774 PLAIN PACTS 



mother's milk in the proportion of nutriment which it 

 contains, and second, to render it less liable to form 

 hard curds in the stomach, which are very likely to 

 occur when the milk is taken undiluted. 



4. Cow's milk, or other fluid food, is best given to an 

 infant with a proper nursing bottle. The best forms 

 of nursing bottles are those which are furnished with 

 rubber caps. The cap should be removed and well 

 cleansed with boiling water in which soda or saleratus 

 has been dissolved in proportion of a teaspoonful to 

 a pint each time the bottle is used. Both the nursing 

 bottle and the rubber nipple should be kept immersed 

 in a weak solution of soda when not in use. They 

 should also be scalded the second time just before the 

 child is fed. Cow's or goat's milk should be boiled 

 fifteen minutes before feeding, to destroy all germs. 



5. The diet of the mother while nursing is of very 

 great importance, as anything that disturbs the system 

 of the mother will more or less affect that of the nurs- 

 ing infant. Her food should be nourishing, simple, 

 and wholesome. Stimulants of all kinds, whether in 

 the form of alcoholic drinks or irritable condiments, 

 should be carefully avoided. Pastry, desserts, ice- 

 cream and confectionery, and all similar articles, should 

 be wholly avoided. The best diet consists of oatmeal 

 porridge or milk and the various whole-grain prepara- 

 tions, eggs, and, with those accustomed to meat, a 

 moderate allowance, together with an abundance of 

 ripe fruits. With reference to increasing and dimin- 

 ishing the mother's supply of milk by regulation of 

 the diet, see paragraph on this subject elsewhere. Veg- 

 etables, such as cabbage, turnips, and carrots, together 

 with peas, beans, and onions, which are very likely to 

 produce colic in the child, should be carefully avoided. 



