A soft hair-brush may be used, but the scalp is too tender to permit the use of a comb.

After the toilet has been completed, the baby is laid in its crib, on the right side of the body, and warmly covered.  The weaker the baby, the more attention must be paid to the external warmth.  It may be necessary to place a warm-water bottle in the crib, but this must never touch the infant.

The Crib.—­ The infant must have its own crib, without rockers, and it must on no account be put to sleep in the same bed with its mother.  In its early life it should never be taken out of its crib except to be fed, to have its clothing changed, or to be bathed.  There should be no holding on the lap, no dangling, no carrying or fussing over the new-born infant; and the more the baby is let alone, the better and healthier it will be.  If baby cries, look at once to see if it needs a fresh napkin; if not, if any pins are sticking into it, if the clothing is possibly too tight; if none of these things are wrong, give it a sup of water and turn it over on the other side.  The baby often becomes restless by sleeping for several hours in the same position.  But on no account take the infant up out of its crib simply because it cries.

Cheerfulness and good nature on the part of the infant are dependent on its general good health.  A healthy infant should not have colic, but if such is the case, there is a peculiar look of distress on the face, which indicates that the child is in pain; what is needed is warmth or medication according to the severity of the case, but never floor walking.  Begin the latter procedure, and you may hope to keep it up for several years.

Ventilation.—­ The air is sometimes vitiated for children’s uses in various ways; their nervous susceptibilities are greater than those of older people.  A very little odor of tobacco may cause nausea and discomfort to an infant in arms.  The atmosphere of the room should be sweet and pure and unscented.  All scents and perfumes affect the nervous system, and by constant excitation do it damage.  A bouquet of flowers renders the air of a closed room too heavy.

Feeding of Infants.—­ During the day the infant should be put to the breast once every two hours, and once every three hours during the night.  This interval of time between the feeding is necessary in order that there may be sufficient time given for digestion to take place.  Regurgitation of milk soon after feeding is a sign that the stomach has been overfilled.  As the infant usually falls asleep after nursing, it is necessary to waken it up at the time for the next nursing, as good digestion depends upon regularity of feeding.

For the first nursing the infant may be put to the breast in from two to six hours after the labor if the mother is sufficiently rested; from ten to twenty minutes is long enough for each nursing.  Before each nursing the nipples should be carefully washed off with a solution of boric acid.  The first secretion of the breasts is laxative; that is, it acts on the bowels, and makes is unnecessary to give the infant anything to take for this purpose.  The breasts should be used alternately in feeding the infant, as this allows a longer time for the accumulation of the milk.  For the first few days the infant needs very little food, and the mother’s milk is generally sufficient.