It is important for the mother to distinguish between crying caused by pain, illness, or hunger, and crying caused by temper. These cries are more or less distinctive, but no one can be sure in every case just what a crying baby is attempting to express.
A cry caused by hunger is fretful and often interrupted by sucking the thumb; it ceases when the child is fed. A cry caused by indigestion is similar; the child is relieved for a short time by feeding, but soon begins to cry again. If he has acute pain, such as earache, the cry is sharp, repeated at frequent intervals and accompanied by other symptoms of distress, such as restlessness, contraction of the features, and drawing up the legs. In serious illness the cry is usually feeble, fairly constant except when the child is asleep, and exaggerated by slight causes.
A limited amount of crying is useful exercise for a baby, and should not distress his mother unduly.
Moreover, crying may be merely the expression of a wish to be taken up, to be played with, carried about or otherwise amused, to be given a pacifier, or to be indulged in other bad habits. If not indulged in these ways he may cry from temper. The cry of temper is loud and violent, accompanied by vigorous kicking or by holding the body rigid. Proper treatment of the baby may prevent many months of discomfort, and spare him the formation of his first bad habit. All other possible causes for crying should be eliminated. If the child continues to cry when he is warm and dry and comfortable, "It should simply be allowed to cry it out. This often requires an hour and in extreme cases two or three hours. A second struggle will seldom last more than ten or fifteen minutes and a third will rarely be necessary" (Holt). Gas may form in the child's stomach during prolonged crying. It is consequently permissible to take him up after 15 minutes, and hold him erect; he generally expels gas at once, and immediately experiences relief. As soon as he is relieved, he should go back to his crib.
Exercise.
—Exercise is essential to the development of the body, but during the first few weeks warmth and quiet are so important that a baby should not be disturbed except for necessary care. His position, however, should be changed occasion
ally; if he lies on the same side constantly the soft bones of the head may become misshapen from pressure. As the baby grows older he needs more exercise, and he may be given an opportunity for it by removing his outer clothing and placing him on a bed in a warm room for a short time each day. Unnecessary handling is not good for a baby at any age.
After he becomes more active, he may play on a mattress or thick blanket placed on the floor. The blanket should be covered with a washable pad or rubber cloth and clean sheet, and the whole should be surrounded by a fence at least two feet high. In such an enclosure a baby may safely be left to play if protected from draughts and cold. Elevated pens that can be folded when not in use are more convenient but more expensive than the home-made arrangement. As soon as a child begins to run about he takes ample exercise, and he may even need to be guarded from too great fatigue, especially toward bedtime. Games and play should be adapted to the age of the child and sufficiently varied to exercise all portions of the body; but they should not be too violent nor too prolonged. Some supervision of children's play is necessary, but they should be given as much freedom as possible and allowed to develop their own initiative.