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By early rising it is not meant that the child shall be roused from a sound sleep by a rough voice or hand at a certain fixed hour in winter and an earlier one in summer, simply for the whim of a fadridden and over-prompt parent. Quite the reverse. Let the child wake of his own accord, for he will do so—whether it be late or early—after he has had enough sleep; and, if he must get up at a certain hour-and never fix it before 7 A.M.—make the rousing process as gentle and gradual as possible. Sudden rousing excites the brain, quickens the pulsation of the heart, and, if repeated, may lead to serious consequences.

From two and a half to four years, an hour's sleep may or may not be taken in the morning, according to the disposition and needs of the subject, but a child should invariably be put to bed at seven in the evening and not be permitted to rise until six or seven o'clock on the following morning.

After the fourth or fifth years, few children will sleep in the daytime; they are ready for bed by 8 P.M., and must be allowed to sleep for ten hours or

more.

A later retiring hour than 9 P.M. ought never to be encouraged until after the twelfth or fifteenth year. Any postponement of the usual hour for going to bed is injurious, and should abridgment

of sleep be accompanied by the excitement of a child's party or the like the rest obtained is broken and productive of a pale face and nerveless frame on the succeeding day.

The position and general features of the night nursery have already been described, and it only remains to say that when occupied by day it must be darkened so as to favor sound sleeping.

The bed (and where there are several children in the family each should have its own) must be so situated in the room as to be out of the way of draughts. Curtains, while they protect, prevent the access of fresh air, and it is far better to ward off a draught by a movable, folding screen.

"crib" may be

The form of bed known as a occupied until the sixth year. The sides must be high, to prevent the child from falling out and injuring himself, and the movable side should work upon hinges rather than move up and down in slots.

Springs and a soft horsehair mattress, protected by a gum cloth, placed beneath a double sheet, under ordinary circumstances constitute the bed proper. Sometimes a feather mattress is admissible, but this is only when the child is feeble, and requires artificial aid to keep up the normal bodyheat during sleep.

The objection to feathers is, that the body, sink

ing deeply in, is so completely enveloped that it is subjected to an undue degree of heat, which relaxes and weakens the system and renders it very susceptible to the injurious influences of cold.

The bed-covering is composed of a sheet, one or more blankets-according to the weather-and a spread. These must be warm enough to maintain a healthy temperature, but, at the same time, not so heavy as to oppress the child.

Especial care should be taken not to cover the nose or mouth, and it is much better to keep the air of the nursery at a proper, even temperature by an open fire than to secure warmth to the body alone by weighty bed-coverings.

The pillow ought to be small, rather thin than the reverse, and made, except for very young infants, of soft horsehair.

A bed should never be made up directly upon the child's leaving it, for then it is saturated with the nocturnal exhalations from the body. So soon as vacated, the bed-coverings must be thrown over the backs of chairs, the mattress shaken up, and, the windows of the chamber being thrown open, allowed to air for an hour or more.

In the matter of bed-clothing, cleanliness is as important as in body-clothing, and the nurse must never neglect to re-make a bed if the sheets become wet with urine or otherwise soiled, no matter at

what hour of the night the accident may occur. Much trouble in this direction may be avoided, however, by regularly taking up the child at the time of the last feeding and encouraging a thorough evacuation of the bladder.

Children should never sleep in the same room with persons who are ill, whether the disease be acute or chronic. Sleeping with those having a long-standing cough or consumption of the lungs is especially to be avoided. Do not get the baby into the habit of being rocked or walked to sleep, and do not allow older children to sleep too soon after a meal, as the processes of digestion are apt to produce restlessness and uneasiness. Again, a bright light or conversation in the bedroom should never be permitted after the children have settled

to rest.

Finally, teach the nurse to make up the bed neatly and smoothly, and direct her to turn the pillow and smooth out the sheets, should her charge be restless at night. By this latter procedure sound sleep is often brought to a fretful child.

CHAPTER VII.

BATHING.

A well-known English writer states, that "water to the body-to the whole body-is a necessity of life, of health, and of happiness; it wards off disease, it braces the nerves, it hardens the frame, it is the finest tonic in the world."

On the word "tonic" the whole subject hinges. Every one knows that food, even in such a simple form as milk, may be given to excess, with the production of illness, and that medicines are yet more easily abused. Why, then, if the bath be a tonic agent, may it not be often used injudiciously and to the detriment of the child?

Intelligent nurses who have grown gray in service, often say they have seen babies "washed into heaven." This act has never been actually accomplished in my experience, but it has been often enough approached to justify introducing this chapter with the caution that, should the infant be ailing, the bath had better be discontinued until the physician can be consulted. This, of course, does not preclude ordinary cleanliness, for every part of the

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