Part 11 (1/2)

_Which of the farinaceous foods are to be preferred?_

Those most used are barley, oatmeal, arrowroot, and farina. There is not much difference in their nutritive value; oatmeal gruel is somewhat more laxative.

_What value do these substances possess as infant foods?_

Some of the starch is digested and absorbed; but the chief value of gruels is believed to be that when added to milk they render the curd more easily digested by preventing it from coagulating in the stomach in large tough ma.s.ses. This is certainly true with many infants, but there are others who are not at all benefited, and not a few young infants whose digestion is made distinctly worse by the use of farinaceous food, particularly when employed in considerable quant.i.ty.

The addition of gruels to milk for all infants is not to be recommended.

_What further additions may be made to the diet of healthy infants during the first year?_

Beef juice, the white of egg, and orange juice.

_How and when may beef juice be used?_

With infants who are strong and thriving satisfactorily it may be begun at ten or eleven months; two teaspoonfuls may be given daily, diluted with the same quant.i.ty of water, fifteen minutes before the midday feeding; in two weeks the quant.i.ty may be doubled; and in four weeks six teaspoonfuls may be given. The maximum quant.i.ty at one year should not be more than two or three tablespoonfuls.

With delicate infants who are pale and anaemic, beef juice is more important, and it may often be wisely begun at five or six months in half the quant.i.ties mentioned.

_When should white of egg be used?_

Under the same conditions as beef juice, particularly with infants who have difficulty in digesting the proteins (curd) of milk. At six months half the white of one egg may be given at one time, and soon after this the entire white of one egg. The best in manner of cooking is the ”coddled”, egg (see page 151).

_When should orange juice be begun?_

Usually about the eleventh or twelfth month; it should be given about one hour before the feeding; two teaspoonfuls at first, then one tablespoonful at a time, and later three or four tablespoonfuls. It is particularly useful when there is constipation. It should always be strained, and care should be taken that it is sweet and fresh.

OVERFEEDING

_What is meant by overfeeding?_

Giving an infant too much food; either too much at one time or too frequently. Overfeeding is sometimes practised during the day, but is chiefly done at night.

_Is not an infant's natural desire for food a proper guide as to the quant.i.ty given?_

The appet.i.te of a perfectly normal infant usually is; but overeating is a habit gradually acquired and may continue until twice as much food as is proper is taken in the twenty-four hours. This habit is most frequently seen in infants whose digestion is not quite normal; because of the temporary relief from discomfort experienced by taking food into the stomach, they often appear to be hungry the greater part of the time, especially at night.

_What are the causes of overfeeding?_

The most common one is the habit of watching the weight too closely, and the conviction on the part of the mother or nurse that because a child is not so large nor gaining so rapidly as some other infant of the same age, more food or stronger food should be given.

_What harm results from overfeeding?_

All food taken in excess of what a child can digest becomes a burden to him. The food lies in the stomach or bowels undigested, ferments, and causes wind and colic. When overfeeding is longer continued, serious disturbances of digestion are soon produced. The infant is restless, fretful, constantly uncomfortable, sleeps badly, and stops gaining and may even lose in weight. Such symptoms may lead to the mistaken conclusion that too little food is given, and it is accordingly increased, when it should be diminished. One of the results of long-continued overfeeding is dilatation or stretching of the stomach.

_What should guide one as to the quant.i.ty of food to be given to any infant??_

(1) The size of the infant's stomach at the different months; (2) the amount of milk which the healthy nursing infant gets; (3) the quant.i.ties with which most children do best. The table of quant.i.ties and intervals of feeding, on page 108, gives the average figures derived from these sources. It is seldom wise to go beyond the limits there stated; nor should one insist upon giving any fixed amount if it is clearly more than the child wants or can be made to take except by continued coaxing.

LOSS OF APPEt.i.tE

_What is to be done when without any other signs of illness a child's appet.i.te gradually fails?_