Fig. 159.—An outfit of practical baby clothes:
A. Thin cotton dress, open down the back.
B. Flannel night-gown with set-in-sleeves.
C. “Gertrude” petticoat, open down the back.
D. Shirt, opened all the way down the front.
E. Flannel night-gown with kimono sleeves.
F. Knitted band with shoulder straps.
G. Flannel square with tapes run through casings to form hood of one corner.
H. Bag, with hood, suitable for premature baby or for outdoor sleeping.
The first bands usually consist of strips of all wool or cotton and wool flannel about six inches wide and eighteen or twenty inches long, torn across the width of the material and not hemmed. This straight binder is worn until the cord dressing is discontinued, when it is replaced by a knitted band with shoulder straps. If the cord dressing is held in place by a gauze binder, the knitted band with straps is used from the beginning. Whether the binder be flannel or gauze, it must be applied firmly and with even pressure, but not tight. It is a mistake to think that a tight band strengthens the baby’s abdominal muscles for it has the opposite tendency. A tight band may give pain or discomfort and even cause colic or vomiting.
Fig. 160.—Appearance of properly adjusted diaper which has been folded diagonally.
Fig. 161.—Appearance of properly adjusted diaper which has been folded longitudinally.
The knitted band is usually worn for three or four months, particularly in cold weather, to provide a little extra warmth over the abdomen. Thin, delicate babies sometimes need this band for a year or more.
The diapers should be of soft, absorbent material, of a loose weave, such as cheese cloth, bird’s-eye, stockinette, thin Turkish towelling or outing flannel; should be 18 or 20 inches square and hemmed. There are two methods of putting on the diaper. One is to fold the square diagonally and bring the diagonal fold around the baby’s waist. One of the lower corners is drawn up between the thighs, the two corners from the sides brought over this and the fourth corner brought up over these and all pinned securely with a safety pin. (Fig. [160].) Small safety pins hold the margins together above the knees. The other method is to fold the diaper straight through the centre, forming a rectangle, twice as long as it is wide; lay the baby on it lengthwise, draw it up between his thighs and pin it on each side at the waist line and above the knees. (Fig. [161].)
In either case the diaper must be put on smoothly and care taken to avoid forming a thick pad between the thighs as this will tend to curve the bones of the legs. Squares of soft, absorbent material, which may be burned, placed inside the diapers, will greatly facilitate the laundry work. In some hospitals a very soft absorbent paper is used for this purpose, sometimes being covered with gauze.