The Care and Feeding of Children. L. Emmett Holt
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 body to get rid of its waste.
NURSING
Should all mothers attempt to nurse their children?
As a rule they should do so, but there are many conditions when they should not.
What are the most important ones?
If the mother has or has had tuberculosis or any other serious chronic disease, or is herself in very delicate health, she should not try. She is likely soon to fail in nourishing her child, and the attempt may do herself much harm as well as injure the child.
How often should infants be nursed during the first two days of life?
Usually only four or five times daily, since there is very little milk secreted at this time.
When does the milk come in abundance?
Usually on the third day, sometimes not until the fourth or fifth day.
Should the infant be fed anything additional during the first two days?
Usually not; if much food were necessary, we may be sure Nature would have provided it. Water, however, should be given regularly.
How frequently should an infant be nursed during the first week?
After the third day, every two hours during the day and twice during the night. The frequency during the rest of the first year is given in the following table:
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