BETWEEN MEALS

The three-hour interval is reckoned from the beginning of the meal,
and not from its close. More than two hours is spent in the stomach
digestion, and any food or sweetened water which may enter between
meals only tends to cause indigestion and other disturbances. And that
this important organ may have a bit of rest, we fix the interval at
three hours, which in our experience and that of many other
physicians, has yielded good results. As a rule we have no
regurgitation and no sour babies on the three-hour schedule. Sick
babies, very weak babies, and their feeding time, will be discussed in
a later chapter.

ADDITIONAL FOODS

At six months, and often as early as four, in cases of constipation,
unsweetened, well-strained prune juice may be given, beginning with
one-half teaspoon one hour before the afternoon feed and increasing it
daily until two tablespoons are taken. At six months, both orange
juice and vegetable broths are given, whose vegetable salts add a very
important food element to the baby's diet--an element which our
grandmothers thought could only be obtained through the time-honored
"bacon rind" of by-gone days.

Orange juice is also unsweetened and well strained, and is
administered in increasing amounts, beginning with one-half teaspoon
one hour before the afternoon feeding, until the juice of a whole
orange is greedily enjoyed by the time of the first birthday. The
vegetable juices are obtained from cut-up spinach, carrots, tomatoes,
and potatoes, strained, with a flavor of salt and onion--really a
bouillon--and is given just before the bottle at the six P. M.
feeding. They are also begun in teaspoon amounts.

FOOD FOR THE TRAVELING BABE

Baby travel should be reduced to a sheer necessity; never should the
babe be subjected to the exposure of disease germs, the change of
food, the possibilities of draughts and chilling, for merely a
pleasure trip--the risks are too great and the possibilities of future
trouble too far reaching.

If you are in touch with the milk laboratory of a large city, you will
find that they make a specialty of preparing feedings which are good
for a number of days for the traveling baby, and we strongly advise
that their preparations be accepted; but in the event of not being in
touch with such a laboratory we suggest the making of a carrying
ice-box covered with wicker, which must be kept replenished with ice.
Food kept in such a device may be kept fres