He ought not to have meat until he have several teeth to chew it with. If he has most of his teeth--which he very likely at this age will have--there is no objection to his taking a small slice either of mutton, or occasionally of roast beef, which should be well cut into very small pieces, and mixed with a mealy _mashed_ potato, and a few crumbs of bread and gravy; either _every_ day, if he be delicate, or every _other_ day, if he be a gross or a fast-feeding child. It may be well, in the generality of cases, for the first few months to give him meat _every other_ day, and either potato or gravy, or rice or suet-pudding or batter-pudding on the alternate days; indeed, I think so highly of rice, of suet, and of batter-puddings, and of other farinaceous puddings, that I should advise you to let him have either the one or the other even on those days that he has meat--giving it him _after_ his meat. But remember, if he have meat _and_ pudding, the meat ought to be given sparingly. If he be gorged with food, it makes him irritable, cross, and stupid; at one time, clogging up his bowels, and producing constipation; at another, disordering his liver, and causing either clay-coloured stools--denoting a _deficiency_ of bile, or dark and offensive motions--telling of _vitiated_ bile; while, in a third case, cramming him with food might bring on convulsions. 137. _As you are to partial to puddings for a child, which do you consider the best for him_? He ought, every day, to have a pudding for his dinner--either rice, arrow-root, sago, tapioca, suet-pudding, batter-pudding, or Yorkshire-pudding, mixed with crumbs of bread and gravy--free from grease. A well boiled suet-pudding, with plenty of suet in it, is one of the best puddings he can have; it is, in point of fact, meat and farinaceous food combined, and is equal to, and will oftentimes prevent the giving of, cod-liver oil; before cod-liver oil came into vogue, suet boiled in milk was _the_ remedy for a delicate child. He may, occasionally, have fruit-pudding, provided the pastry be both plain and light.