200 FAEM HOMES, IN-DOORS AND OUT-DOORS. 



lullaby, if the child is small. If she must attend to 

 housework, she leaves the bedroom door open, so that 

 while the patient is composed and quiet, he still has the 

 feeling of not being left alone. In almost every instance 

 a sweet, restful slumber follows ; and, by extra attention 

 to diet and out-door wraps, the child is as well as ever in 

 twenty-four hours/' This modest mother does not lay any 

 stress on her pleasant stories and lullabys, but no doubt 

 her gentle and cheerful "way" with her children goes 

 far to banish the demons of serious sickness. 



Children should always wear flannel vests thin and 

 light for summer, and of heavier quality, long sleeved 

 and high-necked, for winter, and always long enough to 

 cover the hips. Flannel over the bowels, especially for 

 teething children, is very beneficial. It is no wonder 

 that the " second summer " is a trying one for the babies, 

 since they are often clad in thin, short, cotton garments, 

 in which they are exposed to all the variations of atmos- 

 phere between sunrise and bedtime. 



Be sure that children have comfortable clothing cloth- 

 ing that never pinches or scratches, or feels as if slipping 

 off. It is not in human nature, young or old, to tran- 

 quilly endure irritable clothing, and boots or shoes that 

 torture. Make the clothes, firstly, to be comfortable ; 

 secondly, to be neat and becoming. Flannels should 

 always be loose, and waists well fitting, but not in the 

 least tight, and provided with buttons for drawers and 

 skirts. The only garters fit to be worn are those of elastic 

 that fasten to the waist and top of the stockings. They 

 cost fifteen or twenty cents, and by supplying fresh elastics 

 now and then, will last through a whole childhood. It is 

 said to be beneficial for children to go barefooted during 

 hot weather, but a good lookout must be maintained for 

 the broken glass, nails, and the rubbish that sometimes 

 abounds on uncivilized premises ; and no expedition to 

 field or woods should be entered upon without long stock- 



