 This story is about a family, a strong and sturdy family, a family blessed with alert, active, growing children. Father and mother both are proud of their five healthy children. Number one, John. Number two, Mary. Three, Peter. Four, Joe. And number five, little, wait a minute, where's little number five? Hey, you're not number five. Where is little number five? Oh, we forgot to tell you. Little number five hasn't been born yet. That's the point. Our whole story is about little number five and how his mother is preparing for him. In fact, when she knew little number five was on his way, her first step was to visit the clinic. At the clinic, the doctor examines her to be sure she's in good condition to have the baby. And then he points out that there are three critical periods in a baby's early life when food is of vital importance. The first of these is before he is born, when he's forming. The second is when he is nursing. The third is the period of weaning, the time at which he changes from liquid to solid food. Now then, let's see how this mother prepares for little number five during the first period. She knows that he will have nothing to grow on except the food that she eats for him. She really is eating for two people, herself and little number five. It's just as if the food on her table goes directly to her baby. She must eat the foods that have the elements of growth in them. For instance, milk is a food of growth. If you cannot keep a cow, goat's milk is just as good. The milk you drink, of course, must be pure. If ever there is any doubt, it can be purified by boiling it. The husband helps plan for little number five by growing lots of vegetables. It takes only a little ground and a few minutes work each day to grow fine tomatoes, string beans and carrots, beets and their greens and other green things such as lettuce and chard. These simple foods make a great difference in the forming of a baby. They contain the minerals that will build strong, well-formed bones. So the mother eats at least one of these fresh vegetables every day. In addition, she eats eggs often. They are especially beneficial to little number five and so are fresh meats of all kinds and poultry such as turkey and chicken and fish of all varieties. She also eats plenty of fresh fruit, bananas, oranges, guavas, papayas, figs or any other fruit that comes in season just as long as it's fresh. At last the day comes when little number five is ready to come into the world and so he does. He is born at full nine months, not prematurely. Instead of being underweight, he's strong and healthy. And why? Because his mother ate the proper foods that nourished him before he was born. Now we are ready for the next period the doctors spoke about, the period of nursing. Once again, it's as though the mother's food went directly to her baby's stomach. Her food in effect is his food. So as the baby grows, she will need to eat even more of the good foods that will nourish him. Fresh milk, fresh eggs, meat, vegetables and fruits. Having given little number five a fine start in life, the mother wants to guard him against the deadly diseases that attack infants. So she takes him to the clinic. There the doctor protects the baby against smallpox by means of a simple, harmless vaccination. In some countries such as the United States, the lives of thousands of babies are saved each year by vaccination. At home, the mother is very careful to keep little number five clean. She keeps his crib and bedding fresh and clean. She puts netting over his crib to protect him from mosquitoes and flies. She understands that often there are sicknesses in the filth that flies walk in, evil and deadly sicknesses such as typhoid fever and dysentery. A good netting helps keep these evil diseases from reaching her little number five. In between nursing times, she gives him water to drink, but first she boils it. Boiling kills any sicknesses that might be in it. After it cools, it's pure and safe for him. So born strong, kept clean and safe from disease, and breastfed with milk that's good because his mother eats the right food, little number five thrives and grows. Now we come to the most important single event in any baby's life. The day he has fed his first solid food. Of course all solid foods must be mashed since he has no teeth to chew them. A ripe mashed banana is one of the best solid foods to start him on. It is soft, easily digested and nourishing. Fresh eggs when soft boiled are easy to digest, and a little later he may have green beans or peas or carrots. All of these things of course must be well cooked and thoroughly mashed. Eventually he may eat all of the foods his mother ate for him in the beginning. Fresh milk, fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs and cereals. Cereals are especially good for little number five. When thoroughly cooked and soft, such things as rice, ground corn, wheat or barley will help make him grow. Always before fixing any foods for her baby, the mother washes her hands to make them clean. These are all simple things this mother does. Anyone can do them. Yet as simple a thing as boiling a baby's drinking water can mean the difference between sickness and health, even the difference between life and death. This mother has done her job well. She ate the right foods before little number five was born. She nursed him properly, and she weaned him wisely. Her reward is a healthy baby. A little number five who proudly takes his place with the others. A sturdy member of a sturdy family.