The Care and Feeding of Children | Page 6

L. Emmett Holt
do so as soon as his muscles and bones are strong enough. None of the contrivances for teaching children to walk are to be advised.
When do children begin to talk?
Generally at one year a child can say "papa" and "mamma" or other single words. At the end of the second year the average child is able to put words together in short sentences.
_If at two years the child makes no attempt to speak, what should be suspected?_
Either that the child is a deaf-mute or that it is mentally deficient, although this is occasionally seen in children who are only very backward.
_Table showing the Average Weight, Height, and Circumference of Head and Chest of Boys_[1]
At birth Weight 7-1/2 pounds. Height 20-1/2 inches. Chest 13-1/2 " Head 14 "
One year Weight 21 pounds. Height 29 inches. Chest 18 " Head 18 "
Two years Weight 26-1/2 pounds. Height 32-1/2 inches. Chest 19 " Head 19 "
Three years Weight 31 pounds. Height 35 inches. Chest 20 " Head 19-1/2 "
Four years Weight 35 pounds. Height 38 inches. Chest 20-3/4 " Head 19-3/4 "
Five years Weight 41 pounds. Height 41-1/2 inches. Chest 21-1/2 " Head 20-1/2 "
Six years Weight 45 pounds. Height 44 inches. Chest 23 "
Seven years Weight 49-1/2 pounds. Height 46 inches. Chest 23-1/2 "
Eight years Weight 54-1/2 pounds. Height 48 inches. Chest 24-1/2 "
Nine years Weight 60 pounds. Height 50 inches. Chest . 25 "
Ten years Weight 66-1/2 pounds. Height 52 inches. Chest 26 "
The above weights are with ordinary house clothes.
[1] Weights for the first four years are without clothes.
The weight of girls is on the average about one pound less than boys. They are about the same in height.
Charts showing weight curve for the first year, and from one year to fourteen years are given at the end of this book.
DENTITION
How many teeth are there in the first set?
Twenty.
What is the time of their appearance?
The two central lower teeth are usually the first to appear, and come from the fifth to the ninth month; next are the four upper central teeth, which come from the eighth to the twelfth month. The other two lower central teeth and the four front double teeth come from the twelfth to the eighteenth month. Then follow the four canine teeth, the two upper ones being known as the "eye teeth," and the two lower as the "stomach teeth"; they generally come between the eighteenth and the twenty-fourth month. The four back double teeth, which complete the first set, come between the twenty-fourth and thirtieth month.
At one year a child usually has six teeth. At one and a half years, twelve teeth. At two years, sixteen teeth. At two and a half years, twenty teeth.
What are the causes of variation?
The time of appearance of the teeth varies in different families; in some they come very early, in others much later. The teeth may come late as a result of prolonged illness and also from rickets.
What symptoms are commonly seen with teething?
In healthy children there is very often fretfulness and poor sleep for two or three nights; there may be loss of appetite, so that only one half the usual amount of food is taken; there is salivation or drooling, and often slight fever; there may be some symptoms of indigestion, such as vomiting or the appearance of undigested food in the stools. In delicate children all these symptoms may be much more severe.
How long do these symptoms last?
Usually only three or four days; but there may be no gain in weight for two or three weeks.
_What is the cause of most of the other symptoms attributed to teething?_
Nearly all of them come from indigestion due to bad feeding.



PART II
INFANT FEEDING
What is the best infant food?
Mother's milk.
Of what is mother's milk composed?
Thirteen parts solids and eighty-seven parts water.
What are the solids?
Fat, sugar, proteids, and salts.
What is the fat?
The cream.
What is the sugar?
It is lactose, or milk sugar.
What are the proteids?
The curd of the milk.
Are all these elements necessary?
Yes; we cannot expect to rear a healthy infant unless they are all in his food.
Of what use is the fat?
It is needed for the growth of the bones, the nerves, the fat of the body, and the production of heat.
Of what use is the sugar?
It is needed for the production of heat, and to make fat in the body.
Of what use are the proteids?
They are needed for the growth of the cells of the body, such as those of the blood, the various organs, and the muscles.
Of what use are the salts?
Particularly for the growth of bone.
Of what use is the water?
By means of the water the food is kept in a state of minute subdivision or in solution, so that the delicate organs of a young infant can digest it. It is also necessary to enable the
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