It is impossible to exercise too much care in the selection of this substitute mother, and when you do find one it is often wise not to keep her too long. A year or so is plenty long enough for any person to be with our children. It is only necessary for anyone to walk out into the public parks and casually listen to the conversations of many of the "chewing-gum caretakers" to discover with what carelessness some people select caretakers for their children. The language they use is not only ungrammatical but oftentimes both slangy and profane. The flirtations carried on with many of the park policemen and bystanders lead us to feel that many people arrive at the idea that their little folks "will grow up some way." If the caretaker is a student, a young woman of culture, and is kept with the family, she will be found to be more circumspect and dependable. Her gentleman friend, if she has one, should be allowed to come to the home. She does not have to meet him out in the park any more than a sister would have to go away from home to meet a friend; and, to my mind, everything centers around the viewpoint of the mother as she selects this caretaker, for if she is her social equal it puts her in a different place entirely to the well-meaning but ignorant servant girl to whose care is often intrusted the lives of the little people. HINTS FOR THE CARETAKER There are a number of hints we wish to bring together in this chapter for the mother to suggest to the caretaker. For instance, here is a group that one author gives us: BABY IS HAPPY BECAUSE He is dry. He is healthy. His food is right. He has sleep enough. His meals are on time. He is dressed properly. He is bathed regularly. His habits are regular. His bowels move regularly. He has fresh air day and night. He is not dosed with patent medicines. He is not excited by frequent handling. He is not annoyed by flies or other insects. THINGS BAD FOR BABIES Candy. Pacifiers. Thumb-sucking. Soothing syrups. Patent medicines. Waterproof diapers. Moving picture shows. Sucking on empty bottles. Being kissed on the mouth. Play of any sort after feeding. Sleeping in bed with the mother. Whiskey or gin for supposed colic. Sneezing or coughing in the face. Irregular or too frequent feedings. Sleeping on the mother's breast while nursing. Spitting on handkerchief to remove dirt from baby's face. Allowing a person with a cough or a cold to hold the baby. Violent rocking, bouncing, and rollicking play at any time. Dirty playthings, dirty nipples, dirty bottles, dirty floors. Allowing any person with tuberculosis to take care of the baby. Testing the temperature of the baby's milk by taking the nipple in the mouth. THINGS TO REMEMBER