"How? . . ."

"How shall I get my child to sleep?" wail many mothers. Last week Dr. E. J. Huenekens of Minneapolis discussed this problem in The Journal of the American Medical Association. He declared that it was often the inept tactics of just such wailing overanxious parents that keep the child awake and derange its nervous system. "I know nothing more pitiful," said he, "than the frequently precocious child brought up in the adult atmosphere of the typical family hotel." He classified two common varieties of harmful parents:

1) The warped parent who keeps children from adequate companionship because of the possible danger of acquiring infectious diseases.

2) The prudish parent who is afraid her child will pick up undesirable language and habits from "the awful mick next door."

Dr. Huenekens told what should be done to make children eat:

Guidance. Help the child to get acquainted with new foods and to accept new flavors. Give only a small amount of food the first time, gradually increasing. In some cases combining a new food with one the child already likes is helpful. Do not call attention to the fact that the food is new or the possibility that the child may not like it.

Imitation. Older members of the family should be enthusiastic about foods and eat what is set before them. A child will imitate them. Younger children will follow the older ones. In the case of an only child, a "party" helps him eat. Many families get together only at meal time, and therefore meal time should be a happy time.

Praise. Praise the child when he eats well. Be proud of him and let him know it. Do not emphasize his failures.

Patience and firmness. Show the child that you expect him to eat his food. Set it before him and make him sit at the table until he eats it all, no matter how long it takes. Start with small amounts of suitable foods and give him as much time as necessary to eat. He will soon learn to eat the amount he really needs. Never allow his refusal of food to make you angry. Perhaps he does not eat because he enjoys seeing you become irritated.

Deprivation. Deprive a child of dessert or some food of which he is very fond if he does not eat the rest of his meal. Be firm but not cross. If you decide to do a thing, do not change your mind, no matter how much the child teases. (Children soon discover that it is possible to make you change your mind.)

Force. Force is necessary for children who spit out their food or those who vomit at will. Give such a child a small amount of the food; if he vomits give him more; continue until he keeps the food down. When he learns that you know his trick, he will stop. Begin this method when the baby takes his first spoonful of cereal.

Illustration. Show pictures and tell stories of children who eat well. A scrapbook made up of pictures of the foods to be eaten and of children eating happily may be used to interest a child. Gummed stars may be pasted into the book whenever he eats certain foods. Be enthusiastic over the book and the child's progress. Get an outsider, his teacher if possible, interested in the book.

Relaxation. Often a child does not eat because he is excited from play. A half hour of rest before meal time is a great help in such cases.