What Women Should Know/Chapter 17

Looseness necessary in an Infant's Clothing.—The most important point to be observed in the dressing of an infant is looseness of the clothing about the waist. No article of dress should be fastened tight enough to hold it in place without shoulder-straps. Every skirt ought to be made with a waist, either with sleeves or broad straps, and buttoned so loosely that the garment shall hang directly from the shoulders.

I remember once, shortly after I had dressed a newborn infant, and when my notions in regard to looseness were not so radical even as they are now, in came the child's grandmother, and very naturally examined the babe to see if all was right.

"Oh dear!" she exclaimed; "you have got everything too loose. It will never do!" So she, on the strength of her grandmotherhood and in pity for my youth and inexperience, good-naturedly gave me a lesson on the proper method of dressing a baby.

"That is the way to do it," she said as she bundled up the little thing so tightly that he could scarcely breathe "That is the way we dress Hannah ​(another grandchild, a few months old), and you ought to see what a beautiful shape she has got already."

I think it will be needless to say that as soon as grandmother's back was fairly turned I relieved the babe of its misery by loosening all its bandages again.

Again, I was once making a call, and at the house of my friend I found a visitor. Among other subjects of conversation, she told me the trouble a friend of hers was having with her young babe, it being afflicted with hernia.

"She has made the band just as tight as she can, and has sewed it to keep it firmly in place, and still the child gets worse instead of better."

"No wonder," I replied; "tell her from me that the tighter she draws the bandage, the worse the child will get; and that, if she wishes to see him cured, she must make all his clothing just as loose as she can get it to stay on him."

Tight Clothing a Cause of Hernia.—Both navel hernia and hernia of the groin may be caused and aggravated by tight clothing. If the bowels are pressed too tightly, Nature, in her effort to find room for them, will press them out in the least protected place. They will naturally protrude through the still tender and perhaps only partially united navel, or they will break through the delicate tissues below the band.

Length of an Infant's Clothing.—The second important point in regard to infant's clothing is not to make it too long. I never see an infant's dress ​trailing a yard more or less below its feet that I do not feel a sincere compassion for the infant whose delicate muscles are made to sustain such a weight, and whose little active feet are thus fettered. A mother is guilty of actual sin against her infant who makes its clothing more than a yard in length from neck to lower edge of the skirt. If I varied from this length, I would make it shorter rather than longer. It should be long enough to protect the little limbs from extremes of cold and heat, and at the same time not to impede their free motion. Seven-eighths or three fourths of a yard serves this double purpose admirably.

Warmth of an Infant's Clothing.—Thirdly, the mother will never, if she cares to preserve the life and health of her child, allow its neck and arms to go exposed either summer or winter. Physicians tell us that more children perish directly or indirectly from needless exposure of this kind than from any other single cause.

Infant's Wardrobe.—Every expectant mother must give serious consideration to the making or buying of an infant's wardrobe. If she is blessed with abundant means and does not like needlework, she can procure a complete outfit for seventy-five or one hundred dollars, and save herself further thought in the matter. One hundred dollars, or even seventy-five dollars, is a large sum for people of moderate means to expend for this purpose; so that it is not strange if many women prefer to obtain patterns at ​a trifling cost, procure the materials and make the garments themselves. But the patterns usually to be obtained at pattern-stores are far from satisfactory to a mother who would see her child comfortably, healthfully and sensibly dressed. For the benefit of such mothers I will give full directions for the making of a wardrobe ample in all its provisions, in which beauty, comfort and economy are combined, though of course it is susceptible of increased expense if desirable. In my estimate I allow nothing for the making, taking it for granted that this will be done at home.

This estimate is capable of great reduction. It is perfectly safe to say that ten dollars will procure the material for a complete, comfortable and tasteful wardrobe for an infant.

​Flannel Band.—The band should be of soft flannel, five or six inches in width and fifteen inches in length. In the lower edge there should be triangular darts taken to make it fit the child's abdomen. It may or may not be hemmed. In putting it on the child the hems and darts should be on the outside. One half yard of flannel, which should not cost more than thirty cents, will make three bands and leave something to spare.

Barrecoat.—The barrecoat is a small petticoat made of a single breadth of flannel, put on for the purpose of protecting the infant's garments from stains and wet. It is sometimes called the pinning blanket. Let it be half a yard in length, with a narrow binding at the top, supplied with four buttons at equal distances. which are to be fastened into corresponding button-holes in the flannel petticoat. By this arrangement the barrecoat can be changed as frequently as necessary without disturbing the rest of the dress. One yard of sixty-cent flannel will make two barrecoats.

Flannel Petticoat.—This is best made gored, as then there is little or no fullness at the waist. Cut the skirt in two breadths, twenty inches in length, each breadth twenty-four inches in width at the bottom and twelve at the top. By having a seam up the middle of the back, and fitting one gore into another in cutting, two yards and a half of flannel will make three petticoats. The bottom should be rounded to suit the slope of the gores. Put a hem about an inch ​in width at the bottom. After sewing up the seams, open their edges and whip them down on each side. The waist should be of cotton, unlined, seven inches long from the shoulder down, and should be nineteen inches around after the hems are turned down at the back. It should be made tolerably high in the neck, the seam on the shoulders about two inches long. There should be buttons and button-holes at the back. It is well to have two rows of buttons; or folds may be laid over in front and back, to remain until the child shall grow to fit the waist. There should be four button-holes at equal distances along the lower edge of the back of the waist, corresponding with the buttons of the barrecoat. The buttons used on the petticoat should be small and flat, as should be all the buttons used in the wardrobe.

Cotton Skirts.—The cotton skirts may be made of cambric or fine thin muslin, according as economy may dictate. If the latter, the cost should range from fourteen to eighteen cents per yard. The skirt should be made of two breadths, either gored or straight. It should be cut twenty-four inches in length, and a hem of one and one-half inches be put at the bottom. The waist is made the same as that of the flannel petticoat Four yards and one-quarter will make three skirts. Five yards of muslin will make the skirts, and enough material will be left for the waists of the flannel petticoats.

Tucked Skirt.—Two yards of soft fine bleached muslin, lawn or jaconet, at a cost of not more than ​twenty-five cents per yard, will make the tucked petticoat, skirt and waist.

Embroidered Skirt.—One and one-half yards of the same material used for the tucked skirt will make this skirt. Two yards of embroidery, at not more than fifty cents per yard, will finish it.

Linen Shirt.—The little shirts should be made of fine linen lawn, which may be bought of good quality at sixty cents. Cut a straight piece of the linen, nine inches wide and nineteen long. Cut, five inches from each end, slits four inches in length for the armholes. Slant off one half inch of the upper edge for the shoulders and sew them together, making a seam about one inch and one-half in length. In the lower part of the slit put in a small gusset cut half square in form. Hem all round for the armholes, and put on trimming. Slope out the neck front and back. One and one-half yards will make six shirts, and something to spare.

Night-Dress.—The night-dress should be of soft muslin, lawn or nansook, which ought not to cost more than eighteen cents per yard. It should be cut twenty-eight inches in length, measuring from the shoulder down. Cut it gored, with no extra fullness, the sleeves being cut out of the strips left from the gores. The sleeves should be seven inches long, four inches wide at the top and three and one-half inches at the wrist. The gown should be made high in the neck, with shoulder seams three inches long, and a hem around the top in which a drawing-string is run ​to tie behind. It should be open about ten inches down the back. Four and one-half yards of material will make three night-gowns.

Print Wrapper.—A wrapper can be cheaply and prettily made of some small delicate-figured print with a white ground. It should be cut plain, gored, long sleeved and high necked. It should be similar in pattern to the night-gown, only it is to be open in front. It may be left open all the way down, and buttoned up. It can be trimmed with ruffles or narrow lace, or with strips of brightly-colored lawn or suitably figured print. It should be twenty-seven inches in length. Three yards will make two wrappers.

Day Dress.—This may be made of plain or striped nansook, or of lawn, or of any material that is soft and bears washing well. A dress should not be more than thirty-two inches from shoulder to bottom of the skirt. Its general form should be gored, with high neck and long sleeves. It may be made perfectly plain, or may be trimmed in a variety of ways all simple, easy and inexpensive. I will give suggestions concerning the making of these little dresses farther on. One and three-fourths yards will make a dress.

Robe.—If the wardrobe is not considered complete without a robe, this may be made of somewhat more expensive material than the dresses, at a cost perhaps. of thirty-seven and one-half or forty cents per yard. Two and one-half yards are ample to make the robe—​less may do. A pretty way to make this is to cut the back perfectly plain like the other dresses; cut the front gabrielle pattern—that is, with a gored front breadth and side gores. Make the front breadth of alternate rows of embroidered insertion and narrow tucks, and border the sides of the breadth with embroidered edging.

Blankets.—Suitable flannel or merino for the blanket need not cost more than seventy-five cents or one dollar. If the mother knows how to embroider, the embroidery silk will cost but a trifle. If embroidery is out of her line, the little blanket looks very pretty bound with colored or white ribbon.

Diapers.—Those who wish to consult economy will find that cotton flannel is an excellent article to use for diapers. It is soft and easily washed, besides being less expensive than the linen usually employed. It can be obtained at fourteen or fifteen cents per yard, and twenty yards will make about twenty-five diapers.

Quantity of Material, with Estimated Cost.—In order to put the amount of material used in a baby's wardrobe, and its probable expense, in as convenient a form for reference as possible, I give another table:

The balance of $4.67 in an allowance of $20 is an ample amount for the purchase of buttons, tape, bobbin, thread and trimmings. The first four articles cost very little indeed. Lace and embroidery used in trimming can be bought very cheaply if economy is an object. Whether it is or not, I think good taste dictates that an infant's wardrobe should be delicate and neat rather than showy and expensive. And neatness and delicacy depend much on the manner of making, and can be obtained at very little expense. Lace edgings, very pretty and suitable for infants' clothes, can be bought for two cents per yard and upward; and embroidered edgings for seven cents and upward.

General Directions Concerning Infant's Dresses.—Let the young mother never make that abomination of an infant's wardrobe, a dress with a waist. The robe should flow freely and loosely from the shoulders, the sleeves should be long and the neck high. Fashion as well as common sense now dictates this course in the matter of sleeves and necks.

Dress with Tucked Front.—A very pretty way to make an infant's dress is to take a breadth of ​the material, begin at the centre and run a narrow tuck down the length about one-eighth of an inch wide and about seven inches long. At a little interval from this run another tuck of the same width, in the same manner that you would make a narrow-tucked shirt-bosom, only make each succeeding tuck a little shorter than the last. So continue until there is sufficient tucked for half the width of the waist and the last tuck is about three inches in length. Make the other side to correspond. Then cut out the neck and armholes by pattern, sloping off the material from the bottom of the armholes at the sides, if it has not all been used in tucking, until the full width of the cloth is reached at the bottom. Now the tucking which extends from the armholes on each side down to a point in front may be bordered at its lower edge with an insertion, and an edging below that if desired. And if an insertion is put down the centre in front between the two sets of tucks, it will be very pretty. The back may be made in the same manner, or may be plainly gored, allowing very little fullness at the top, and that fullness gathered into place by a drawing-string at the neck. The sleeves may be made to match the waist, if desired, by tucking a little way up the waist in the form of a pointed cuff, and finishing with insertion and edging.

Dress made with Insertion in Front.—Another pretty way to make an infant's dress is from the centre of one end of the breadth to cut out a strip about two inches wide and six or seven inches long. ​Leave one inch on each side, and then cut from each side another strip like the first. Sew in strips of lace or muslin insertion of a length to correspond with the places where the strips have been taken out, gather the cloth at the bottom and sew to the insertion, and fell the seams down all around as neatly as possible. Gather the cloth at the top sufficiently to fit the neck, cut out the armholes and slope off the superfluous width. The back may be made like the front, or plainly gored.

Dress with Embroidered Edging in Front.—One inch from each side of the centre of the front breadth run a tuck three-quarters of an inch wide and seven inches long. Open these tucks or folds over the fabric in such a manner that the seam of the back shall come in the centre of each fold. Baste narrow embroidered edging down one side of each fold, across and over the bottom, and up the other side. Hem with extreme neatness the edge of the fold down upon the edging, the stitches going through to the fabric underneath. Then run a row of machine stitching at a very narrow distance from the edge, to hold the embroidery more firmly, and to give the work a more finished look. Cut the dress after the usual gored pattern, hemming around the neck and running a string in to draw up any fullness that may be there. The sleeve can be made with a fold run up about two inches from the wrist and trimmed around with embroidery to match the waist.

A woman of taste and ingenuity can follow up ​these suggestions and produce a pleasing variety in an infant's wardrobe.

Winter Clothing for an Infant.—A babe's winter clothing must be made warm to suit the season. Except in the case of a very young babe, I prefer to lay aside white altogether, and adopt some more ap propriate material and color. There is nothing prettier than soft warm all-wool delaines, in bright colors, either plain or with small figures, for a babe who has reached the dignity of a shortened dress. If the babe is still in long clothes, there should be little flannel, merino or knit sacques to protect it from the cold.

Bibs and Aprons.—There should be bibs and aprons, the latter both long and short sleeved. The bibs are to protect the neck of the dress from vomiting and dreuling; the aprons to protect against sudden changes of weather.

Shortening an Infant's Dress.—The proper time for shortening an infant's dress should be when it is four or five months old, though it depends much on the season of the year. While the period may be hastened in warm weather, it should be delayed somewhat in cold. In the latter time, when it is put into short dresses, it should have long stockings put on it, reaching sufficiently far up to be pinned to the diaper at the sides. If long stockings can be obtained in no other way, the short socks can easily have tops knitted or crocheted to them. The clothing should still be long enough to come quite down to the feet.