Mother's Remedies Part 205

And I really believe it is ever so glad That we planted it there to grow, And knows us and loves us and understands, For it claps them just like two little hands, Whenever the west winds blow.

The Flannel Binder.--The flannel binders for baby should be cut from the softest kind of flannel and on the bias to increase their elasticity. They should be about five inches wide and twenty inches long, with the edges raw, or pinked, perhaps, but not hemmed. After the first six or eight weeks the knitted, circular band which can be bought ready made or may be crocheted at home, is subst.i.tuted for the flannel binder.

LOVE.

Over and over and over These truths I will say and sing-- That Love is mightier far than Hate; That a man's own Thought is a man's own Fate, And that life is a goodly thing.

--Ella Wheeler Wilc.o.x.

Wholesome Pleasures.--Pleasures for the little ones should be wholesome and sensible, and the dangers of excitement cannot be overestimated. Their minds so ready to receive impressions should receive only the best and most beneficial, the wholesome air play in the park, or the country, not too much company, nor too much noise, nor too many toys.

FROM "THE CHILDREN'S HOUR"

Between the dark and the daylight.

When the night is beginning to lower, Comes a pause in the day's occupations, That is known as the Children's Hour.

I hear in the chamber above me, The patter of little feet, The sound of a door that is opened, And voices soft and sweet.

--Longfellow.

Scrubbing Tender Faces.--Children have tender skins as a rule, and yet mothers are very apt to scrub the little faces with soap and water and send them out to play. Think of such treatment in connection with your own skin. If the children are going out at once after the was.h.i.+ng, use warm water with plain unscented soap, then rub a little good cold cream into the skin.

[806 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

FROM LONGFELLOW'S "VILLAGE BLACKSMITH"

Toiling.--rejoicing,--sorrowing, Onward through life he goes; Each morning sees some task begun, Each evening sees it close; Something attempted, something done, He has earned a night's repose.

Saving the Coverlet.--It is discouraging to the mother to find the eiderdown coverlets becoming soiled where the children rub their hands over them. This can be avoided by making a tiny sham of swiss or other similar material and basting it across the top of the coverlet. It can be pinned into place at the corners with tiny baby pins or caught with a few st.i.tches. These shams edged with narrow lace add a really attractive touch to the coverlet, and they can be quickly removed and easily laundered.

The Greatness of Love.--There are no little events with the heart; it magnifies everything. It places in the same scale the falling of an empire and the dropping of a woman's glove; and the glove generally weighs more than the empire.

--Honore De Balzac.

Oranges as Medicine.--One of the most valuable adjuncts in acquiring a generally good complexion in youth is that of eating oranges in quant.i.ties. Let the mother give her children two or three oranges every day, as they possess many virtues, especially upon the action of the liver. The mother who buys plenty of oranges for the children will note the reduction in her medicine bill.

THE HUMAN FACE.

When I meet a human face, Lit for me with light divine, I recall all loving eyes, That have ever answered mine.

--Phoebe Cary.

The Art of Entertaining Children.--Entertaining convalescent children is quite an art in itself. Nurses who expect to make a specialty of caring for children sometimes take a brief course in kindergarten work, and certainly such knowledge is a valuable a.s.set. Quiet games that do not call for too much exertion, paper-doll plays, the ever-delightful "cutting out"

of pictures or fas.h.i.+on book people, making sc.r.a.p books for children's hospitals and simple knitting or crocheting all help to amuse the little folk. Almost all children enjoy being read to, but care must be taken not to select stories that will depress the child or so excite him as to keep him awake at night or cause unpleasant dreams.

Tireless Talkers.--A sick man that gets talking about himself, a woman that gets talking about her baby, and an author that begins reading out of his own book, never know when to stop.--O. W. Holmes.

Unselfishness.--Unselfishness is the key of a happy and beautiful life, and this is one of the first things that should be taught to the little one, says a writer in The Woman Beautiful. Insist upon her sharing her pleasures, even at a great sacrifice with other children. One mother whom I know has trained her baby to extend an entire box of bon-bons to her little friends with the words "Hop yourself," and she does this with a charm and spontaneity which makes her irresistible.

[NURSERY HINTS AND FIRESIDE GEMS 807]

A Cheerful Giver.--We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers.--Seneca.

Indulgence.--It takes far more than the mere mother love to bring up children. It takes training, study, knowledge, says the New York Tribune.

It takes self-control in the parents themselves. The mother who spoils a child through weak indulgence does not truly love her child. She loves her own pleasures in going along the line of least resistance.

Selfishness.--When parents spoil their children, it is less to please them than to please themselves. It is the egotism of parental love.--Carlyle.

Method.--Now that school days are here, mark umbrellas by writing name on muslin with ink and sewing to inside of top with black thread; overshoes and rubbers by writing name on the lining, and handkerchiefs by writing name across the center with ink.

System.--Marshal thy notions into a handsome method. One will carry twice more weight packed up in bundles, than when it lies flapping and hanging about his shoulders.--Fuller.

Baby's Meals.--To make a healthy baby of eighteen or twenty months wait for the meal times of adults before feeding, is putting too great a strain on the little system. Its diet should be adapted to its needs, says a careful mother. Five light feedings are much more scientific, the first at about six-thirty in the morning since baby keeps early hours. Milk and toast should be given at this time. At ten-thirty a. m., well cooked and well strained cereal might be served with rich milk. Cream is for older children. Stewed prunes, baked apples, and oranges are also good. Dinner at one-thirty might include meat broth, or soft boiled eggs, and bread and toast. Soups must be free from grease. Crackers or toast with a cup of milk should be served for the five o'clock supper, and another cup of milk at bedtime.

Forbearance.--There is a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue.--Burke.

The Romper.--The romper has become an essential part of the young child's wardrobe. They are developed mostly in linen, galatea, and less expensively still in chambray. The best colors are dark blue, brown, green, tan and natural colored linen; green perhaps is best for summer. It is cool looking and it does not show gra.s.s stains. Short flowing sleeves are most satisfactory.

[808 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

BABY'S PURPOSE.

With mighty purpose in his mind, He clambers up. And then, With purpose quite as well defined, He scrambles down again.

From "Seven Ages of Childhood."

Picnic Supplies.--Women taking small children to picnics should carry along a heavy quilt or blanket to place on the ground for the babies to sit on. There is always more dampness in the woods than out in the open, and summer colds are not pleasant for grown folk, much less wee tots. A few safety pins, needle and thread will not take up s.p.a.ce in the big basket, and how often such articles are needed.

THE MYSTERIOUS FUTURE.

I've been a little girl so long, That, somehow, it seems almost wrong To think how grown-up I shall be In days that have to come to me.

--Carolyn Wells.