Better babies and their care

by Anna Steese Richardson

After the bath he should be patted, not rubbed, dry; wrapped in warm blankets; and tucked into bed, with a hot-water bottle or bag near the feet. Be very careful that the hot-water bag is not hot enough to blister the flesh. The baby, in the state of prostration which follows the convulsion, will not know enough even to withdraw his feet from the surface of the bag or bottle.

If the convulsion is a symptom of illness like scarlet fever, where the temperature is high, the baby cannot be put in a hot bath. A cold compress is laid on his head, and the body and limbs are sponged gently with cool water—not hot. If, after the sponging, the feet are cold, a hot-water bottle may be placed near them. If the child is fully dressed when the convulsion comes on, be sure to loosen the clothes, and take off the shoes and stockings. If there is an ice-cap in the house use that in place of the cold compress for the head.

If the convulsion comes from indigestion give an enema of warm soapsuds, and as soon as the child is able to swallow give him a large dose of castor-oil.

When a baby has a fall this may or may not attain the dignity of a nursery emergency. A child can escape real injury in what may first appear to the mother as a very bad fall. The effect of a fall most to be dreaded is injury to the spine or brain. I recall one particular case where a child was dropped by its nurse and it made very little outcry; in fact, it became listless, dull, and apathetic. It dozed, off and on, for twenty-four hours; and then suddenly the mother discovered that the child had lost the use of its legs. The blow to the spine had caused paralysis.

When a child strikes the head in falling, and develops listlessness and drowsiness, or makes no outcry, does not even talk, the mother should have it examined by a physician, even though the baby may not become unconscious. There are cases on record where children of three and four years were counted as defective and idiots, when a surgical examination developed the fact that a bit of bone was pressing on the brain and making all the trouble. The fracture could be traced to a fall during infancy, to which no attention had been paid. The pressure removed, the child has regained the use of its faculties and developed into a normal being. The mother who suspects that the brain is even slightly affected by a fall should have her baby examined immediately.

Where the arm or leg is hurt the child may stop crying and resume its playing in a short time, merely shielding the injured member. If, at the end of several hours, he continues to play without using the hand or foot affected, the mother will do well to have him looked over by a doctor. An astonishing number of children will resume playing despite a broken arm, leg, collar-bone, or rib.

One of the common emergencies of childhood is the burn. I know of nothing which will make a child cry more terrifyingly or give the mother more alarm than a burn, whether from actual flame or from steam or boiling water. Too much care cannot be taken to ward off this emergency. Hot water should not be left standing around where a child can tumble or dip into it. Lamps, candles, etc., should be placed beyond reach. Matches should never be left where a child can strike them. However, careful as the mother may be, children will burn themselves, and a mother should be prepared for the emergency.

Keep on hand gauze bandages in several widths and a bottle of sweet-oil and lime water in equal proportion. This is effective if the skin is merely reddened or inflamed. If the burn destroys the first layer of skin, causing blisters to arise, there is danger of infection. Cover the burn with a piece of gauze soaked in a weak antiseptic solution—one teaspoonful of creolin to one quart of water.

The same antiseptic treatment may be used for the more severe burns where the flesh is actually seared. In that case, after applying the antiseptic solution and gauze, the child should immediately have the care of a physician.

Infection, lockjaw, and intense suffering, if not death, may result from a neglected burn.