The oil bath may be administered daily. In robust children the tub bath may be a daily affair; while in pale, anemic little folks, the tub bath is perhaps better given twice a week. In hot summer days a sponge bath may be given many times a day. BEST HOUR FOR BATHING Again this depends upon several factors; the warmth of the house or apartment, the vitality of the child, and the kind of bath to be administered. An oil bath may be given any time--often it may be administered entirely under the bed clothes, only care must be taken to keep oil from the blankets. Many of our mothers prefer to give the tub bath at five o'clock in the afternoon, when the house is thoroughly warm, and the child is thereby prepared for the long night's sleep. Before dressing in the morning an oil bath or rub may be given in such cases. If the forenoon is selected as the time for bathing the child, then an hour just before the mid forenoon meal is the best. In either event, be regular about it--do it at the same time every day. Let the caretaker attend to her many duties, and, as far as possible, mothers, bathe your baby yourself. The folds of the skin, the creases in the neck, the clenched fists, must all receive particular care, and no one in all the world will ever care as you--the mother--cares. SOAP AND WATER Select a soap free from irritants and excess of alkalis. There are few kinds that equal the old-fashioned, white castile soap our grandmothers used. Very hard water which makes the skin rough and sore may be improved by boiling, but if possible substitute rain water for it. A flannel bag tied over the faucet and changed each day will help to clarify muddy water, provided the stream flows gently through it. ROUTINE OF THE TUB BATH Just as we directed the nurse or caretaker to stand while the oil rub or sponge bath was given, so we admonish the mother to stand while the tub bath is given. First, get everything in readiness for the bath as directed for the oil bath, and then the baby's tub setting on the securely cleated slats placed across the top of the family tub may be filled with water by means of a hose attached to the faucet. The temperature should be 100 F. when baby is dipped in to be rinsed.