The time of weaning children from the mother's breast varies greatly. Many mothers find that their milk lessens in amount after the first few months, and that mixed feeding must be resorted to. In such cases usually the diminution is slowly progressive and the child is weaned of necessity onto a bottle. The average mother who has an abundance of milk for her child should wean it in the tenth or eleventh month. It may be done one or two months earlier or later, according to the strength of the child and the season of the year. If possible, it is best not to wean babies during hot weather. It is also best to wean between the times of cutting teeth rather than while dentition is progressing. It is much better to accustom infants gradually to substitute foods instead of taking a mother's milk away suddenly. The latter must sometimes be done either because the mother is ill or because her milk disagrees with the child. In the later months of infancy most babies can be given full cow's milk, but it is safer to modify it in imitation of the mother's. To do this, an analysis of the latter must be made and copied in percentage milk. The modified milk should be changed and made to approximate full cow's milk as rapidly as the child's power of digestion will permit.

The baby should be taught to drink from a glass or to eat from a spoon. At first such feedings should be substituted for one or two at the breast of the mother, after a few days for more, and gradually for all.

When the child is well established upon cow's milk, it may, if old enough, be given oatmeal jelly with its milk once or twice daily.

At all times the greatest pains must be taken to have all utensils, bottles, nipples, glasses, spoons, and dishes made and kept perfectly clean. Bottles, glasses, spoons, and dishes should be washed and scalded before they are used. Feeding-bottles should be rinsed immediately after use and sterilized in boiling water before they are again employed. Nipples should be boiled after use, turned inside out, and kept in cold water with a little sodium bicarbonate. New ones should be procured every three or four days.

The best feeding-bottles are those that are almost cylindric in shape, for they can be cleansed most easily and thoroughly. No rubber tubing or complicated nipples should be used, as they cannot be made clean or sterile with the same certainty.

Although the food of infants is liquid, they need at times a drink of water also. This must not be forgotten. They should not be given ice-cold water, nor water with sugar in it, as is often done. Especially during teething is it necessary to give babies rather frequent sips of cold water; and with greater regularity in hot weather.

Attention has already been called to the need of watching the weight of infants. They should be weighed regularly on a certain day each week, and a record should be kept of the results. During the first five months an average gain of from one-half to one ounce should be made daily, or from one-quarter to half a pound weekly. From the fifth to the twelfth month the gain will be from one-third to one-quarter less than this.