One should get up and see that the child is comfortable—the clothing smooth under the body, the hands and feet warm, and the napkin not wet or soiled. If all these matters are properly adjusted and the child simply crying to be taken up, it should not be further interfered with. If the night cry is habitual some other cause should be sought [ (see page 121)].
How is an infant to be managed that cries from temper, habit, or to be indulged?
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. Such discipline is not to be carried out unless one is sure as to the cause of the habitual crying.
Is it likely that rupture will be caused from crying?
Not in young infants if the abdominal band is properly applied, and not after a year under any circumstances.
[ LIFTING CHILDREN ]
How should a young baby be lifted from its bed?
The right hand should grasp the clothing below the feet, and the left hand should be slipped beneath the infant's body to its head. It is then raised upon the left arm.
What is the advantage of this?
The entire spine is supported, and no undue pressure is made upon the chest or abdomen, as often happens if the baby is grasped around the body or under the arms.