he child be your
guides, and with these in mind errors in feeding can be quickly
detected and minor mistakes speedily rectified.

SYMPTOMS OF DISSATISFACTION

Some of the pointed questions which are put to a young mother who
brings her child into the office of the baby specialist, are the
following:

Does the baby seem satisfied after his feeding?
Does he suck his fist?
How much does he gain each week in weight?
Does he sleep well?
Does the baby vomit?
What do his bowel movements look like?
Will you please send a stool to the office?

With the intelligent answers to these questions--after knowing the
birth weight and the age of the child and its general nervous
disposition--the physician can formulate some conclusion as to the
babe's general condition and can usually find a feeding formula that
will make him grow.

Vomiting, restlessness, sleeplessness and the condition of the
bowels, are the telltales which indicate whether or not the food is
being assimilated; and the stools may vary all the way from hard
bullet-like lumps to a green diarrhea.

Babies do not thrive well in large institutions where the food is so
often made up in a wholesale manner, for the simple reason that the
food elements are not suited to the need of each individual baby. Some
infants are unable to digest raw milk, and for them sterilized or
boiled milk should be tried; others require a fat-free mixture such as
skimmed milk, while still others may need buttermilk for a short time.
Babies require individual care, particularly in their food, and the
good or bad results are plainly shown in the stools, weight, sleep,
etc.

FLATULENCE

Flatulence is an excessive formation of gas in the stomach and bowels
leading to distension of the abdomen and the belching of gas, and
often the bringing up of a sour, pungent, watery fluid.

Flatulence is seen in infants suffering from intestinal indigestion
and the food is nearly always at fault. This condition is the result
of the faulty digestion of the sugar and starches--particularly the
starch--which should be immediately reduced. In such conditions the
addition of a slight amount of some alkaline (such as soda, magnesia
or lime water) to the food often produces good results. Great patience
must be exercised with a child that suffers from flatulence, for
immediate improvement can hardly be expected; time is required for the
restoration of good digestion.

VOMITING

Vomiti