fed from the breast until he is
seven months old, either exclusively or with the exception after the
second month of one bottle-feeding in twenty-four hours. This exception
will do the baby no harm and may be a great relief to his mother.
Partial breast-feeding should continue if possible through the ninth
month, but every baby should be entirely weaned by the time he is one
year old. It may be necessary, if either the baby or the mother is not
thriving, to change the food before the ninth month; but it is desirable
not to make the change in hot weather. Healthy babies, it should be
remembered, increase in weight constantly, and steady gain in weight is
the best indication that a baby's food is suitable.

NURSING BOTTLES AND NIPPLES.--Nursing bottles should be of heavy glass,
cylindrical in shape, without angles or corners to make cleaning
difficult. The number of bottles provided should be two or three more
than the number of feedings given in 24 hours.

Short black rubber nipples which slip over the neck of the bottles
should be selected. They should be of such a shape that they can easily
be turned inside out; a nipple turner costs little, and is well worth
the price. Nipples should be discarded when they become soft or when the
opening grows so large that the milk runs in a stream rather than drop
by drop.

As soon as the baby has finished his meal, the bottle should be removed
from his mouth, rinsed in clear hot water, and left standing filled with
cold water until a convenient time for boiling all the bottles to be
used during the next 24 hours. Sufficient time must be allowed for the
bottles to cool thoroughly between the time when they are boiled and the
time when they are refilled. When it is time to boil the bottles they
should be placed in an agate or other suitable kettle, covered with
water, and boiled vigorously for three minutes. A cloth placed in the
bottom of the kettle will help to prevent the bottles from breaking.
After the bottles have been removed from the boiling water, they should
be stoppered at once, either with rubber stoppers or plugs of sterile
cotton. The stoppers, if used, should be boiled with the bottles;
sterile cotton may be purchased by the package.

An easy and satisfactory method to care for rubber nipples is the
following: Provide as many nipples as the number of feedings given in 24
hours, and another, if desired, to be used in case of accident; provide
also two cups of ordin