Show Your You Y o u r B Baby a b bys y s H Healt e a I tf t i By DR MORRIS FISHBEIN Editor Journal of the American Medical A. A Association ocI tion an and el of Hygeia the Health Magazine 1 One of the most important considerations considerations con con- in any childs child's education education edu edu- cation is training in health habits As I have emphasized repeatedly this should be begun early In In Infancy Infancy infancy In- In fancy and should be he maintained re regularly throughout childhood The essential habits include those which affect a eating cleanliness cleanliness cleanliness ness sleeping and exercise One of the tho important habits concerned in eating is feeding ones one's self Most children can be he taught to feed themselves by the end of oC the second year For Por a achild achild achild child to be fed by another after this time is abnormal and The child should be taught to eat a variety of foods food and not notto notto notto to make an entire meal of oC one or two substances While children mn may be sensitive to one or two articles of diet there still remains remains remains re- re mains a vast variety of oft off foods from which to choose Children should be taught to eat cat foods that are proper for them and ami not to want coffee candy or other foods of their own choosing choos choosing ing in amounts not suitable to their years Children should eat slowly and chew thoroughly They can bo be taught to chew b by giving them solid food and such substances as ashard ashard ashard hard dry crackers zwieback crisp toast and s similar milar substances substances substances sub sub- stances after their molar teeth have developed Finally the baby should drInkwater drink drinkwater drinkwater water several times a day between between between be be- tween meals as well as the water water water wa wa- wa- wa ter which regularly accompanies the meals Especially important is emphasis emphasis em on the baby's feeding itself itself it itself it- it self and eating without too much trouble The baby that lacks appetite appetite appetite ap ap- ap- ap petite learns to play with the food Parents encourage this by feeding feeding feeding feed feed- ing the baby and amusing it during during during dur dur- ing the eating The child develops develops develops devel devel- ops less and less desire for food and will probably learn to vomit just to avoid eating Most experts now advise that the tho food should be given at regular regular regular regu regu- lar hours and in 15 or 20 min mm- minutes minutes min min- utes be taken away even though none has been eaten The child should not be offered more food until the next regular meal It is hardly worth while to spend much time talking to the child because coaxing only makes matters worse |