THE MANAGEMENT OF THE INFANT.

WITH reſpect to the treatment of your in⯑fant, though it be your requeſt that I ſhould offer my advice, yet I do not preſume to dictate to your midwife, as I very much ap⯑prove of their method in general; however, I have no doubt that, by purſuing the following directions, great advantage will be found.

As to the dreſs, it ſhould conſiſt of a belly⯑band, made of a piece of fine linen cloth, dou⯑bled about three fingers wide; when the navel⯑ſtring is off, put it ſingle; when quite well, leave it off, as the ſhirt with ſtrings an⯑ſwers that purpoſe; a blanket, a ſhort looſe [14]roller, a little gown, and one cap; a long ſtay may be made uſe of, if you think proper, but not continued more than three weeks, either night or day.

As ſoon as the child is dreſſed, I would have you give it of ſyrup of marſh-mallows and oil of ſweet almonds two tea-ſpoonfuls of each, mixed together, which cleanſes more than ſugar and butter; as the former ſticks to the mouth, cauſes ſore nipples, and fre⯑quently throws children into the watery gripes.

In the next place, the child ſhould be put to the breaſt; if the milk cannot be obtained, let it be fed with beef-tea, without ſugar; ſhould it be, even in that caſe it muſt be fed with the tea three times a-day, for a ſucking-child requires victuals oftener than you are aware of; if it continues to ſuck, the milk will cleanſe it ſufficiently; ſhould it not, it is neceſſary to give it three doſes of phyſic, by your doctor's or apothecary's order; as I I am perſuaded few nurſes underſtand enough of drugs to cleanſe it properly.

Should you have overheated yourſelf, had any uncommon uneaſineſs during your preg⯑nancy, or you or your huſband have any hu⯑mours in your blood, lay a bliſter on as ſoon as the child is born. I am well acquainted with an eminent and ſkiful midwife who never brings a child into the world without applying one before it is dreſſed, and orders gum-arabic, about a tea-ſpoonful at a time, to be given diſcretionally into its victuals or alone.

On the eleventh day, as ſoon as the child is dreſſed, to a pap-ſpoonful of purifying lo⯑tion add ſix drops of each of the head tinc⯑tures, with which the head, forehead, eye⯑brows, neck, throat, loins, and knees, ſhould be rubbed well; it will give ſpirits and ſtrength to the infant, and may be uſed with ſafety, ſick or well; be careful to dry the head, and as ſoon as done put on the cap, not uſing pomatum on any account. Children, in common, have a great deal of weak hair; by purſuing this method every day, it will either take it off at the month's end, or give ſtrength and make it grow: it will cleanſe an infant's head in ten days, ſhould it have ever [16]ſo great a quantity of white or yellow ſcurf, without the leaſt hazard of giving the child cold.

The miſ-management of childrens heads, in general, induced me to try the experiment on one of my own, by which means I made the diſcovery; I therefore ſtrongly recom⯑mend it to you, as I am perſuaded it will be of great ſervice to your child, and will pre⯑vent the fever in the head moſt children are ſubject to from improper treatment.

There are two diſorders incident to an in⯑fant, in the month, viz. the red-gum and thruſh; the latter ſhould be very cloſely watch⯑ed for, that it may be ſent through as ſoon as poſſible.

If the child is ſubject to the hicup, which is a ſpecies of convulſions, and proceeds from the wind getting into the ſtomach, it ſhould be put to the breaſt, that it may ſuck it away; if it neither will nor can, give it ſome warm beef-tea.

At the end of three weeks I would have you coat the child, which, with the ſtay, ſhould be half a yard in length: the ſhirt to be one inch longer, and the frock rather longer than the reſt; they ſhould all tie behind, by which means you may put on the dreſs in a minute. Feed your child as directed, keep it to regu⯑lar hours, and cool in the night; you will then have little trouble, about that time, Should the child be well, it will then endea⯑vour to ſtep up the nurſe's ſtomach, and get on her head. Is it not then abſurd that it ſhould be clothed in ſuch a manner as to deprive it of the proper uſe of its limbs? which it often is, from the common mode of dreſſing, at leaſt ſix months. How did our firſt pa⯑rents ſhelter themſelves from cold? The Scrip⯑ture tells us they came naked into the world, and, had they not touched the forbidden fruit, they would never have known the want of clothing. Nature points out to us to keep ourſelves cool: the great folly of childrens wearing long clothes, I attribute to a miſtaken notion, taken from that paſſage in the Scrip⯑ture, where we are told ‘"Our bleſſed Saviour was wrapped in ſwadling clothes, and laid [18]in a manger, as there was no other room for him in the inn."’ At that time the rea⯑ſon was juſt, being the depth of winter: but ſurely there can be none given now for cloth⯑ing a child ſo hot, who is confined for the firſt month, and, for the moſt part, a quarter of a year, either to the lying-in room or nurſery; which, in general, may be more properly compared to a bagnio than any other place.

When you take an infant of three weeks old in your arms, ſit as upright in your chair as if at your harpſichord; from that poſition you will have the full uſe of your arms; dance it from thigh to thigh, which you will find gives it a notion of ſtepping. That you may not be at a loſs after your nurſe has left you, when the child is at the breaſt, avoid talking loud, as it affrights and makes it quit it; ſhould you have done ſo by chance, ſpeak in a low tone of voice, it will look up in your face, ſmile, and, in all probability, ſuck again.

The time of day an infant is dreſſed, in general, is about eleven or twelve o'clock, which I look upon to be an improper one; it ſhould be early in a morning, as it not only [19]tires, but refreſhes, and gives it an appetite to its breakfaſt: when finiſhed, if not ſleepy, ſend it into the air. I mean at that ſeaſon of the year when the ſhortneſs of the days, and the inclemency of the weather, will otherwiſe prevent its enjoying the benefit of it at a proper time of day: in ſummer it is not material.

At ſix weeks old it ſhould have no other co⯑vering, to ſleep in, but a ſhirt, and a little ſhift, or bed-gown, half an ell long; ſhould it not be kept cool, as much ſtrength will be loſt in one night as gained in two days.

It is a miſtaken opinion that an infant will ſleep the firſt quarter; ſome may, but, believe me, it is not natural. The firſt four months being the time to give them a notion of their feet; at ſix weeks, if you ſuffer the child to ſtand on your left thigh, you will find it ſhove forwards, and put out its fee to ſtep; you may then with ſafety put on the Nurſe's-Relief, which I have ſo contrived, that it takes off the whole weight of the child, and may be worn at all times. It grieves me to hear parent deſire the nurſe to take the child; it is ſo heavy ſhe cannot hold it. In juſtice to yourſelf and it, [20]to which particular attendance muſt and ſhould be given for the firſt twelve months, which will fully employ the time of any one perſon; by that means you will, in all proba⯑bility, have your child out of arms in that time; on the contrary it may be almoſt two years. You will eaſily judge, by taking it into your arms occaſionally, whether it is properly nurſed or not.

Some ladies are ſo particular that they think a child ſhould not be ſet on its feet till expi⯑ration of the firſt eight months, which is a falſe notion; for, as I obſerved before, the firſt four months the child ſhould exerciſe its limbs; after that time (and in many children before) the teeth are ſhooting into the gums, and that is often attended with worſe conſequences than actual t [...]thing itſelf; becauſe an infant is ſubject to the ſtrangury; and a parent's not knowing or conſidering that circumſtance is what occaſions children to be taken off, from the age of four months to three years old; an inſtance of which I will give you.

A perſon who takes in children to nurſe, whoſe houſe I had occaſion frequently to paſs, [21]taking notice of my little boy, then in arms, led me naturally to enquire after her nurſing child, whom I had often ſeen, and remark⯑ed to have been a fine boy: the poor wo⯑man dropped a tear, and ſaid the child was dead. The agitation of mind ſhe then ap⯑peared to be in would not permit me to aſk any other queſtions; but, as I was paſſing in the evening, I took the opportunity, while ſhe was ſtanding at the door, of enquiring if he had been long ill; ſhe ſaid he had not: and what age he was, about five months; and had two teeth looked ſo blue, that ſhe had no doubt would have been cut the next day, which led me farther to aſk concerning the child's wa⯑ter. Firſt, whether ſhe perceived any ſtop⯑page; ſecondly, if he cried before he made any; and thirdly, when he did, if it was not extremely hot; really, ſaid the woman, I did not take ſufficient notice. Another perſon, who occaſionally aſſiſted her, and was then confined to her bed, in the next room, (over⯑hearing the converſation,) deſired I would walk in, when ſhe informed me ſhe recollect⯑ed that the child not only cried when it made water, but that the water was ſo extremely [22]hot it almoſt fleed him; but that is common. They then ſent for the apothecary, but, before he could come to their aſſiſtance, the child was carried off in a fit, occaſioned by the ſtrangury, which he, being unacquainted with, directly pronounced it to be occaſioned by the two teeth.

As a farther proof, I will give you an in⯑ſtance of a child of twenty weeks old, I was called [...]n by a neighbour to look at, whom I found in a violent fit of crying, in which it had been about two hours; obſerving the child's knees drawn up to its chin induced me to aſk if it had made water in that time; I was told it had not. In about an hour after I look⯑ed in again, and found the child in a ſound ſleep; upon enquiry, I was told he had been very uneaſy before he made water, but, as ſoon as he had, it relieved him, and he be⯑came compoſed; and, as in the caſe before⯑mentioned, his thighs were almoſt fleed by the heat of its water; in conſequence of which I adviſed her to give it ſome gum-arabic water, which had the deſired effect. The following day ſhe perceived two under teeth look blue, which I recommended her to rub with a gold ring; ſhe did, and they came [23]through with great eaſe, encouraged by the gum-arabic, carrying the fever off, by urine, incident to thoſe caſes. She has continued it ever ſince in every thing he eats and drinks; and he is now a fine boy: his grand-mother is of opinion that his life was ſaved by that means. In order to keep the mouth cool, when you perceive the child about its teeth, the firſt thing given it in a morning ſhould be a tea-ſpoonful of cold ſpring water.

Every mother or nurſe ſhould conſtantly feel the child's pulſe once every day, that ſhe may judge whether it is in health or not: for my own part, though I do not profeſs any ſkill, yet, by accuſtoming myſelf to this me⯑thod, feeling the water, and examining the ſtools, I am able to ſorm a better judgement than moſt people would imagine. I am in⯑debted to a very eminent phyſician for this hint, and I do verily believe it is a very eſſen⯑tial one to any who have the care of an infant.

If a child's water appears of the colour of milk, neglect not to give it the gum-arabic three or four times a day, as you may be aſ⯑ſured it has either caught cold or is about its [24]double teeth; in either caſe it has been found of great uſe, unleſs it operates as a purgative, which is very ſeldom the caſe; if it does, o⯑mit it a day or two.

Some little time after the foregoing obſer⯑vations, I met a gentleman of the faculty, (the father of a large family,) whoſe opinion I aſked concerning a child's having the ſtrangu⯑ry, and at what age; he ſaid at or about two years old. The earneſt manner in which I put the queſtion to him, I ſuppoſe, led him to aſk me whether I had reaſon, from the ex⯑perience I had had in attending my own chil⯑dren, to imagine it appeared before; I e⯑vaded the queſtion, as at that time it did not ſuit me to make the confeſſion, knowing it would be of great advantage to every perſon that purchaſed a Nurſe's-Relief of me, as I then intended to make a point of convincing them how neceſſary it is for a parent or nurſe to have the gum-arabic water by them the firſt three years, as few children cut all their double teeth ſooner.

Should the child frequently heave, when the ſtomach is oppreſſed, which is common [25]from ſix weeks to four or five months old, ſend for your apothecary, that he may order ſomething for its relief; otherwiſe, by not checking the diſorder in time, you will moſt likely throw the infant into convulſions.

It is very abſurd for any one to imagine the faculty do not underſtand the diſorders inci⯑dent to infants: in many inſtances you will find their opinion requiſite; ſhould that be the caſe, I earneſtly entreat you will make it a rule to aſk in what manner he expects the medicines to operate: they will all acquaint you; but ſome, through hurry of buſineſs, omit it, by which they are often under the neceſ⯑ſity of attending a ſecond time, to ſatisfy the doubts and fears of the nurſe, who, from the child's having two or three motions in an hour, and perhaps frequently ſick, alarms herſelf with apprehenſion of danger; though, at the ſame time, it may be quite neceſſary, and the infant could not be relieved without.

I was greatly alarmed in a ſimilar caſe with my laſt child, and ſhould have been more ſo, had it not been for my mother, who told me the medicine, the apothecary ſent, would take [26]the effect as above mentioned: or, probably, by means of the fright, I might have loſt my milk; inſtances of which have been frequent; as ſoon a [...] you have given the medicines, (for they do not always operate alike,) put a dou⯑ble napkin round its ne [...]k, and lay it in your lap at leaſt an hour; it poſſibly may fall a⯑ſleep; if ſo, the better; and it is a great chance, when it awakes, if it be not ſick, or have a motion; perhaps both: it may otherwiſe paſs off by urine; in which caſe, ſhould it be a little convulſed, do not alarm yourſelf, as it will not be of any bad conſequence.

Should the child be in a cold clammy ſweat, do not let it make you uneaſy. Apply warm napkins to the neck, face, hands, and bottom; lay your hand on the navel, and gent⯑ly rub the ſtomach, carefully avoiding to over⯑heat the child; as ſoon as it is eaſy it will re⯑ward your tender care with a pleaſing ſmile; endeavour to compoſe it, and then you may, with ſafety, put it in the bed or cradle, taking care not to diſturb it on any conſideration: ſhould it ſleep five, ſix, or eight, hours, be ſure, in that time, to draw your breaſts twice, [27]as more children ſuffer by that omiſſion than you are aware of: among the number, I loſt a fine boy of my own, four months old, by that neglect.

When your child is five months old, pro⯑vided you follow my directions, you may put it into a go-cart, which I am perſuaded will be found very convenient; after it is in, tie the cart to the leg of a table or chair; conti⯑nue it thus for a fortnight, that it may feel its feet properly; it will take great pleaſure in ſtanding ſo: if you do not obſerve this cau⯑tion, but ſuffer the cart to run on the floor at firſt, it may very likely intimidate the child, and give it a diſlike to it. I have given direc⯑tions for one to be made with a flag to it, to encourage the child to ſtand upright; and a chair on a different conſtruction from thoſe made uſe of in common, of which I very much diſapprove, as they are too great a con⯑finement.

I have obſerved by my own children, when ill, that they have frequently taken a little warm victuals or drink, becauſe the fatigue of [28]ſucking has been too great; but, as ſoon as a child finds itſelf eaſy, it will readily receive the nouriſhment from the breaſt, deſigned by nature. When you take the child out of the cradle or off the bed, after ſleeping, it ſhould not be ſet on its feet immediately, as it is apt to make it croſs; the feeble ſtate we our⯑ſelves are in, on our firſt getting out of bed, plainly ſhews the utility of the above caution; you will therefore do well to ſet the child in its chair, and divert it for five minutes; after that time it may, with ſafety, be allow⯑ed to go to play.

I do not approve of a back-ſtring; nor do I allow a child to run alone till it can get up of itſelf, after falling: neither do I ſuffer any body to take it off the ground, when young; ſhould you accuſtom them to that, they will [...]ie and ſcream till you do; on the contrary, if no notice is taken, they will get up of them⯑ſelves, go to play, and not mind a fall ſo much, even if an accident happened by it.

I hope by theſe inſtructions, which you have from under my hand, you will be a bet⯑ter [29]nurſe to your firſt child than I was to my fifth; that it may prove ſo, is the ſincere wiſh of,