Mrs. Baines (who has written so much and so well on the Management of Children), in a _Letter_ to the Author, recommends flannel to be used in the _first_ washing of an infant, which flannel ought afterward to be burned; and that the sponge should be only used to complete the process, to clear off what the flannel had already loosened. She also recommends that every child should have his own sponge, each of which should have a particular distinguishing mark upon it, as she considers the promiscuous use of the same sponge to be a frequent cause of _ophthalmia_ (inflammation of the eyes). The sponges cannot be kept too clean. 8. _Have you any general observations to make on the washing of a new-born infant?_ A babe ought, every morning of his life, to be thoroughly washed from head to foot; and this can only be properly done by putting him bodily either into a tub, or into a bath, or into a large nursery-basin half filled with water. The head, before placing him in the bath, should be first wetted (but not dried); then immediately put him into the water, and, with a piece of flannel well soaked, cleanse his whole body, particularly his armpits, between his thighs, his groins, and his hams; then take a large sponge in hand, and allow the water from it, well filled, to stream all over his body, particularly over his back and loins. Let this advice be well observed, and you will find the plan most strengthening to your child. The skin must, after every bath, be thoroughly but quickly dried with warm, dry, soft towels, first enveloping the child in one, and then gently absorbing the moisture with the towel, not roughly scrubbing and rubbing his tender skin as though a horse were being rubbed down. The ears must after each ablution be carefully and well dried with a soft dry napkin; inattention to this advice has sometimes caused a gathering in the ear—a painful and distressing complaint; and at other times it has produced deafness. Directly after the infant is dried, all the parts that are at all likely to be chafed ought to be well powdered. After he is well dried and powdered, the chest, the back, the bowels, and the limbs should be gently rubbed, taking care not to expose him unnecessarily during such friction. He ought to be partially washed every evening; indeed it may be necessary to use a sponge and a little warm water frequently during the day, namely, each time after the bowels have been relieved. _Cleanliness is one of the grand incentives to health_, and therefore cannot be too strongly insisted upon. If more attention were paid to this subject, children would be more exempt from chafings, “breakings-out,” and consequent suffering, than they at present are. After the second month, if the babe be delicate, the addition of two handfuls of table salt to the water he is washed with in the morning will tend to brace and strengthen him.