238 MORE POT-POURRI 



in England ; a child is trained from the first by the 

 monthly nurse to lie constantly on her knee, whereas, 

 abroad, the first thing done from the very beginning is 

 to train a baby to be perfectly content in its cot. And 

 when the weather is fine and it goes out, it is never 

 carried or wheeled about before it is seven or eight 

 months old. It lies for hours in the open air as in a 

 bed. It is very important that children of all ages 

 should sleep on a hard, flat bed, and that mattresses 

 should be re -made whenever they get hollow. I believe 

 that neglect of this is the cause of many round shoulders 

 and weak spines. A husk pillow (which can be made of 

 dried and pounded bracken Fern if the husks of oats 

 are not available) is also used for washing a baby, on a 

 method which I think both safer and easier than our 

 English way. There is a large, plain deal table, three 

 sides of which are surrounded by a rim as in our wooden 

 washstands. On the right and left of this table is placed 

 everything the nurse is likely to require for washing the 

 baby. On a little table next to this big one is a basket 

 with the clothes. In the middle of the large table is 

 placed the above-mentioned pillow, covered with a piece 

 of mackintosh sheeting, over which is laid a large bath 

 towel. On this is placed the little naked baby, and it is 

 then the superior advantage of this system over the 

 English one becomes apparent. No one can see it done 

 without appreciating how much less experienced the 

 mother or nurse need be, as both hands are left free to 

 soap and sponge, and wipe and powder. After being 

 soaped, the baby is dipped, as with us, into the bath, and 

 immediately laid back again on the pillow, where it looks 

 like one of the little Christian 'bambinos' in sugar or 

 plaster, which used to be sold in Italy at Christmas time. 

 The child is wrapped in the bath towel and dried. 

 The mackintosh and towel are then removed, and the 



