Some Useful Hints on How to Get Them Comfortably Through Hot Weather Sonia mothers have alvcady learnt by experience how to treat babies in hot weather. For others the summer is still-a nightmare of unknown terrors.
These few hints will help them 0 face such perils confidently, for with a little proper care, small babies come through summer better than older children.
The other day I visited St. Eliza-Beth's, a mission hospital for the Chinese.' The place way full of suffering humans but the outstanding cases were poor little tots ranging from 6 months, to 5 years Most, fof these were there because off negligent care.
a talk with the head doctor, she told me many important things about the care of children in the bhat weather and although thi applies to the experience the hospital has with the hundreds of Chinese baby cases they care for, it struck me that the foreign mothers also would be interested, The first and one of the most important. things said the doctor is the care'of the skin. Keeping the skin dry is most essential, The Laby should not be allowed to keep on damp clothes. It is a very good flea to change his.naplcin at least once during the night, In this very. warm weather damp clothes, tend to bring on prickly heat and if the rash is not kept dry and dusted powder it infected and very, frequently with " good baby then ulcerated areas appear all over the little body. This causes nwuch pain and can easily end disasterously. The baby or child hould wear very little clothing, the chest and abdomen must be Govered but the rest of the limbs allowed to go free.
Food is another important outstanding factor.' Volumes and books have been' written on ° this subject and still could be, Firstly, boiled water and freshly prepared These should be prepared person free from infection. Tt 'a good idea to have an amah examined at arvals and sign of any amah should be at. once separated from the child. For. those who. do not have their own Homes and live in hotels, ete., it is necessary for them to' reboil all water in spite of the fact that it has been filtered and previously oiled," Routine and schedule are very important. The young child can not get too much sleep. Keep the child isolated and do not let him come in contact with too many people. A small private garden is the bose solution, In the hot weather a mother should not experiment on the baby's diet. Keep him on milk and cereals. Change the diet as little as meces-AIL changes. should: be made When going a should first' make sure that the essentials for the child's diet can be obtained. The vunabouts should not be allowed out in the sun, The best time is early morning of late in. the afternoon. Their Vheads" shoold always covered.
Have your child sleep on a verandah if possible. Chinese straw twats are very good to put under the sheets as they help to keep the child cool. Teething rings, rattles fand any such things as the baby will put in his mouth are pernicious. Often flies crawl over the baby's toys and as all. infectios through the mouth it is be the baby not to play with things of this sort, 1g the child hasan abnormal evacuation immediately send for a doctor. If the doctor cannot be reached at once give a dose of castor oil and out out all food until 4 doctor can diagnose the case.
If the baby is suffering from the heat, an alcohol sponge can given two or three times a day. This should be half water and half alcohol. Alcohol dries and toughens the skin.
"The infant diseases one should watch in the summer are dysentery and intestional upsets. The morality rate from dysentery under one year of age for Chinese babies is About 100 per cent.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.