..f . ....A,__f -,4. ,-K . “ " A Illustrated by Elsie Deane If you have an older child of ten or twelve years, you have a great help. If not. every mother with more than two chil- dren should have re- liable help of some kind. Dwflforget to late” variety of clothing, some warm amjsom light. I have ’ holidays to be com. ibletely spoiled fmn the lack of a few warm things. .‘.-:.- vi THE FAMILY TAKES A HOLIDAY Y Some pointers on safe am] sane travelling for parents anal cllilclren ME OR the last month or six weeks we have been enjoying longer and warmer days, and most wonderful of all, that "spring feeling.” The sun shines longer, there is warmth outdoors once more, the pussy willows have come and have now changed to leaves, the tree buds are bursting, the crocuses have appeared, the robins sing, and this world of ours is clothed in all her spring finery and gaiety. To eighty per cent of the people the thought is, “Where shall we go for holidays this year?" Parents and children are under par after the long winter months. The children have had a strenuous school period. All have studied for some examination or other and many have had unavoidable sickness—influenza and infections of all descriptions. Bad weather has kept them indoors, but now all is forgotten. With the sunshine, fresher food, warmth and play, roses are creeping into happier faces. Some of you have been very wise and busy getting clothes ready for this holiday and making over last summer’s outfit for the children. Some, after the strenuous meetings and entertainment, look forward to golf, tennis and a little rest. Some are preparing for a heavier but happier time on the farm. There are the fruits and the crops to look after, young animals to care for. There are preserving, pickling, bottling and a thousand and one things to think about in the summer time—and yet you all need a holiday. Where are you going? What will the budget allow? One thing I should like to say, that whatever the budget, it should allow the mother of a large family to have help. Very often this is overlooked and the mother really works harder than when at home and benefits not one whit by the change. You may be sending the children to camp and having a holiday your- selves. You may be visiting your people in the country. You may be going to the city. You may be going to asummer cottage in the mountains or to the seaside. You may be going on a motor trip or a camping party, fishing, golfing, shooting or hiking. You may go anywhere your fancy takes you. It may be a sea voyage with or without your family—— more often the latter. But whatever you do or wherever you go, you want to leave the children in good care and physically fit. Each one looks into the budget and sees what this allows, but whatever it is, consider first the benefit of being free from worry. This will more surely happen if you think that an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure, or “that it is better to build a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” How can you benefit most and how can some of the difficulties be overcome? What risks do you run? For yourself and the adult members of your family perhaps strain in some form or another is the great- est. But at least you are fairly safe from infection. Not so with the children. When talking of holidays we hate to think of disease, but just before going away is a good time for examinations and necessary preven- tive inoculations. “Why?" you will ask. “We are not sick." That is the point; and you want to keep-well. The physician may warn you not to climb mountains if you are atigued or liable to heart strain. Hefmay 5,, STELLA E. PINES advise you to have the children immunized. We touched on this in a recent article, but let me try and explain further exactly what this means. - When we speak of an individual being immune, we mean he or she has some protective substance in the blood which makes him less susceptible to disease. We say this may be natural or acquired. Natural protection means that the individual has been born with these protective substances. Acquired immunity means that the individual has had the disease and built up his own resistance, or by constant con- tact with the disease and taking into his own system very small doses of the germ, has built up the same immunity. Preventive inoculation in the form of vaccination or injections is nothing more nor less than this latter. Generally speaking, if children are tired they are suscep- tible to disease. Also if they have diseased tonsils, adenoids, or if they are constantly getting colds. They are particularly sensitive when recovering from any other illness. Most of the infectious diseases enter the system through the mouth and nose; in fact, we might say children eat diseases such as scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhoid, smallpox, whooping cough and sore throat. Some of these are absolutely preventable, especially diphtheria and smallpox. In the case of others, a great deal of research work is still being done to find specific means of prevention. ET us take a few and see what already can be done. 01' course, no one should ever have smallpox. Every child should be vaccinated at six months and every seven years thereafter. This also holds good for diphtheria. It is a disgrace for any community to have either of these diseases. The greater proportion of smallpox cases occur in spring and fall, and usually in children up to five years of age. We may say, however, that most cases occur in adult life now, because if children are vaccinated they are immune for seven years, while adults often fail to be revaccinated. The majority of cases of measles occur in spring and winter, and children are susceptible to it after six months of age. It is an acute highly contagious eruptive fever, affecting children and sometimes adults. If there is an epidemic where you are, take your children to a doctor, who will save them from its ravages. By letting hlm SW6 your children serum made from the blood of patients recovering from the disease, they Wlll be protected for about four weeks. . _Diphtheria occurs oftenest in autumn and Xlinter, and children are most susceptible to is disease from one to twelve years of age. Children Are Susceptible as follows,-. 10 % as infants 40 % from one to two years 60 % from two to three years 25 % from ten to twelve years Preventive inoculations in three (‘loses mzghbe given one week apart icken-pox occurs to th in Spging and fan. e greatest extent 00Ding cough is m t ' ’ and winter. Preventive CiISact‘1isriu:liri2ri1k:Is)rih§ attack of disease lighter, Infantile paralysis usually occurs from July to Oclobu, ‘ eighty per cent of cases occurring in the first four yam *1 Preventive serum may be given in an epidemic. ' Scarlet fever claims most cases in fall and winter. readiiu ' its highest percentage at the fifth year. This will give you some idea of why you should haveyow children inoculated. The baby up to six months cannon: to very little harm, but the pre-school child is yourgrn care. - How can we overcome some of the difficulties of traveling? :7 First of all, if there is a baby he will give little trouhleil 1 naturally fed, provided most of the traveling can bedonefl night. The greatest problem is one of privacy, if yourltip E is by train. Conductors will often give permissiontotn 2 an empty compartment or drawing room, however. Ell“ ‘ wash rooms are too small or unpleasant for nursing If you are traveling on a train or boat, a hammock isabgd the best thing you can have for the baby, as when ,_ he will not feel the jolts and jars of stopping and roll!!! You will need a waterproof bag for his soiled clothelg thermos with some warm water, and paper kerchiefswillll 3| found most useful for wiping his hands and face. 'l_'he5HR ‘§ also useful for the same purpose when traveling vy1tl10W :- children. You will need a boiled bottle or two withlfilld , water for him to drink when thirsty and a few boiled llllllll‘ ‘;_ which can be put up in small wax paper bagS- 3 If he is a bottle baby or past weaning time, the!) 7°“ have a more difficult problem. You will have to prowl“ 3 many feedings as you will need for the trip and hm’ thermos which you can get filled with hot water fill § provide some receptacle to stand the bottle in t0_l1€3l» ‘.5! mealtime. You will also have to have as many nlPPl°"- "I; feedings. You will also have to think of the klnd qifli supply you will get where you are going. Let me advlseam S; to boil all milk as well as water, away from home. T mosquito or fly net along with you. D0 mt 39°" . travelers to handle your baby. Take his own P1119" , uses one, his own bedclothes and baby carriag€- Th’s.mw will, of course, have to be shipped Separately: bu“: ‘, serve as a crib as well as an outing vehicle when Y°“ ‘ your destination. . Then we come to the toddlers and pre-sch00l Chl£‘m You have an older child of ten or twelve Years» You , , great help. If not, every mother with mfffe 3‘ children should have reliable help of some k“}d' 3,» train journey take a few small toys that W111k°°l’«“ children amused. They need not be bulk)’ but em. I , variety, and interesting enough to keep them q ‘ that the smaller ones get their sleep before thl’-Y Md] irritable. Most travelers are sympathetic and have ', ' Patience with a mother who travels with W0 °' -‘ children, but it is bedlam if they are all cross at °“°°‘w‘ Again think of their meals for the journ§3Y- If afford to give them good food on the tram. take Mg sandwiches and fruit to provide them with thfee ‘:1 meals, but do not let them eat orangesv Cake ant I. between times. It is after these meal time-5 tm . kerchiefs or serviettes are so useful. S”. Try to get the children to relax if you can If they .1 little, they will not get tired and cross 60 500“ (Continued on page 193) é si .4 1...».