hould not be carried or suffered to sit with its
body erect, without supporting it in such a manner as to lighten the
pressure made on the spine, and aid it in maintaining the upright
posture of its head and trunk; therefore, at first (a few days after
birth), the infant should be taken from its cradle or bed two or three
times daily and laid on its back upon a pillow, and carried gently about
the chamber. After the third or fourth week, the child may be carried in
a reclining posture on the arms of a careful nurse, in such a manner as
to afford entire support both to body and head. This may be done by
reclining the infant upon the forearm, the hand embracing the upper and
posterior part of the thighs, whilst its body and head are supported by
resting against the breast and arm of the nurse. When held in this way,
it may be gently moved from side to side, or up and down, while it is
carefully carried through a well-ventilated room.'

After the child is three months old, it will probably have become strong
enough to maintain itself in a sitting position. It may then be carried
about in this upright posture, with the spine and head carefully
supported by the nurse, which aid ought not to be withdrawn until the
age of six or seven months.

'In _lifting_ young children,' as has been well observed by Dr. Barlow,
'the nurse should be very careful never to lay hold of them by the arms,
as is sometimes thoughtlessly done; but always to place the hands, one
on each side of the chest, immediately below the armpits. In infancy the
sockets of the joints are so shallow, and the bones so feebly bound
down and connected with each other, that dislocation and even fracture
of the collar-bone may easily be produced by neglecting this rule. For
the same reason, it is a bad custom to support a child by one or even by
both arms, when he makes his first attempt to walk. The grand aim which
the child has in view, is to preserve his equilibrium. If he is
partially supported by one arm, the body inclines to one side, and the
attitude is rendered most unfavorable to the preservation of his natural
balance; and consequently, the moment the support is in the least
relaxed, the child falls over and is caught up with a jerk. Even when
held by both arms, the attitude is unnatural and unfavorable to the
speedy attainment of the object. To assist the child, we ought to place
one hand on each side of the chest in such a way as to give the
slightest pos