Adventures of Tom Sawyer | Page 8

you leave them off altogether.
But remember, my opinion is, that a child is better without caps; they only heat his head,
cause undue perspiration, and thus make him more liable to catch cold.
If a babe does not wear a cap in the day, it is not at all necessary that he should wear one
at night. He will sleep more comfortably without one, and it will be better for his health.
Moreover, night-caps injure both the thickness and beauty of the hair.
27. _Have you any remarks to make on the clothing of an infant, when, in the winter time,
he is sent out for exercise_?
Be sure that he is well wrapped up. He ought to have under his cloak a knitted worsted
spencer, which should button behind, and if the weather be very cold, a shawl over all,
and, provided it be dry above, and the wind be not in the east or in the north-east, he may
then brave the weather. He will then come from his walk refreshed and strengthened, for
cold air is an invigorating tonic. In a subsequent Conversation I will indicate the proper
age at which a child should be first sent out to take exercise in the open air.
28. _At what age ought an infant "to be shortened?"_
This, of course, will depend upon the season. In the summer, the right time "for
shortening a babe," as it is called, is at the end of two months, in the winter, at the end of
three months. But if the right time for "shortening" a child should happen to be in the
spring, let it be deferred until the end of May. The English springs are very trying and
treacherous, and sometimes, in April the weather is almost as cold, and the wind as biting
as in winter. It is treacherous, for the sun is hot, and the wind, which is at this time of the
year frequently easterly, is keen and cutting I should far prefer "to shorten" a child in the
winter than in the early spring.
DIET
29. _Are you an advocate for putting a baby to the breast soon after birth, or for waiting,
as many do, until the third day_?
The infant ought to be put to the bosom soon after birth, the interest, both of the mother
and of the child demands it. It will be advisable to wait three or four hours, that the

mother may recover from her fatigue, and, then, the babe must be put to the breast. If this
be done, he will generally take the nipple with avidity.
It might be said, at so early a period that there is no milk in the bosom; but such is not
usually the case. There generally is a little from the very beginning, which acts on the
baby's bowels like a dose of purgative medicine, and appears to be intended by nature to
cleanse the system. But, provided there be no milk at first, the very act of sucking not
only gives the child a notion, but, at the same time, causes a draught (as it is usually
called) in the breast, and enables the milk to flow easily.
Of course, if there be no milk in the bosom--the babe having been applied once or twice
to determine the fact--then you must wait for a few hours before applying him again to
the nipple, that is to say, until the milk be secreted.
An infant, who, for two or three days, is kept from the breast, and who is fed upon gruel,
generally becomes feeble, and frequently, at the end of that time, will not take the nipple
at all. Besides, there is a thick cream (similar to the biestings of a cow), which, if not
drawn out by the child, may cause inflammation and gathering of the bosom, and,
consequently, great suffering to the mother. Moreover, placing him early to the breast,
moderates the severity of the mother's after pains, and lessens the risk of her flooding. A
new-born babe must not have gruel given to him, as it disorders the bowels, causes a
disinclination to suck, and thus makes him feeble.
30. _If an infant show any disinclination to suck, or if he appear unable to apply his
tongue to the nipple, what ought to be done_?
Immediately call the attention of the medical man to the fact, in order that he may
ascertain whether he be tongue-tied. If he be, the simple operation of dividing the bridle
of the tongue will remedy the defect, and will cause him to take the nipple with ease and
comfort.
31. _Provided there be not milk AT FIRST, what ought then to be done_?
Wait with patience; the child (if the mother have