Advice to nursing mothers. Keep yourself well. As long as you are well the baby will keep well. Even though you have but little milk at first, do not get discouraged; be patient and persevering. You should have lunches of milk and gruel—one in the middle of the morning, one in the afternoon, and another at bedtime. Remember that an active, cheerful mind is an important factor in good health. Nothing upsets a baby more quickly than a nervous, irritable mother.
Diet of a nursing woman. The meals should be simple and nutritious and should include a large amount of liquid. Milk, cereals, eggs, and soups should form the principal part of the diet. Some of the foods to be avoided by a nursing woman are cabbage, onions, garlic, and sour fruits.
Weaning. The healthy baby should be weaned from the breast between the ninth and the eleventh month. Every baby ought to be weaned entirely at the age of one year, but it is better not to wean him during the summer. If a baby has been taught to take water from a spoon or cup, there will be no trouble at the weaning period in having him take his milk from a cup. Weaning should take place gradually. During the process the mother should take less liquids and usually some laxative to produce free movements of the bowels.
Weigh the baby. The baby should be weighed once a week. Scales similar to grocers’ scales, with a basket attached, may be used, as they are more accurate than spring scales.
Directions for weighing. Have the scales in a warm place, protected from drafts. Undress the baby, wrap him in a small blanket, and place him in the basket on the scales. Write down the total weight; then lift the baby out, weigh the basket and blanket together, and subtract this amount from the first weight. The average healthy baby weighs from seven to seven and one-half pounds at birth, and his average length is twenty inches. A healthy baby usually doubles his weight at the end of the fifth month, and by the end of the first year weighs three times as much as at birth. For instance, if he weighs seven pounds at birth, he should weigh fourteen pounds at the end of the fifth month and twenty-one pounds at the end of the first year.
WEIGHING THE BABY
If the length is twenty inches at birth, the baby should grow about four inches during the first five months and eight inches during the first year. The following table shows the actual gain in weight of a healthy baby that was breast fed:
| Weight at birth | 7½ | pounds |
| Weight at age of two months | 11¼ | pounds |
| Weight at age of four months | 16 | pounds |
| Weight at age of six months | 18 | pounds |
| Weight at age of eight months | 20 | pounds |
| Weight at end of first year | 21 | pounds |
A child may be in good health and yet not conform to these averages. This need cause no uneasiness, providing the child is well and gains in weight.