Is Crying Injurious?
This is a question asked by many mothers. Crying is not nearly so
injurious as its causes. And what are the causes? Too much attention,
too much coddling; educating the child into believing that it can
buy anything and everything if it will only cry hard enough. Then,
again, crying is brought about by pain or discomfort in the stomach
and bowels, due to indigestion. Mothers feed children too much.
This brings on indigestion, following which there is always gas
distention in the bowels; and when the bowels are distended with
gas, hard crying means severe straining on the abdominal walls,
and this is liable to produce a hernia at the navel.
The above hints concerning crying indicate
the cure to people of good judgment. But those who bring children
into this state are not people of good judgment; hence it is necessary
to say that the first cause referred to can be overcome by proper
discipline. However, is it possible for a mother who spoils a child
to be able to turn around and give it just the opposite treatment?
Because that means to stop coddling the child, to stop dancing attendance,
to refuse absolutely to give it what it wants until it ceases crying.
Many mothers will answer this by saying that it will cry itself
to death, or it will bring on hernia, etc. A nurse should be substituted
for such a mother as that, until the child is disciplined out of
its bad habits.
Those children who cry because they are
uncomfortable can soon be brought to a state of comfort by watching
the stools. If there is any evidence at all--and there always will
be--of indigestion, feeding must be reduced in quantity at least
one-half, and perhaps a fast of one or two days will be best. Then
start in and feed one-third the quantity that the child was taking
before the fast. One or two days later increase to one-half the
amount. From that time on gradually increase to the child's digestive
limitations. The stools must always be watched. If there are any
flakes or small white curds, the amount of food must be cut down.
The very worst feeding habit that people practice with children
in this condition is to change food. Because the food is not agreeing,
they think there should be a change, and in a few days another change.
This sort of floundering works mischief, and too often is the cause
of a child's death. Overfeeding is the cause of the indigestion
in the child ninety-nine times out of every hundred; so the bugaboo
of food not agreeing must explode when people really understand
the cause of indigestion. When the food is given within the proper
limitations, there will be no more distention of the bowels from
gas, and no more constipation. Then, if the child is not coddled,
it will spend most of its young life playing with its fingers and
toes, and cooing itself to sleep.
