e brush should be used to do all the
smoothing.

While the frequent trimming of the hair has no marked effect upon its
growth, yet the comfort the little girls enjoy, especially during the
warm-weather months, should not be denied them.

And certainly the boy should become a boy when he puts on trousers and
not be made the laughing stock of his mirthful companions just because
his "beautiful long curls are much admired by the mother and his
aunts."

The finger nails should be trimmed round with the scissors, while all
hangnails are properly cared for every day. Toe nails should be cut
straight across and the corners never rounded off. Many ingrowing
nails may be thus avoided.

CHAPTER XXI

BABY'S CLOTHING

The Eden story suggests that in the beginning of our racial experience
artificial clothing was unnecessary; but after a time, in that
selfsame garden, proper clothing became an important problem and has
remained so ever since. Everybody seems to agree, however, that baby's
clothing in particular should at least be comfortable. It may give the
child great discomfort because it may be too warm, or it may not be
warm enough, or it may be too tight, and so, in the discussion of
baby's clothing in this chapter, we are going to keep in mind these
two things--comfort and heat.

GENERAL SUGGESTIONS

The choice of material demands some thought and attention. As a rule,
baby's clothing materials should be light in weight, good moisture
absorbers, and at the same time able to retain the body heat. Most
layettes have the common fault of being prematurely outgrown; and so
it is well to allow for ample growth in making baby's first clothes.
Since the principal object of clothing is to insure a uniform body
temperature, it is important that the mother be constantly on her
guard to keep the baby cool enough in the summer and warm enough in
the winter.

The mothers of various races and nations have their own ideas
concerning the clothing of their babies. One mother will wrap her baby
in cotton, which is held in place by means of a roller bandage, and as
you visit this home during the first week of baby's life, you will be
handed a little mummy-shaped creature--straight as a little poker--all
wrapped up in cotton and a roller bandage. The surprising feature is
that the baby does not seem to complain.

In another district of the city we find the baby dressed in starched
clothes, ribbon sashes, bright ribbon bows