Are gravies healthy and nutritious?  Beef juice or so-called “platter gravy” from a roast is very nourishing and desirable, but many of the gravies that are thickened are harder to digest and too much is given.  Only a small quantity should be allowed.

What about vegetables?  Baked, boiled or mashed potatoes may be given first, but never fried.  After the sixth or seventh year baked sweet potato, turnips, boiled onions and cauliflower, all well cooked, may be given moderately.  They must be thoroughly cooked and mashed.  This is the great trouble.

Can I give canned vegetables?  Peas, and asparagus of the best brands can be used.  They are often better than stale green vegetables.

What vegetables should be prohibited?  Any that are eaten raw such as celery, radishes, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes or lettuce; corn, lima beans, cabbage, egg plant, even when well cooked; none of these should be given to a child under ten years old.

Can I give vegetable salads?  As a rule none should be allowed at this period.  They are difficult to digest and create great disturbances in children of all ages.

CEREALS.

What points should I consider in selecting and preparing these?  They must be properly cooked and not used in excess.  He should not make a meal of them because he is fond of them, and eat two or three saucerfuls at once.  Proper cooking is essential.  Oatmeal, hominy, rice, wheaten grits need two hours’ cooking at least, in a double boiler; cornstarch, arrow-root, and barley should be cooked twenty minutes or more.  All the market preparations need cooking.

How should they be eaten?  Usually with milk or milk and cream; plenty of salt, no sugar or very little—­one-half teaspoonful to a saucer—­syrups or butter and sugar are prohibited.

What broths and soup do you recommend?  Meat broths are generally to be preferred to vegetable broths, mutton and chicken usually being the best liked.  Almost all plain broths can be given.  Those thickened with rice, barley or cornstarch make a good variety, especially with milk added.  Tomato soup should not be given to young children.

BREAD, CRACKERS, AND CHEESE.

What forms of bread can I give?  Stale bread cut thin and freshly dried in the oven until it is crisp is very useful, also the unsweetened zwieback.  Fresh bread should not be eaten.  Gluten, oatmeal, or graham crackers, or the Huntley and Palmer breakfast biscuits, stale rolls or corn bread which has been cut in two or toasted or dried to a crisp form a sufficient variety.

[All about baby 601]

What kinds of breadstuffs should be prohibited?  All hot breads, all fresh rolls, buckwheat and other griddle cakes, all fresh sweet cakes, especially when covered with icing and those containing any dried fruits.  Lady finger (stale) or a piece of sponge cake is all that can be allowed to children up to seven or eight years old.