The tossing of baby in the air comes in for the same condemnation. Baby is not "our plaything," and must not be bounced and tossed about like a rubber ball.
CARRIAGES AND GO-CARTS
The first carriage should be roomy and comfortable. The bed should be thirty-three inches long and fourteen inches wide, and should be twenty-eight or thirty inches from the floor. The wheels should be rubber tired. The cover should be a good sized hood containing a dark lining, and provided with a wind shield. This dark lining creates a neutral shade for the eyes and protects them from the glare of the sun and the bright skies.
The bed of the carriage should be soft and warm; and, with the size before mentioned, there is ample room for the "tucking in" with warm blankets, which are first spread out on the bed and then the baby placed into the blanket, after which it is brought up and over him.
The folding go-cart and the small carrying-basket are to be used only in an emergency. They are convenient in traveling or shopping for the mother who has no maid or caretaker with whom to leave the baby; but they are not satisfactory pleasure vehicles, neither should the baby be left to sit fastened in one of these carts for any great length of time.
The mattress of the carriage should be of hair, while needed warmth may be secured by the use of a thick, light-weight woolen blanket, placed under the child and brought up and around him.
A top covering for the carriage must have washing or dry cleaning qualities. A crocheted afghan, a washable embroidered cover, or a firm silk puff, are good covers. The one thing to be remembered is that everything about the carriage soils readily, and if this thought enters into the selection of fabrics, you will not be disappointed when cleaning time comes.
The carriage pillow should be of down, except in the very hot months, when hair is preferable. Simple, easily laundered slips may be made from two men's-size handkerchiefs.
BOW LEGS
Particularly in boys and men, bow legs are not only awkward but are a noticeable deformity; even the little folks notice them and often remark about it, as did one child who sat profoundly eyeing a very important visitor who stood before the cheerfully lighted grate warming himself. The little fellow suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, Mister, look out! You're warping." Such a painful experience might have been saved this distinguished gentleman had his mother or caretaker not urged his standing too soon; and at the same time had fed him on the proper food, so as to avoid "rickets." The ossification or hardening of the bones of the legs continues all through childhood and is often interfered with by improper feeding during the first two years of life. Urging the little people to stand too early is to be discouraged. Nature prepares them for it when the right time comes; which time varies—thin children standing and walking usually much earlier than heavy children.