Better babies and their care

by Anna Steese Richardson

It is absolutely criminal to let a child distort its mouth by sucking thumb or fingers. Let no mother deceive herself by saying that the habit is the child’s great comfort, a natural soother and pacifier. In later years that child, especially if it be a girl, will call her mother to task for permitting the indulgence.

I have seen mothers actually start babies in this fatal habit of finger-sucking by giving them what is known as a “pacifier,” or rubber nipple on a ring. It is natural for a baby to suck at something. He is born hungry. When he is very young he will continue making sucking motions with his mouth after the breast or bottle has been taken from him. If he happens to whimper the mother thinks the little sucking motion must be satisfied; she gives him the pacifier, or actually sticks his thumb into his mouth, and the mischief is begun.

The tendency to suck the thumb is easily checked. From the very start remove the thumb or finger and lay the little hand firmly down at the baby’s side as he drops asleep. If he persists, then immediately—not after the habit is almost iron-clad—have him sleep with his hand in a mitten. It is never too soon to correct this habit. Better a crying baby to-day than a deformed daughter ten years from now. Thumb-sucking thrusts the teeth out, and in some cases gives the entire lower part of the face the shape of a rabbit’s.

Many mothers ask me about badly shaped hands, and stubby fingers. Even these can be improved or remedied by patient care soon after the baby is born. Press them firmly, steadily, into shape, a few minutes at a time, every time the baby wakens. Of course, if bones are misshapen they cannot be changed, but the stubby finger can be improved by pressure—if taken in time. But it does no good to rub the fingers one day and let them go three. It must be done patiently, regularly, and gently, every day while the flesh, bones, and nails are soft.

Biting the nails is a habit which may develop in a very young child. Many times this is a symptom of nervousness, but in the young child this is more apt to be simply a habit without a reason. If the child is old enough to be argued with it is much better to offer him some little reward if he does not bite his nails and they grow out well-shaped and beautiful. Try to make him see that they are something to be proud of. He will soon learn to master the impulse. In a child too young to be reasoned with it is better to remove the hands from the mouth firmly; if this is not effective, rub the nails with a little powdered alum.

Picking at the nose may be the result of worms or of irritation of the nostrils. If either of these two ailments is present the cause must be removed. If it is purely a habit then it is a question of firm discipline which even a baby can be made to understand.

Bed wetting, which is a habit that makes extra work for the mother and causes discomfort for the child, may be a symptom of some chronic ailment, or it may be lack of discipline and training. It sometimes comes from incorrect diet, constipation, ringworm, irritation about the genitals, enlarged tonsils, or adenoids. The doctor will decide whether one or more of these defects is present. If not, then it becomes a matter of discipline, which, however, is not achieved by punishment. Only careful training will overcome this habit.

I have spoken in another chapter about setting the child on a little chamber every hour throughout the day from the time he is eight or nine months old. By following this practice the baby soon realizes that to be wet is to be uncomfortable and wretched, and he will cry out against it. Moreover, he will soon exercise his will to retain the urine until time to sit on the chamber. As this cannot be done in the night, up to the time he is eighteen months of age he is very apt to wet the bed once or twice during the night; but when the ten o’clock feeding is stopped and he has nothing to drink from 6 P.M. to 6 A.M., he gradually stops wetting the bed; and at two years of age he is completely broken of the habit.

If a child has not been trained in this way the mother now realizes that the habit of wetting the bed is confirmed; and at three years old or more she should start training him afresh by putting him on the chair every hour throughout the day. In this way the functions of the bladder gradually come under the control of the will. At the end of two or three weeks, instead of placing the child on the chair every hour, the intervals are lengthened to one and one-half hours; then to two hours; and the mother suddenly wakes up to find that her child is dry all during the day. At first he may have to be taken up three or four times at night, but soon this can be reduced to two, and finally to one. When he is six years old he will be broken of the habit and will sleep soundly and be dry for ten or twelve hours.

If the habit is well-grounded the diet may be changed to effect a cure. The last evening meal of the day should be almost dry, with just an occasional sup of water to allay thirst; no liquids should be served after 4 P.M. Butter may be served with a cereal, and apple-sauce used to moisten the meal of bread, toast, or crackers. Never give a young child tea or coffee. These are not juvenile beverages; and they are especially bad for bed-wetting children.