The Care and Feeding of Children Part 8

If milk fresh from the cow, or before the cream has risen, is put into bottles and rapidly cooled, the top-milk may be removed in as short a time as four hours. In the case of bottled milk it makes little difference if it stands a longer time, even until the next day. The best means of removing it is by a small cream-dipper[2] holding one ounce; although it may be taken off by a spoon or siphon. It should not be poured off.

[2] Obtained from any of the Walker-Gordon milk laboratories, from James Dougherty, No. 411 West 59th Street, New York, and from many druggists. Price, 20 cents.

_How can we obtain a 10-per-cent top-milk with the different kinds of cow's milk?_

From a rather poor milk (containing 3--3-1/2 per cent fat) by removing the upper eight ounces from a quart, or one fourth.

From a good average milk (containing 4 per cent fat) by removing the upper eleven ounces from a quart, or about one third.

From a rich Jersey milk (containing 5--5-1/2 per cent fat) by removing the upper sixteen ounces, or one half.

_How can we obtain a 7-per-cent top-milk with the different kinds of cow's milk?_

From a rather poor milk, by removing the upper eleven ounces from a quart, about one third.

From a good average milk, by removing the upper sixteen ounces, or one half.

From a rich Jersey milk, by removing the upper twenty-two ounces, or about two thirds.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The percentage of fat in the different layers of milk of good average quality.]

_What is cream?_

Cream is often spoken of as if it were the fat in milk. It is really the part of the milk which contains most of the fat. It differs from milk chiefly in containing much more fat.

_In what ways is cream now obtained?_

(1) By skimming, after the milk has stood usually for twenty-four hours? this is known as "gravity cream." (2) By an apparatus known as a separator; this is known as "centrifugal cream"; most of the cream now sold in cities is of this kind. The richness of any cream is indicated by the amount of fat it contains.

The usual gravity cream sold has from 16 to 20 per cent fat. The cream removed from the upper part (one fifth) of a bottle of milk has about 16 per cent fat. The usual centrifugal cream has 18 to 20 per cent fat. The heavy centrifugal cream has 35 to 40 per cent fat.

FOOD FOR HEALTHY INFANTS[3]--THE EARLY MONTHS

[3] The directions and formulas given in the following pages are intended only for guidance in feeding children who are not suffering from any special disturbance of digestion; directions for such conditions are given in a later chapter.

_What are the most important points to be remembered in modifying cow's milk for feeding during the early months?_

That of the different ingredients of milk the sugar is most easily digested; the fat is next; while the proteids are the most difficult.

_What relation should the fat bear to the proteids during this period?_

For most infants with good digestion the best results are obtained when the fat is three times the proteids. However, this is not true of all. There are many healthy infants who are unable to digest this proportion of fat, and who do much better when the fat is made only twice the proteids.

_How can one obtain formulas in which the fat is three times the proteids?_

By using for dilution a 10-per-cent milk (i.e., milk containing 10 per cent fat) which serves as the primary formula from which all the other formulas of this series are derived.

In 10-per-cent milk the fat is just three times the proteids.

_How can one get the 10-per-cent milk?_

(1) As top-milk, as described on page 64; or, (2) by mixing equal parts of plain milk and ordinary cream (containing about 16 per cent fat); (3) from any of the milk laboratories it may be ordered directly.

_Is it better to obtain the 10-per-cent milk by using a mixture of milk and cream, or as top-milk?_

If one can get milk fresh from the cows, the top-milk is to be preferred on account of freshness. The food can then be made up when the milk is but a few hours old. In cities, if one uses bottled milk, the upper third may also be used. But if one buys milk and cream separately, it is usually more convenient to mix these, as the cream will not rise upon milk a second time with any uniformity.

_How can one obtain formulas in which the fat is twice the proteids?_

By using for dilution a 7-per-cent milk (i.e., milk containing 7 per cent fat) which serves as the primary formula from which all the other formulas of this series are derived.

In 7-per-cent milk the fat is just twice the proteids.

_How can one get the 7-per-cent milk?_

(1) As top-milk, as described on page 64; or, (2) by mixing three parts of milk and one part of ordinary (16 per cent) cream; (3) from any of the milk laboratories it may be obtained directly. As in the case of 10-per-cent milk, the top-milk is generally to be preferred to a mixture of milk and cream.

_How should the food be prepared during the early months?_

It is convenient in calculation to make up twenty ounces of food at a time. The first step is to obtain the 10-per-cent milk or the 7-per-cent milk to be used as the primary formula. Then to take the number of ounces of this that are called for in the formula desired.

Note.--One should not make the mistake of taking from the top of the bottle only the number of ounces needed in the formula as this may give quite a different result.

There will be required in addition one ounce of milk sugar[4] and one ounce of lime-water in each twenty ounces. The rest of the food will be made up of boiled water.

[4] If the milk sugar be measured in the milk-dipper, two scant dipperfuls may be calculated as one ounce. If measured in a tablespoon, three even tablespoonfuls may be calculated as one ounce.

These formulas written out would be as follows:

_First Series_

_Formulas for the Early Months from 10-per-cent Milk_

----------------------------------------------------------- I. II. III. IV. V.

----------------------------------------------------------- 10-per-cent milk 2 oz. 3 oz. 4 oz. 5 oz. 6 oz.

Milk sugar 1 " 1 " 1 " 1 " 1 "

Lime-water 1 " 1 " 1 " 1 " 1 "

Boiled water 17 " 16 " 15 " 14 " 13 "

----------------------------------------------------------- 20 oz. 20 oz. 20 oz. 20 oz. 20 oz.

As the milk sugar dissolves in the water the total in each column will be exactly twenty ounces. The food is strengthened by gradually increasing the milk and reducing the water.

The approximate composition of these formulas expressed in percentages is as follows:

---------------------------------------- FORMULA. Fat. Sugar. Proteids.

---------------------------------------- I. 1.00 5.50 0.33 II. 1.50 6.00 0.50 III. 2.00 6.00 0.66 IV. 2.50 6.00 0.80 V. 3.00 6.50 1.00 ------------------------------------------