The Care and Feeding of Children | Page 2

child is in his bath, and the parts thus
exposed washed gently with absorbent cotton and water.
If the foreskin is tightly adherent and cannot readily be pushed back,
the physician's attention should be called to it. The nurse or mother
should not attempt forcible stretching.
When is circumcision advisable?
Usually, when the foreskin is very long and so tight that it cannot be
pushed back without force; always, when this condition is accompanied
by evidences of local irritation or difficulty in passing water.
EYES
How should the eyes of a little baby be cleansed?
With a piece of soft linen or absorbent cotton and a lukewarm solution
of salt or boric acid,--one half of an even teaspoonful to one pint of
water.
If pus appears in the eyes, what should be done?
They should be cleansed every hour with a solution of boric acid (ten
grains to one ounce of water). If the lids stick together, a little vaseline
from a tube should be rubbed upon them at night. If the trouble is slight,
this treatment will control it; if it is severe, a physician should be called
immediately, as delay may result in loss of eyesight.
MOUTH

How is an infant's mouth to be cleansed?
An excellent method is by the use of a swab made by twisting a bit of
absorbent cotton upon a wooden toothpick. With this the folds between
the gums and lips and cheeks may be gently and carefully cleansed
twice a day unless the mouth is sore. It is not necessary after every
feeding. The finger of the nurse, often employed, is too large and liable
to injure the delicate mucous membrane.
What is sprue?
It appears on the lips and inside the cheeks like little white threads or
flakes. It is also called thrush. In bad cases it may cover the tongue and
the whole of the inside of the mouth.
How should a mouth be cleansed when there is sprue?
It should be washed carefully after every feeding or nursing with a
solution of borax or bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), one even
teaspoonful to three ounces of water, and four times a day the
boric-acid solution mentioned should be used.
SKIN
How should the infant's skin be cared for to prevent chafing?
First, not too much nor too strong soap should be used; secondly,
careful rinsing of the body; thirdly, not too vigorous rubbing, either
during or after the bath; fourthly, the use of dusting powder in all the
folds of the skin,--under the arms, behind the ears, about the neck, in
the groin, etc. This is of the utmost importance in very fat infants.
_If the skin is very sensitive and chafing easily produced, what should
be done?_
No soap should be used, but bran or salt baths given instead.
How should a bran bath be prepared?

One pint of wheat bran should be placed in a bag of coarse muslin or
cheese-cloth, and this put in the bath water. It should then be squeezed
for five minutes until the water resembles a thin porridge.
How should a salt bath be prepared?
A teacupful of common salt or sea salt should be used to each two
gallons of water.
How should the buttocks be cared for?
This is the most common place for chafing, as the parts are so
frequently wet and soiled; hence the utmost pains should be taken that
all napkins be removed as soon as they are wet or soiled, and the parts
kept scrupulously clean.
If the parts have become chafed, what should be done?
Only bran and salt baths should be used, and in very severe cases even
these may have to be omitted for a day or two. The parts may be
cleansed with sweet oil and a little absorbent cotton, and the skin kept
covered with a dusting powder composed of starch two parts, boric acid
one part.
What is prickly heat, and how is it produced?
It consists of fine red pimples, and is caused by excessive perspiration
and the irritation of flannel underclothing.
How should it be treated?
Muslin or linen should be put next to the skin; the entire body should
be sponged frequently with equal parts of vinegar and water, and plenty
of the starch and boric-acid powder mentioned should be used.
CLOTHING
What are the most essential things in the clothing of infants?

That the chest shall be covered with soft flannel, the limbs well
protected but not confined, and the abdomen supported by a broad
flannel band, which should be snug but not too tight. It is important that
the clothing should fit the body. If it is too tight it interferes with the
free movements of the chest in breathing, and by pressing upon the
stomach sometimes causes