A better plan than to lance swollen gums is to rub them gently with ice wrapped in a soft cloth, or to dip the finger in ice water and rub the gums—this often gives the baby much relief.
Often the baby finds comfort in biting on an ivory ring, but the utmost care must be used in keeping it clean and avoiding contamination by allowing it to drop on the floor.
Convulsions are never the symptoms of teething. Consult a physician at once, as such seizures probably spring from causes other than teething.
Cleansing of the teeth should be carried out systematically every morning by means of a piece of cotton which has been dipped in a boric-acid solution or a solution of bicarbonate of soda (common baking soda). A soft brush may be used for cleansing, and when there are particles of food between the teeth they should be removed by strands of waxed floss.
Throughout life, frequent visits should be made to the dentist; during early childhood days he should be on the lookout for symptoms which indicate deformity—narrow jaws and other conditions which affect the permanent teeth. During adolescence and adult life the teeth should be examined every six months and cleansings of the mouth should become a part of the daily toilet.
THE WEIGHT
During the first year, nothing gives us so much information concerning the child's general well-being as the weight. Such a record will not only enlighten the mother concerning the development of the child, but the grown-up child appreciates the record and preserves it along with the other archives of babyhood days. Every Sunday morning, when the father is at home, the baby should be weighed and an accurate record kept. It is important that the baby be weighed each time in the same garments—shirt, band, diaper, and stockings—for every ounce must be accounted for.
Until the baby is five or six months old he should gain from four to eight ounces a week. Anything short of this is not enough and should be reported to the physician. After six months the gain is about a pound each month. This varies somewhat; possibly during the tenth and eleventh month the gain is lessened, but by the close of the first year the baby should have trebled its birth weight.
Dr. Griffith gives us the following very interesting bit of information concerning the weight of boys and girls after the first year, and to him also belongs the credit for the accompanying table showing the growth, height, and weight of the child up to sixteen years of age.
After the first year we notice that, taking it all together, there is a gradual increase in the number of pounds and a decrease in the number of inches added yearly, four inches being gained in both the second and third years, three inches in the fourth and fifth years, and after this two inches a year. The gain in weight is four pounds yearly from the age of three to that of seven years, then five, then six, and then about nine pounds. It sometimes happens that at about the age of nine in girls and eleven in boys there is almost a cessation of growth for a short time. Later, at about twelve years, girls take on a particularly rapid growth, and decidedly exceed boys of the same age in weight, and sometimes in height also. At fifteen or sixteen years the rapidity of growth in girls, both in weight and height, will be greatly diminished, while boys of this age will often begin to develop very rapidly, and will soon materially exceed the other sex in both respects.