carefully examined after the child is dressed, to see that they are not too tightly tied. Frostbitten nose or cheeks may result if the circulation is checked by tight ribbons.

Plate VI1 illustrates a simple and cheap winter wrap and hood for a young baby. Plate VII1 shows how it is made.

1 Courtesy of Miss Rena P. Fox, Babies' Hospital, Philadelphia.

1

1 Courtesy of Miss Rena P. Fox, Babies' Hospital, Philadelphia.

Cut a piece of eiderdown as indicated by dotted lines, making it long enough (from e to f) to reach from the baby's neck to about 4 to 6 inches below his feet, and wide enough to lap over entire chest on each side, thus giving double thickness over front of body. The darts in the top will make it fit somewhat over the shoulders. The extension at the bottom should be about one-third the length of the baby.

The hood, which should be fastened to the wrap in the back, is made by cutting along the dotted line, the flannel being double at the top. Sew these edges together. The cap may be lined and tied under the chin with ribbons if desired.

Put the wrap on by folding over first one side and then the other and fasten every 3 or 4 inches; then turn up the square over the feet, fastening with pins or buttons at corners as illustrated in the drawing.

OUT-OF-DOOR LIFE."

Keep the baby out of doors. Except in winter, begin when the baby is 2 weeks old to take him out for a few minutes every day in mild, pleasant weather, increasing the time gradually until he is staying out most of the time. Probably no other thing will do so much to insure a healthy babyhood as this, and the result will well repay whatever trouble is necessary to secure it. With the exceptions mentioned below, a baby may spend practically all the time out of doors, both sleeping and waking, if there is some one to look after him to see that he is protected against sun, wind, and dangerous insects. A young baby may stay in his carriage or crib on the porch, on the roof, under the trees, or in the back yard, where the busy mother can look after him; older babies who need exercise may be kept in a creeping pen either on the porch or in the yard. (See p. 25.) If it is not feasible to provide out-of-door sleeping places for these older babies, at least the windows of the nursery should be kept wide open most of the year.

WHEN NOT TO TAKE THE BABY OUT.

When the weather is very cold, as in winter in the North, when the snow is melting, or when there is a heavy storm in progress or a high wind blowing quantities of dust about, it will be best to give the baby his airing indoors or on a protected porch. Dress him as for going out, open all the windows wide, and let him remain in the fresh air for some time. Very young or delicate babies require much heat and must be very warmly covered to protect them against being chilled, and a baby under 3 months of age should not be taken out in severe weather; but plenty of fresh air is essential to all babies.

When the weather is excessively hot the baby should be taken out early in the day and then kept indoors until the late afternoon. From that time on until the rooms have cooled in the evening he should be kept out, being well protected from mosquitoes. If a screened porch is available, the health and comfort of the baby will be greatly increased.

CAUTION.

A word of caution should be given as to the danger of young children climbing up to open windows and falling out. If the windows have screens, they should be so carefully fastened in that there is no possibility of pushing them out. When screens are not in use, the windows should either be lowered from the top or thin wooden slats should be used to protect the lower sash. Similar precautions must be used if the baby is put to sleep on the fire escape. Sleeping porches are usually well protected.

The baby's eyes and head should always be carefully shielded from the direct sunlight. This is just as important while he is asleep as while awake. Do not allow the baby to lie staring up into the sky, even when the sun is not shining.

Great care should be taken to protect the baby from flies and mosquitoes. If the house is not provided with screens, the baby's bed, crib, or carriage should be covered with netting suspended over a pole or two clotheslines in the form of a tent, so as not to shut off the air. Never lay a netting directly over the baby's face.

CREEPING PEN.

A creeping pen affords the necessary protection to the baby and gives room for exercise. It consists of a fence made in four sections, each, say, 18 inches high and 4 feet long, hinged at three corners and latched at the fourth. Ready-made pens have spindles like a stair rail, so that the baby may have something to take hold of when he tries to climb to his feet. As it folds together, the pen can be readily moved about. The floor of the pen should be made of something soft to save the baby from bumps. A cork mat is the cleanest and best material, but a blanket or rug will answer. When the pen is used in the yard a floor of clean white sand will not only protect the clothing but afford the baby who is old enough to play by himself much wholesome entertainment. A combination bed and play pen, the sides of which are covered with wire netting, is on the market. The bottom is made of flexible slats and covered below with netting. The bed has a cover so that the baby is completely protected from flies and mosquitoes, and is perfectly safe. It is furnished with casters, or wheels, so that it may be moved about readily, and it may be folded up when not in use.

When it is not possible to purchase one of the ready-made articles an ingenious person may devise a satisfactory play pen from any materials at hand. A board 6 or 8 feet long and a foot wide may be used to fence off a sunny corner of the nursery for a pen.

Plate VIII shows a creeping pen the sides of which are made from a tennis net.

VEHICLES.

The choice of a vehicle for the baby is a matter of great importance. The folding cart, which may be taken on the street cars, permits mother and baby to go out many times when it would not otherwise be possible. The great convenience of this cart can not be denied, but such carts should be used only for the purpose for which they are intended, namely, to convey the baby short distances,. and not as pleasure vehicles, nor should the baby be left to sit fastened in one of these small carts for any great length of time.

Some of the go-carts of the present day are so small, so stiff, and so ill adapted to the baby's anatomy that they can hardly be recommended even

for temporary use.

Also, they are so close to the ground that the child is propelled through only the lower and colder air currents, which fling an unending stream of germladen dust off the street into his face. They frequently have no cover with which to shield the baby from heat or cold, or sun or wind, and in cold weather it is impossible to keep a baby sufficiently warm in one

PLATE VIII.1

of them. The best vehicle for ordinary use about the home is one which is at least 2 feet high. It should have room for the baby, with the necessary wrappings, in any position, and a cover that can be readily adjusted to secure the needed protection; it should have strong, well-balanced springs and stand squarely on four wheels. A safety strap which fastens about the baby's waist gives greater protection than the ordinary carriage strap.

Carriage outings are, at best, not an unmixed advantage to the baby, although often they afford the only available means of his getting the out-of-door air. The lack of exercise and the more or less rigid position maintained for considerable periods of time serve to tire the baby. Also it is no doubt true that a baby sent out in