Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 January 1909 — The Ideal Nursery. [ARTICLE]

The Ideal Nursery.

Today the nursery is looked upon as an essential apartment in a house where children abide and, from a hygienic standpoint, it may justly be called a sensible room, for children after they can walk should not sleep in the mother’s room. To deny them this privilege previous to the second year is really unkind, for a child less than one year old should never be left alone; it demands too much attention. Whether the room is large or moderately small, it should, by all means, have plenty of ventilation, the more windows the better. The room should hg papered in light paper, also painted in light tones, though the blinds should be the darkest shade to darken the room when necessary. Each child should have a bed to himself, with a soft mattress, soft, low pillow, double sheets, made in one piece, one blanket, thin quilt and cover. If a nurse is engaged, she may have her bed in the same room, and frequently does, though more often she has a room opening into the nursery. There is little need for much furniture, the chief requisite being a large clothes press on one side of the room with apartments for every article. This can be built in the house or afterwards made and covered with a curtain, though doors are best. There should be a table with a lower shelf upon which toys qpn be kept. Walls can be brightened with framed pictures of little Dutch children, flowers, animals, birds, in fact anything that will be attractive to a child old enough to observe such objects. The curtains in such rooms should be fitted to the lower sash so as to be raised with the window. A child’s room should contain only what is really needed for its comfort and such articles as will be found necessary for its pleasure.