The Care and Feeding of Children | Page 6

When does an infant first laugh aloud?
Usually from the third to the fifth month.
When does it begin to reach for toys and handle them?
Usually from the fifth to the seventh month.
At what age should a child be able to sit and to stand alone?
At seven or eight months a healthy child is usually able to sit erect and
support the body. During the ninth and tenth months are usually seen
the first attempts to bear the weight upon the feet, and at eleven or
twelve months most children can stand with assistance.
When should a child walk alone?
The first attempts are generally seen in the twelfth or thirteenth month.
At fifteen or sixteen months the average child is able to run alone.
What conditions postpone these events?
Prematurity, a very delicate constitution, any severe or prolonged

illness, and especially chronic disturbances of digestion making feeding
difficult. A common cause of late sitting, standing, or walking is
rickets.
Should a child be urged to walk?
Never; he is usually quite willing to 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