acaroni, orange
juice, baked apples, stewed prune pulp and juice, junket, baked
custard, cornstarch pudding, plain blanc-mange, plain tapioca. It is
not advisable, as a rule, to begin green vegetables until the baby is
2-1/2 years old."

It will be seen in the foregoing dietaries how authorities differ in
their beliefs as to the requirements of the child. The dietaries
included in this text are selected from those used in different parts
of the country by physicians who have successfully cared for the
infants and children under their charge.

THE FEEDING OF PREMATURE INFANTS

The digestion of premature infants is naturally not as strong as that
of infants born at term. Very little is positively known, but the
consensus of opinion goes to show that in the majority of cases the
tolerance for sugar is greater than that of either the proteins or
fats. The loss of heat is relatively greater in proportion to its
surface area in small than in large bodies. This is a well-known fact,
hence the premature baby must require more food in proportion to its
weight than the baby who is born at the normal time. Then, too, as the
premature infant is thinner he does not keep warm like the older
infant, and this must be taken into consideration in feeding him.
Breast milk is of course by far the best food for such babies, not
only because its constituents are in a more available form for the
feeble digestive organs, but because the mother's milk furnishes a
resistance which is lacking in even the most carefully modified of
milk formulas.

~Energy Requirements of Premature Infants.~--Experiments made upon
premature infants have proved that the caloric needs of these babies
are greater than in the case of full-time babies; that is, they
require more per kilogram of body weight. According to Morse,[79]
"most premature babies need 120 calories per kilogram of body weight.
But there are many exceptions, some thriving on as little as 70
calories per kilogram. No attempt should be made to reach 120 calories
per kilogram during the first few days. Thirty calories per kilogram
is as much as is wise to give in the first 24 hours of feeding. This
amount should be gradually increased each day, watching carefully for
symptoms of indigestion and diminishing it if these appear. One
hundred and twenty calories per kilogram can be given in about 10
days."[80]

~Necessary Dilution.~--Even breast milk must be diluted with an equal
amount of water