You and Your Child in Summer — The Child's Garden

Sunlight and cheer — these are two things, or two elements, of very great importance to every individual, and especially to your child, madam. The more lavishly you bestow them upon him, the greater your happiness will be, and the whole family will enjoy delight and contentment. So take care to profit from these two blessings during the clear-skied days and throughout the summer, so that every member of the family, and the little ones in particular, receives a generous share of them outside the house, in the open air — while guarding carefully against excessive exposure to the scorching, harmful heat of the sun and against other ailments.

Wherever there are children, certain minor, unwelcome accidents are bound to occur — cuts, scratches, bumps, children falling, specks getting into their eyes, insect stings, and the like. If you wash a cut or a bruise, for example, with water to which a little salt has been added, that will soothe your child and do no harm whatsoever.

First aid for children is one of the matters of great importance which you must master, madam, if you wish to be a true mother. You should therefore read a book on this subject that serves the purpose fully, and profit from it, for correct treatment at the right time will spare you great trouble later on.

You also need to know another essential matter, madam — namely, how to keep yourself and your child in an atmosphere of moderate temperature, neither too cold nor too hot. It is necessary to wear light clothing and to take generous quantities of liquids, for children and grown-ups alike perspire more in hot weather than at any other time. What the body loses in moisture through perspiration must therefore be replaced by drinking liquids.

Plain water is good, but water with fruit juice is excellent. As for the expectant or nursing mother, it is very well, to quench her thirst, for her to drink water with a little lemon juice cooled in an earthenware pitcher, after a little sugar and a glassful of boiled water, left until completely cool, have been added to this drink. This is an excellent beverage in the summer season for everyone over the age of three.

Entrust the dressing of your child, madam, if he is under a month old, to the nurse or the nanny. After the first month, the lighter his clothing — within reasonable limits — the better, especially in truly hot weather. There may happen to be days when you need nothing more than a light kerchief to cover your child with. But something a little heavier is needed to wrap the child in during the early morning and at dusk. A mother can tell whether her child is warm simply by feeling his toes from time to time, especially if any doubt about it should cross her mind.

Most children can bear hot weather better than grown-ups can, because they delight in their freedom to play and romp, and they are able to sleep when tiredness overtakes them. The most important thing to remember is not to let the children play in the sun during the hottest hours of the day, and to keep the neck and head always covered.

Mothers who are about to wean their children should consult specialist physicians, to be guided by their scientific opinions and to act upon them; for weaning must not be done all at once, on account of its bad effect on the health of the mother and of her child.

The little ones, and infants especially, need long sleep during the summer. And though mothers find it difficult to get their little ones to sleep early on the short summer nights, they must persevere in it, so that going to sleep early becomes a rule with the young. The more temperate the room and the cooler the child's body, the more easily he sleeps. Sometimes it is advisable to close the windows so that the room is somewhat darkened, if the child is inclined to wake easily from his sleep. And do not forget, madam, to keep a box of talcum powder, so as to sprinkle a little of it on your child's body in the hot season, for that lightens the burden of the heat for him and helps him sleep in ease and comfort.