Air and Sun Baths

As soon as it is possible, put the child on its face--I mean allow it to lie on its stomach. When the weather is warm and the room comfortable, and the sun shines through the window, very young babies can be given sun-baths. Put a soft comforter on the floor, and put the child down on it, face down. There is no danger of its smothering. Children treated in this manner will walk earlier than children who are kept on their backs continually. It is a mistake to leave a child on its back all the time. That is the reason why I suggest that when very young they should be changed from side to side. The sun-baths, to start with, should not be of long duration--say, five or ten minutes. The babies then can be left nude on the floor out of the sun for quite a while, if awake. When a child goes to sleep, or appears sleepy, it should be put in its bed. The child must be watched during the sun-bath. Those of low resistance may become chilly, and they should be returned to bed at once. The next air-bath should be in a warmer room, watching the child to avoid chilling. Many children are forced into ill-health because of lack of air and an overheated state of the surface of the body.

Young children should be taken out of doors on all warm, sunny days; but they should not be chilled. Resisting cold uses up nerve-energy. When the feet are cold, it becomes a constant drain on the nerve- energy, and will soon bring a child to a state of enervation that leads to indigestion.

Older children should not be allowed to sit with cold or damp feet. This chilling will hinder digestion.