| Show C houston goudiss offers timely advice on keeping children well in winter winfer warns of several dangers by C HOUSTON GOUDISS 0 ONE NE of the ways by which her community judg judges es a womans comans success as a mother is by the health and of her children if they are energetic rosy cheeked checked normal boys and girls who have a high resistance to 0 infections such as the common cold and if they display the good dispositions that we usually associate with buoyant health then the verdict of friends and neighbors is usually that of a lob job well done to help her children maintain top health and vitality a mother must constantly be alert to the various factors that help produce this ideal estate and at the same time she must likewise be on guard against the common conditions that may contribute to lowered resistance especially fatigue and improper diet winter hazards it has been said that in winter the body is on trial and this is as true of children as of adults extremes of temperature require adjustments jusem just ments ants on the part of the body and in most parts of the country av children are called upon constantly to switch their environment from a house which is all too frequently overheated to an outdoor temperature that may be below freezing while cool outdoor air is stimulating to children in normal health some children withstand it much m i uch less successfully this is particularly true of those who are improperly nourished who are over fatigued or suffer from poor circulation when it is very cold outdoors it is wise to have children come in in from their play periodically to warm up and if a child appears to suffer from the cold unduly it is wise to have a physician check up on his health guard against frostbite overexposure over exposure must be avoided particularly in cold damp w weather eath F for or under these conditions doctors warn there is always a danger of frostbite they say t that hat whenever r the temperature falls below 8 deg degrees rees fahrenheit children should not be permitted to play outdoors if they do the cold may act uvon up on the tissues so that at part of the body is deprived or of its blood supply this thi s is most likely to 0 occur in the fingers toes nose or ears which thereupon become frozen the combination combi nation of wind and low temperature is especially dangerous and frostbite frequently occurs at temperatures up to 14 degrees fahrenheit when there is a strong wind mothers should be on guard against fros frostbite when the temperature P pera grature ture is belo below w 24 degrees fahrenheit t how however ever and at all times during the winter see that children are warmly clad this need not mean that they are so bundled up as to P preclude preclude the possibility of active play sui suitable table clothing consists of garments which provide v ide warmth and protection against dampness without constriction at any point two layers of wool such as that provided by a woolen sweater and playsuit play suit are considered preferable to one too bulky garment feet and hands should of course be well protected don t overheat the house only a little less serious as are the consequences of dry overheated indoor air it is unfortunate that so many people keep their rooms entirely too warm in winter this not only widens the gap between indoor and outdoor temperatures but may be extremely irritating to the delicate membranes of the nose and throat most authorities consider an indoor temperature of about 68 degrees fahrenheit satisfactory Is your child lazy we often hear mothers complain ahat that their children are lazy in cold weather and they seem to have less pep and energy than in other seasons if by that they mean that their children are less active it may be that this can be attributed in part to the bleak shorter days that do not always invite outdoor play but sometimes a child displays such a reduction in his activities as to appear indolent then the mother must seek the physical or emotional factors that may be responsible for true laziness suggests a body that is not functioning normally quite possibly the childs diet is not meeting his bodily requirements an undernourished child usually tires easily and is dis inclined to exert himself the food may be adequate as to quantity but not as to quality for example a diet that is too highly concentrated contains too little bulk or cellulose may cause a tendency to faulty elimination this in turn is frequently responsible le for lassitude the remedy is often a simple dietary change the addition of a salad to the daily diet or possibly the use of stewed dried fruits in add addition to a fresh fruit or fruit i juice aice daily of course the child should also have two servings of vegetables besides potatoes one of which should be of the green leafy variety also a quart of milk daily breads and cereals at least half of which may preferably be the whole grain variety an egg daily or at least three or four weekly one serving of meat fish or chicken and another serving of a protein food such as cheese some form of vitamin D should be included in the diet of young youn 9 children especially during the winter months it is also most important that children follow a daily routine that includes plenty of time for sleep I 1 and for younger children a day 1 time nap is usually advised 1 children need healthy M others mothers mothers must give attention to the chil childrens dreWs health but let them give some c consideration on to their own the tired nervous mother is very apt to transfer some of 0 her own fatigue and nervousness to her child so in arranging your childs rest periods and diet in looking after proper habits of elimination make sure that mother too and letter better still every member of the family follows this same sound health program |
