otljrra’ ffiragura Description of Organization and Equipment and Twenty Lessons PUBLISHED BY THE CHILD FEDERATION PHILADELPHIA 1919 NOTE — This page proof edition was struck off without waiting for revision in order to meet an immediate need. Another edition with illustrations and changes of type will be issued in the near future v / iWm - PRICE 15 CENTS Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. University of Illinois Library L161 — H41 A LITTLE MOTHERS’ LEAGUE Little Mothers’ League is a term used to define a group of girls, usually from eight to fourteen years of age, who are brought together to receive instruction in the care of babies. Upon many little girls falls the responsibility of regularly or occasionally assuming charge of their baby brothers and sisters. In fact, a large part of the care received by babies, both in the city and in the country, is given in this way. Of 84,473 girls enrolled in the Philadel- phia public schools in 1914, 5,181 were wholly or in large part responsible for the care of one or more babies at home, while 15,507 girls had at least partial care of a baby. The most effective way of keeping babies well is to teach their mothers how to care for them intelligently. This has proven a difficult task, since so many mothers amongst the poor are working or do not speak English, or are hopelessly fixed in their ignorance of the proper Way of caring for their babies. For these reasons several cities have under- taken systematic instruction of “little mothers’’ in the funda- mentals of baby-caring. Experience has shown that this teaching has not only enabled the “little mother’’ to do her work more intelligently, and therefore with more interest, but it has made of her the most effective instructor of the actual mother that has been developed up to the present time. The child, with her superior intellectual training, is becoming a very potent factor in the enlightenment of the poor, especially in the foreign population. Another, perhaps the most important, effect of the Little Mothers’ League is the intelligent preparation that it gives the child for the care of her own baby when she becomes a real mother. In this country, the idea of Little Mothers’ League was first suggested by the Bureau of Child Hygiene of New York City, Department of Health, and first put into practice in New York City, where classes have been conducted during the summer months by the city department of health in health centres, playgrounds and recreation piers. In Philadelphia the Child Federation, a private organiza- tion, has conducted leagues for five years in public ele- mentary schools, parochial schools and social settlements. This work proved so illuminating to the Philadelphia school authorities that at the end of the first year, in the fall of 1914, the Board of Education included instruction in the care of infants as part of the domestic science course for all girls in the seventh and eighth grades. In order that they might qualify for the service, all domestic science teachers were given a special preparatory course in baby care by members of the Medical Council of the Federation. The necessary equipment for Little Mothers* League classes has been standardized by householders, and lessons for use by volunteer or regular teachers have been pre- pared in simple form by Dr. Samuel McClintock Hamill and Dr. Howard Childs Carpenter, of Philadelphia. It was not the intention of the Child Federation to print these lessons, but there has been such a determined demand that they be issued in the simple form in which the Federa- tion has used them that the request is gladly complied with, in the hope that they may be as effective in other cities in stimulating public interest in the “little mother’* and her charge as they have been in Philadelphia. The natural educating medium is the public school, and we believe it should be a part of the duty of every school to train the “little mother*’ so that she may care for her baby brothers and sisters more intelligently and incidentally pre- pare herself for the responsibilities which she must ultimate- ly assume in respect to her own child. HOW TO ORGANIZE AND CONDUCT LITTLE MOTHERS’ LEAGUES When organizing leagues try to secure the co-operation of the following individuals and organizations in your com- munity in obtaining teachers and equipment: Physicians Visiting nurses School nurses Boards of health Hospitals and nurses’ homes Boards of education Superintendents of schools School principals, teachers Teachers’ training schools Women’s clubs Parents’ associations Mothers’ clubs Churches Newspapers Since the public schools offer the best opportunities for the creation of league classes, endeavor to make your be- ginning in the schools. To this end, secure the assistance and endorsement of the Superintendent of Schools and his principals and teachers. It is through them that the neces- sary rooms, available hours and proper selection of pupils can be obtained. Aside from this, the teaching of the league classes should ultimately become the work of the school. Select for the classes girls, preferably between the ages of ten and sixteen, who actually have some care of a baby at home. The age limit may vary either way, but it is desir- able to group as nearly as possible girls of the same age and school grade. The number of girls in a league may vary from two to forty or more. The smaller classes are preferable. The meetings should be an hour in length, and should be held once each week in the school building, at a 3 / time convenient to the principal of the school, which is often at the close of the afternoon session. Each league should have its own regular teacher, who should be responsible for her own class and provide a satis- factory substitute when she cannot be present. It is very important to secure the active interest of physi- cians, particularly specialists in the care of infants and children. A group of co-operating physicians can add greatly to the success of the leagues by: 1 . Preparing outlines for the teachers to fit local needs and problems. 2. Consulting with teachers about the details of les- sons, answering their questions, etc. 3. Supervising the work of teachers and by studying their results with the children. If there are more than three or four classes, it is desir- able to have a regular supervising teacher, who will check up the attendance of the children, the condition of the equipment and the regularity of teachers, etc. The success and usefulness of a Little Mothers’ League depends entirely upon the ability of the teacher to keep the girls interested. The following suggestions have been found valuable for teachers at their first meeting: 1 . To explain to the girls what is to be done with the doll and equipment. 2. To ask them to tell the class about their babies at home, giving names, ages and weight. 3. To put off taking the roll of the class until the second or third meeting. 4. To take a vote as to what the doll’s name shall be. 5. To give each girl a chance to hold the doll. 6. To avoid too many “don’ts” at first, emphasizing the“dos.” 7. To assign to each girl some special duties, so that tasks will not be monopolized by the girls with extra initiative. 4 8. As soon as possible to make a friend of each girl, learning something about her home and baby. If interest lags in the middle of the course, try to revive it by a question bee, an experience meeting or an original ‘‘don’t” contest, based on what pupils may have seen at home or on the street. Badges and certificates seem to help make children real- ize the importance of the leagues. Every girl who joins a class should sign a pledge and receive a certificate which shows she is an active member. After she has attended four meetings and has proved to the teacher her sincere interest in the work of the class, she should be given a badge or ribbon to wear. Similar cards and badges to those used in Philadelphia can be secured at small cost. Each league should elect its own president, vice-president and secretary, with the usual duties and special badges denoting their offices. Mothers should be invited to attend the classes, and a special day should be set aside for visitors. Bathing the baby, making its bed and dressing it make an inter- esting lesson. A baby welfare clinic, with a trained nurse or physician in charge, is an excellent sequel of Little Mothers’ Leagues. Newspaper publicity will help to arouse general interest in the organization and work of the leagues, and will help to spread their teaching. EQUIPMENT In purchasing outfits make every effort to combine econ- omy with durability, so as to impress upon the children the false economy of buying things for cheapness alone. A complete outfit for teaching a Little Mothers’ League consists of the following articles, which can be bought for $20.81:* Large doll: life-size; as nearly as possible the shape of a normal baby; stockinette doll costs $5.25. Sleeping basket: 32 inches long, 20 inches wide, 1 1 *Based on 1916 purchase prices. 5 inches deep; woven of strong wooden strips about an inch wide; well bound around the top; $1.05. Mattress: 6 to 8 thicknesses of white quilted padding basted together to fit the bottom of the basket; easily taken apart for frequent washing; $2.10. Oilcloth: ordinary white table oilcloth; 30 by 24 inches; $.13; a good substitute for rubber sheeting and decidedly more economical. Three sheets: 40 inches long, 28 inches wide; made of cheap muslin; $.60; used for top and bottom sheet and spread. Small pillow-case to cover the mattress; $.22. Blankets: one pair; two-thirds wool, one-third cotton; smallest crib size; $2.00. Bathtub: medium size (26 by 13 inches at top and 10 inches deep) ; enamled; $1.50. Bath thermometer: $.25. Soap: plain castile or ivory; $.08. Wash cloth: piece of cheesecloth; $.01. Towels: two; soft old linen may be used. Scales: strong spring balance; $.60. Covered bucket: for soiled diapers; heavy galvanized tin; 10 inches in diameter, 9 inches deep; $.35. Flyswatter: flexible; wire; $.10. Combination cloak and hood: single-faced eiderdown; any color; $.50; hood attached at back and well around to the sides, so no wind gets in at the baby’s neck; wide enough to be double breasted when fastened down one side of the front; flap at the bottom, one-third of the coat’s width, to turn up over the feet. Mittens: knitted; first size; $.25. Binder: wool and cotton; with shoulder straps; second size; $.25. Undershirt: wool and cotton; open down entire front; size for six months old baby; $.40. Diaper: birdseye cotton; 20 by 40 inches; $.10; canton flannel is too thick, and becomes harsh and stiff unless washed very carefully. 6 Petticoat: flannel; 27 inches long; in “Gertrude” style or with muslin waist with armholes, hanging from the shoul- ders; $.50. Dress: plain; long; muslin; $.25. Stockings: long; wool and cotton; $.25. Socks: short; knitted; $.15. Shoes: soft brown kid; broad at the toes, conforming to the shape of a baby’s foot; $.50. Night slip: shaker flannel; drawstring at the bottom; $.50. Bib: plain quilted; $.20. Safety pins: one dozen each, No. 1 and No. 3; $.06. Kettle: large enough to boil bottles and utensils used in making the milk mixture; agateware of good quality; 8 quarts; $1.05. Nursing bottles: standard make, accurately marked in ounces and half ounces; preferably round bottles, with firm base and wide neck; eight bottles for $.23. Nipples: black rubber; easily turned inside out for clean- ing; eight for $.15. Funnel: white agate or aluminum; four ounce; end small enough to fit the neck of bottles, but large enough to per- mit free flow 1 ; $.20; glass funnels will break, and tin will rust and wear out more quickly. Pitcher: agate; two quart; to mix milk; $.80. Tablespoon, for stirring mixture; Fork, for removing top of milk bottles, or one of the devices made for this purpose, the bottle; $.10. Bottle brush: handle long enough to reach all parts of the bottle; $.08. Mason jars: pint size; one for sugar, one for holding clean nipples; two jars for $.10. Stoppers: cork, for bottles; No. 5 size; eight for $.03. If funds are not available for buying the necessary equip- ment, utensils and clothing may be borrowed for the course. The girls themselves can help make the baby’s garments. 7 TWENTY LESSONS Introductory Statement When a tree first shoots up into the world it is so small and delicate that it could be crushed and killed if even a little child should step upon it. When the tree has grown a little older, a child in passing may break or bend it. It might not die, but it would be scarred and bent for all the rest of its life. In one case the life of the tree would have been thoughtlessly destroyed; in the other it would have been crippled for life. In either case the tree would have been given no chance to grow. A tiny little baby is just like the tiny little tree. He is so helpless, weak and delicate that the slightest fall or bump or carelessness in handling may kill or cripple him for life. He must have some one to love and care for him, and that person must be very gentle, brave and watchful and know exactly what to do for the baby at all times. It is these things that “little mothers” need very much to learn. Most of the little babies who die, die because their grown-up mothers have not learned how to care for them. Doctors and nurses have been working for years to find out just what is best for little babies, and it is these things that we want to tell you so that you may know what to do for your little baby brothers and sisters to keep them well, and so that you can tell mothers who have no little girls, and help them care for their babies. If you will listen care- fully and learn your lesson well, you will probably have many chances in your lives to save little babies from sick- ness and death. Think what it will mean to your city if we can get all the girls working tQ save little babies. a Lesson 1 HYGIENE OF THE HOME The doctors tell us that the only way to keep a baby perfect in health is to give him fresh air and sunshine and to see to it that the baby, his clothes, bed-clothes, home and everything in it are kept perfectly clean. Remember, this applies to everything he touches with his mouth or fingers, the cup he drinks from, the bottles and nipples he uses — if he is a bottle-fed baby — his toys, etc. Especially should no baby be allowed to drink from a cup or glass that has been used by another person, without first washing and scalding it with hot water. All these things take time, but it is time well spent, as it helps you to keep your little baby brothers and sisters well. When the bed room or rooms, as the case may be, are vacated in the morning, shake out all the bed covers, blankets, comforts, mattresses, pillows, etc., from each bed, and open the window for a thorough airing. Then after breakfast go back and make up the beds very smoothly — cover them thoroughly with an extra sheet or large cloth and, leaving the windows open, sweep and clean the room, not forgetting to go under the beds and bureaus. If there is a carpet on the floor, it should not extend quite to the wall, but should stop about a foot away from it and it should not be tacked down. That is, the carpet should be made in the form of a rug, and such rug should be taken up, once or twice a week, and beaten out of doors. The carpet and bare floor should be gone over with a broom, over which has been tied a damp cloth. Once a week take a scrubbing brush, a bucket of hot Water and soap and scrub the floor and the mouldings around the walls. Then, too, the walls of the room should be cleaned. They should be wiped down with a damp cloth, and for this reason painted walls are much better than papered walls. In most homes Saturday would be a good day for this 9 cleaning. A feather duster should not be used in the home, as all it does is to whisk the dust from one object to another. The dust should be wiped up with a damp cloth and shaken out of doors. The use of a little white paint makes a wonderful improvement in a room. If, for instance, the enamel has become chipped off the baby’s bed, you could repaint the bed yourself, after obtaining your mother’s permission. A growing plant in the bed room, like a geranium, is very pretty, and it is a healthy thing to have in the house. A good way to clean carpets that cannot be taken out- side is to spread wet tea leaves that have been used, over them and leave them there while you are wiping the floor and dusting the home generally, and then brush the leaves up. The outside leaves of cabbage can be used for the same, purpose, as can also wet newspapers torn into small pieces. The windows should be kept clean and the window in the room in which the baby sleeps should have iron or wooden bars to keep him from falling out. A gate at the door of the room is a good thing to have if the baby is old enough to walk, so that he cannot reach the stairs and fall down. The bed clothes on all the beds must be clean. Comforts and blankets should be washed often. A dirty comforter or blanket will often cause illness for some one in the house. The kitchen should also be kept clean and thoroughly aired every day. A good time for this is while the baby is taking his morning nap in his crib in the bed room. In the kitchen, no pots or pans or dirty dishes should be left around after meals. Be sure to scrub them clean, with plenty of soap and hot water, as soon as the meal is over, and put them away out of the baby’s reach. He might get hold of a knife and put it in his eyes or injure himself seriously in some other w'ay. Above all, never leave any scraps of food around, but put them outside in a covered can for the garbage man to empty. The garbage can must always be covered, as serious illness is often due to the flie* io which grow in the garbage can. If the can is left uncov- ered the garbage and decaying material is scattered around on the ground near the can and attracts the flies. Dirty street gutters aud alley ways, and dirty, damp, un- drained cellars are causes of a great deal of sickness among babies. Remember, it is not healthy to live near open manure pits, cow stables, slaughter houses, pig pens, dump heaps, pools of dirty water, swamps, open privies, street curb and sidewalk markets, or near anything that causes bad odors around the house. Never allow any one to spit on the floor of your home. Many of the poor little babies who have tuberculosis, that is, consumption, have gotten it be- cause some one who had germs of this disease in their mouths were careless enough to spit on the floor. When this spit becomes dry, the germs fly around in the dust of the room, and the baby catches this dreadful disease. If the roof of the house leaks, or the cellar gets full of water, or the water does not ran freely in the toilet, ask your land- lord to have it fixed, and if he does not do so promptly, write a post card complaining about it to the Bureau of Healith, City Hall, in your city. “Little mothers” can do a great deal to help keep their houses clean. They should make it their business especially to see that the cellar is kept clean and dry, and never to put anything dirty in the cellar. Finally, remember always to wash your hands after changing the baby, and always before feeding or bathing the baby. Lesson 2 LIGHTING AND HEATING The baby should live in a room in which there is sun- shine. Many people keep the poor little baby in a dark room, shutting out all sunlight. A baby can no more live and thrive without sunshine than a plant can. Then, too, sunlight is the thing that destroys the germs which make babies sick. n If the baby is kept in a dark room he grows pale and loses his red cheeks. It is sometimes necessary, however, to darken the room during the day when the baby takes a nap, but at other times the sunlight should be allowed to stream in. In the summer time, when it is hot, an awning or some sort of shade or screen of dark material should be put outside the window, to keep the room as cool as pos- sible. “Little mothers” must remember that the baby’s eyes are very tender and easily injured. Therefore, you must always see that the sun is not allowed to shine directly in the baby’s eyes. This is equally true both in the house and out of doors. If the sun shines in the baby’s eyes while he is in bed, a good “little mother” will put up a screen of some kind to protect the baby’s eyes from the light. She will also turn him in the bed so that he does not face the sun- light. When the baby is out of doors in his coach it is most important to shade the baby’s eyes from the sunshine. An awning made of dark material or an umbrella may be used for this purpose. It is best for the baby’s eyes that he should not have to look at things that are too small or too near to him, and his toys must be large so that he can see them from some distance away. For this reason the baby is better out of doors, because the things he looks at are some distance away, and not too close at hand. The best room for the baby is one in which the windows face the south, as this room will have the most sunlight. On the other hand, the poorest room for a baby is one in which the windows all face the north, as there will be no sunshine in this room. Window shades of a dark color are the best when it is necessary to keep the sunshine out of the. room. The gas should never be allowed to burn all night in the room. If, in the case of sickness, it should be necessary to have a light all night, a candle, carefully protected so that the candle cannot be knocked over, is the best. But be sure to train the baby to sleep without a light in the room. While we are speaking of lights, we may also 12 mention the danger of fire. Remember never to have any kind of matches in your houses, except safety matches. Many little babies have been burned to death by the care- lessness of some one leaving, within the reach of the baby, the kind of matches that strike anywhere. How shall the room in which the baby is kept be heated? There are several different ways of heating a room. The simplest, best and cheapest way is by allowing the, sun to shine in the room. But when it is cold out of doors this is not enough, and we will have to use some other means in addition. One of the best methods of heating a room is by means of an open fireplace, in which either wood or coal is burned. An open fireplace is excellent because it not only heats, but ventilates the room. However, it has the disadvantage of wasting a great deal of heat, which instead of going into the room goes up the chimney, and it is dangerous because the baby may walk or fall into the fire, unless the fireplace is protected by a strong fender. It is well to know that a fireplace is a good thing to have in a room, even if there is no fire in it, as it allows the impure air to escape; in other words, it ventilates the room. Another way of heating the room is by use of what is known as a Franklin stove. This is an open stove somewhat like a fireplace and helps to ventilate as well as heat the room. Other stoves, sometimes called air-tight or box stoves, give out a great deal of heat, but do not help much in ventilating. Many houses have furnaces in the cellar. These furnaces heat the house by sending hot air through pipes to the different rooms. This is a satisfactory method, as it brings in fresh air from out of doors, and after heat- ing it sends it to the rooms. However, when a furnace is used there is danger of coal gas. If a “little mother** de- tects the smell of coal gas, she should at once open the window in the room in order to let out the coal gas and let in the fresh air. She must turn off the register, and run and tell her mother, as many babies have been smother- ed by coal gas. If there is a furnace in your house, keep 13 the little water tank on the furnace filled with water, as this will keep the air from being too dry. Another method of preventing this dryness of the air is to place a dish filled with water or a wet sponge, in front of or on the register. Gas stoves are not as good as a coal stove or furnace, as they eat up the fresh air more rapidly than either of the others. If a gas stove must be used it should have a smoke pipe connected with the chimney to carry off what are known as the products of combustion; in other words, the impurities coming from the burning gas. You may tight a gas stove for a short time to warm up the room while you are bathing the baby, but as soon as he is dressed, the gas should be turned out. A bad way of heat- ing the room is by means of an oil stove, as it makes the air in the room impure and takes as much oxygen out of the air as five or six persons would use in breathing. The most common mistake made is in keeping the baby’s room too hot. It is bad for a baby to be kept in too warm a room. A baby kept for some time in an overheated room becomes weak and pale. He catches cold very easily and loses his appetite. How may a person tell whether the baby’s room is warm enough or too warm? The right way is by means of a thermometer. Every home should have a thermometer. (Demonstrate the thermometer and how to use it.) The right temperature for the baby’s room is between 66 and 68 degrees, and it is important to remember that the temperature should not be allowed to go higher than 70. The thermometer should be hung on the wall, not on an outside wall, which will be too cold, but on the inside wall between two rooms. It should be hung about three feet from the floor, because the air in the lower part of the room is cooler than the air in the upper part of the room, and as the little baby lives low down in the room, the thermometer should be placed low down. Do not put the thermometer too close to the fire, or too close to the window. 14 Lesson 3 FRESH AIR It is time for you now to learn something about fresh air. Perhaps you all Wonder what there is to be known about fresh air that can help you in the care of the babies in your homes, so please give very close attention that you may find out what they are. The health of yourself and all of your family, including the baby, will be greatly helped if you use fresh air in the way you are told. How many of you know that there are many schools called “Fresh Air” or “Open Air Schools,” in different parts of the world? These schools are being run to show that little girls and boys who study their lessons in the open air will learn them more easily and will be healthier than the children who go to the indoor schools. Does it make you shiver to think of sitting out in the open air and learning your lessons on a cold day? The boys and girls who go to these schools don’t feel shivery. They are so bundled up in heavy coats and hoods and mittens, that they hardly know winter from summer, and they feel so well and full of life they want to stay out doors all the. time. Not such a great while ago we thought that fresh air was a very bad thing for people who were sick, and that it was very, very wrong to let fresh air get at people who had trouble with their lungs. So we used to shut all the windows when people were sick, because we thought they would get well faster. But a wise doctor came along one day and opened the windows in the room of a patient who was sick with consumption. He kept the windows open night and day, and he put the patient near the windows where the fresh air could blow over him. To everybody’s surprise, that patient got well, while most of the people with consumption who were shut up indoors were dying. After he had cured many people by keeping the windows open, other doctors began to try the fresh-air cure, and it was not long until all doctors were using it. It was soon found that fresh 15 air was so much better than all the medicine in the world for the cure of consumption, that the doctors began to use it in the treatment of all kinds of diseases. Today it is a very common thing to go into a hospital ward and find all the windows open in all kinds of weather. After a while the doctors began to think that if fresh air made sick people well, it ought to keep well people well, and as that was much more important than making sick people well, they began to tell every one that if they wanted to keep well, one of the ways to do it was to have their windows open at night, and to live out-of-doors as much as possible during the day. It did not take long for the peo- ple who did this to find out that they were much healthier than those who were afraid of fresh air. So we know today that fresh air is a good thing for everybody, even for little babies. What we want to teach you is how to give fresh air to your little baby brothers and sisters. You will not find this hard because all you will have to do is to keep the baby out-of-doors as much as you can during the day, and have him sleep at night and during his nap time in a room in which the windows are kept open. Let us first talk about giving the baby fresh air out-of- doors. The things we have to think about are the age of the baby, the season of the year, and the kind of weather. Babies from the time they are born until they are three or four weeks of age cannot bear cold air as well as the older babies. In the summer time, however, when the days are hot, babies should be put in a baby carriage out-of-doors most of the day after they are two weeks old. But you must always be careful to put the top of the baby carriage up, with the back curtain rolled or folded out of the way, so that the air can pass through. If the carriage has no top, put some kind of a screen over the baby’s head to keep the sun from his eyes. Your father, or your brothers, or possibly you, yourself, can easily make a frame out of sticks of Wood, on which you can place a small shawl or 16 clean, thick cloth, so that the shadow will fall on the baby’s face, and this will serve for a screen. If there are flies about, have some mosquito netting to throw over the top of the carriage or the frame to keep the dirty flies from the baby’s face. Little two-weeks-old babies should not be put out-of-doors in the early mornings or late evenings, if the morning or evenings are cool, nor should they be out on the cold days of summer or on very windy or damp days. When the mornings or evenings are hot, they are better out-of-doors than in-doors. After babies are four weeks old, they can be kept out-of-doors in almost any kind of summer weather, except when it is rainy or very windy. The wind blows so much dust about that it is bad for the babies to be in the streets or parks, but even on windy days they can often be kept in the sheltered corner of a dry, clean yard, where the wind stirs up no dust. Summer is the hardest time of year for babies. Most of the babies that die, die in the summer time, and most of these die because of the bad food and bad air, so they should get just as much fresh air in the summer time as possible. On very hot days they should wear little clothing, just a diaper and band or thin shirt, and a thin slip, and they should be kept in the shade. If you have a public square or park or open school yard near you, wheel the baby to it in his coach and put it in the shade of a tree or building and let him sleep there as much as he will, taking him away only to get his nursing or bottle at the right time. Always take some extra covers or a coat with you, so that if it gets cool suddenly you will have something warm to put about him. Always remem- ber, too, to take some extra diapers with you, so that you can change the wet or soiled diapers. In the cooler weather of spring or fall the baby is just as well off in his coach in the yard, if the yard is clean and the slop and garbage cans are clean and covered, and there is no privy well in the yard. The disgusting flies feed in these filthy places and then crawl over the little baby’s *7 face and mouth, and that is not at all nice to think about, and it is very dangerous. You can protect the baby from the flies by throwing a piece of mosquito netting over the carriage. When winter comes, the cold, rainy days, the cold, windy days and the snowy days will keep the baby in the house. But as long as it doesn’t get colder than 20 degrees ab