Unless the milk is perfectly fresh, and has been handled with great care, it is safer to sterilize or pasteurize it.  The former, if any doubt is entertained as to the quality of the milk, the latter in every case.

TEMPERATURE OF FOOD.

Food should be “milk warm,” or about 99 deg.  Fah., when given to a baby.  Hot food is very injurious.

NURSING BOTTLES AND FEEDING.

Have two plain bottles with rubber tops, without tubes.  Bottles with ounces and tablespoonfuls marked on them can be purchased, and are a great convenience in measuring the amount of food required.

After using the bottle, empty the remaining milk; rinse in cold water, then in scalding water.

If particles of milk adhere to the bottle use coarse salt or raw potato cut in small pieces.  If the glass looks cloudy, add a little ammonia to the water.  Turn the rubber tops inside out and scrub with a stiff brush; boil them every alternate day for 10 minutes.

Absolute cleanliness is a necessity in the care of a baby’s food, bottles and rubber tops.

The bottle should be held, while the baby is feeding, in such a position that the top is full of milk.  If air is sucked in with the milk stomach-ache will likely result.

Starchy food should not be given to a child until it is able to masticate. (See digestion of starch, Chap.  VIII.)

Arrowroot, cornstarch, rice, etc., must not be given to infants.

FLOUR BALL.

Put a bowlful of flour into a strong cloth, tie it up like a pudding, and place it in a kettle of boiling water.  Boil for 10 or 12 hours.  When boiled turn it out of the cloth and cut away the soft outside coating.  When cool, grate the hard inside portion and use a teaspoonful at each feeding, for a baby 8 months old, increasing the amount for an older child.  This may be prepared in the same manner as cornstarch or flour.  The long boiling converts the starch into dextrine, which is more easily digested than starch.  This is especially valuable in cases of diarrhoea, and may be used instead of barley gruel as a food.

OATMEAL GRUEL.

Pound a cupful of oatmeal in a pestle or on a bread board.  Put in a bowl and pour over it 1 pint of cold water.  Stir it up, then let the mixture settle for a few minutes.  Pour off the milky fluid, repeat this process.  Boil this water for an hour, adding a pinch of salt, and use it to dilute the milk instead of water.

A thicker gruel may be made from oatmeal by allowing 1 tablespoonful to a cup of boiling water.  Let it boil 1 hour, then strain through a wire strainer.

FARINA GRUEL.

    1 tbsp. farina.
    2 cups boiling water. 
    A spk. of salt.