Clothing in winter. Clothing should always be adapted to the season. If the baby is not dressed warmly enough, he will have cold hands and feet, and his legs and arms will be bluish. A baby must have fresh air, but his body must be kept warm. This is most important; unless this is done his vital force will be lessened and he will not gain as he should. When taken out he must be warmly dressed with a long woolen or wool-lined coat with a shoulder cape. In cold weather a silk cap with a lining of wool is best. Take care that the neck of the coat and the cap ribbons are not too tight. Leggings will be necessary after the baby is in short clothes.
CHAPTER IX
HABITS AND TRAINING
Suggestions for demonstrations. 1. Demonstrate how to protect a baby from flies and mosquitoes when sleeping. 2. Show how to support a baby over a chamber.
Do not forget that during infancy life’s habits are being formed and that this period is of greater educational importance than any other of his life.
The normal baby is well and happy. Babies who are properly fed and kept clean, who have plenty of sleep and fresh air and are trained in regular habits, are usually well and good-natured. On the other hand, if babies are fussy and restless most of the time, there is something wrong. Patiently search for the cause of the trouble and see that it is removed.
Sleep. A newborn baby sleeps about nine tenths of the time. He should not be disturbed except for necessary care. After he has been made comfortable and fed he should be laid in his crib and trained to go to sleep without rocking and without a pacifier of any kind.
The daily amount of sleep required for different ages is approximately as follows:
First month 18 to 20 hours
Second to sixth month 16 to 18 hours
Sixth month 14 to 16 hours
One to two years 12 to 14 hours
During the first year a nap in the middle of the forenoon, and another in the afternoon, is desirable. The afternoon nap should not be so late as to interfere with the night’s sleep.
A healthy baby sleeps with his mouth closed. Mouth breathing is caused by some obstruction in the air passages, usually enlarged tonsils or adenoids. Other signs of the presence of adenoids may be restlessness at night, snoring during sleep, or frequent attacks of head colds. When any one of these symptoms is present the child should be placed under a physician’s care at once; otherwise its normal growth and health may be seriously retarded.