Partially Peptonized Milk.—Put four ounces of water and a whole tube of powder into a clean pan and stir well; add a pint of cold milk and heat to the boiling point, stirring the mixture all the time. There should be enough heat to bring the milk to the boiling point in ten minutes. Allow the mixture to cool somewhat and strain into a clean jar, cork tightly and keep in a cool place. Shake the jar before and after using any of the contents.
If partially peptonized milk is properly prepared it should not become bitter.
Completely Peptonized Milk.—Put four ounces of cold water and the powder contained in one of the tubes into a clean quart bottle and shake thoroughly. Add a pint of cold fresh milk and shake again; then place the bottle in a pan of warm water about 115° F., or not too hot to place the hand in comfortably. Keep the bottle in the water bath for thirty minutes; then place the bottle directly on ice.
Uses of Peptonized Milk.—Partially peptonized milk is useful in young infants who have difficulty in digesting the curd of milk. Completely peptonized milk is frequently used during attacks of indigestion. It is used also to tide a delicate infant over a period when for some reason the digestive apparatus refuses to digest and assimilate even dilute mixtures. It is of value also in acute or chronic illness when the child has to be fed through a tube. When it is necessary to feed per rectum peptonized foods are often selected in preference to others.
Objections to Peptonized Milk.—Complete peptonization of milk renders the milk bitter. For this reason many children will not take it. Very young children whose sense of taste is not developed may be induced to take it after a few days. It is not wise to continue its use long because the function of the stomach will become accustomed to the use of predigested food and refuse to work when called upon. If it is used for a number of weeks it is wise to stop it gradually in order to permit the stomach to resume its function in a normal way.
What a Mother Should Know About Baby's Feeding Bottle and Nipple.—In the first place, always buy round bottles,—round everywhere, inside and out,—there should be no corners anywhere. The reason for this is, that bottles that are round everywhere, are easily cleaned, and can be thoroughly cleaned, and having no corners they do not lend themselves to collecting dirt and bacteria. When these bottles are first bought they should be boiled. After each feeding they should be thoroughly washed with soap or washing powder. A long-handled bottle brush should be used to help clean the bottle. After the bottle has been thoroughly rinsed a number of times with hot water, it should be set aside filled with warm water into which one teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda has been put. Before filling them with the freshly prepared food each morning the bottles should be boiled. Every mother with a bottle-fed baby should buy a dozen bottles, all of the same kind and size to begin with. This is a great advantage for a number of important reasons, two or three of which I will mention:
1st. Having enough bottles means that each bottle will be used once only during the twenty-four hours; there is less chance therefore of a bottle being cleaned carelessly.
2nd. Having a fresh bottle for each feeding permits all of the food for twenty-four hours being made at one time. This ensures uniformity of quality of each feeding.
3rd. By cleaning all the bottles at one time (previous to filling) it is more apt to be done thoroughly; and by making all the food for a day at one time it is more apt to be correct than if each feeding was made separately.
The baby's nipple should be made of plain black rubber. It should not be too thick because it is necessary to turn it inside out in order to clean it thoroughly. The hole in the nipple should not be too large—if the child can empty the bottle in less time than fifteen minutes the hole is too large. If the milk drops out but does not run it is about right. Don't buy nipples too long or too large. A long nipple tends to gag the child and cause vomiting. A large nipple prevents the child from sucking properly and usually allows the food to be taken too quickly and with air, which causes colic and indigestion. It is well to have always half a dozen nipples of the right kind on hand. When new, nipples should be boiled before using. After each feeding the nipple should be washed in borax and water on both sides, then it should be put in a dish containing fresh, cold, borax water and left there until again required. A large portion of the success of raising healthy, bottle-fed babies is in being everlastingly clean in the details of caring for the bottles and nipples which are in daily use.