Suitable clothes for children.

 Suitable clothes for children.

During childhood.

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Infants are very sensitive to cold impressions; therefore, proper respect for proper body clothing is imperative for their health. Unfortunately, an opinion prevails in society, according to which a fluffy child has great thermogenic power and resistance to cold; it was from this common mistake that the most fatal consequences appeared. This opinion is reinforced by the insidious way the cold acts on the structure. The harmful effects do not always manifest themselves during its application or after it, so the lethal outcome is often attributed to a bad source, or the infant drowns under the influence of an unknown cause.

The thermogenic force in warm-blooded animals is minimal at birth and increases until puberty; inferior animals, instead of being hotter than adults, are one or two degrees colder and more easily separate from their heat; facts that cannot be known. They show how ridiculous should be the folly of this system of” hardening the Constitution (which has already been mentioned), which encourages the parent to immerse the tender and sensitive child in a cold bath at all seasons of the year, exposing him to cold currents and cutting from the east wind, with the lightest clothes.

The principles that should guide a parent in dressing his child are. Miley:

The material and the amount of clothing should be such that it maintains a sufficient percentage of heat for the body, therefore it is regulated by the season of the year, the accuracy, or strength of the child’s formation. To do this, however, the parent must beware of the very common practice of wrapping the child in countless folds of Warm clothes and confined in very warm and close rooms; thus facing the opposite extreme to the one I have just said: because nothing tends so much to weaken the Constitution, induce diseases and make the skin very sensitive to the impression of cold; thus, to produce those evils from which the primary intention is to protect.

In their manufacture, they must be arranged in such a way as not to put any restrictions on the free movements of all parts of the child’s body; loose and easy to allow insensitive sweat to come out, rather than being confined and absorbed by clothing, remaining in contact with the skin, even irritating.

In their quality, they should be such that they do not irritate the delicate skin of the baby. Therefore, in childhood, flannel is rather rough, but it is desirable when the child grows up because it stimulates the skin and maintains health.

In its construction, the dress should be simple enough to admit that it can be put on because the dressing is annoying for the baby, makes him cry, and provokes as much mental irritation as possible. Pain machines must be obliterated. Their use is dangerous because of the negligence of nurses, and even the regular movements of the infant himself.

Clothes should be changed daily. It is eminently useful that a complete change of clothes is carried out every day. If this is not done, then washing will fail in its purpose, especially in ensuring the absence of skin diseases.

During childhood.

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Baby clothes should have the same characteristics as childhood clothes. It should provide the desired warmth, be made of materials that do not irritate the skin, and be designed in such a way as not to cause any artificial constriction.

Referring to the well-deserved heat, it may be good to repeat once again that too little clothing often results from the most sudden attacks of active diseases; and that children who are therefore exposed to thin clothing in a changing climate like ours are the frequent subjects of croup and other dangerous sensations in the Bronchi and lungs. In addition, we must not forget about this, all warm clothes are a source of diseases. Sometimes the same diseases that come from exposure to cold, and often make the frame more sensitive to cold impressions, in particular, cold air sucked into the lungs. So adjust the clothes according to the season; take up the winter dress early; put it aside late; because in spring and autumn, the fluctuations of our climate are greater, and congestive and inflammatory complaints are the most common.

Regarding the topic (as already noted), the skin at this age is wearing flannel next to it; now this is not only convenient but necessary. It can be pushed back with an advantage during the night, cotton can be replaced during the summer, and flannel is eaten again in early Autumn. If, by too great sensitivity of the Constitution, it proves to be very irritating to the skin, fine woolen socks can be easily tolerated, which will significantly lead to the preservation of Health.

The boy’s clothes must be made so that there are no restrictions on the movements of the body or limbs, nor any harmful pressure exerted on his waist or chest. All his muscles should enjoy complete freedom of action because their free practice promotes their growth and activity, and in doing so. Ensure the regularity and efficiency of the various functions to which these muscles are exposed.

The same observations apply with the same force to the girl’s clothes; fortunately, during childhood, at least, there is no gender discrimination in this matter. However, this is not the case when a girl is about to get out of this period of life; then the clothing regime is adopted that has the most harmful effects on their health and the development of the body, and the use of cramped stays, which hamper the free and full functioning of the respiratory organs. This is only one of the many harmful restrictions and practices that they are therefore doomed to suffer seriously in recent years.