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Chao Yuanfang, in *Zhu Bing Yuan Hou Lun* (Treatise on the Pathogenesis and Manifestations of All Diseases), recorded: When an infant is first born, the skin and flesh are not yet solid. It is advisable to wear single-layer clothing rather than warm clothing; if kept too warm, the sinews and bones will become lax and weak, making the child prone to sores and ulcers. Old cotton wadding should be used rather than new cotton; new cotton induces sweating and causes exterior deficiency, making the child susceptible to cold pathogens. The child should be exposed to the qi of the earth and especially to wind and sunlight. If not exposed to the qi of the earth, wind, and sunlight, the skin and flesh will become soft and delicate, prone to injury. I have seen families of wealth and status who wrap their infants in layers of thick quilts and hold them in their arms all day long, so that even at several years of age, they cannot walk. In contrast, peasant children are exposed to the elements all day, sometimes hungry or cold, yet suffer from no other illnesses. This is like plants and trees: those growing in deep mountains, steep valleys, and large marshes easily grow to a circumference of two arms' embrace, whereas rare and exotic flowers and plants in gardens, despite careful cultivation and mounding of soil, often flower but do not bear fruit. Is this not due to different principles of nobility and baseness?

*Xiao Er Jing Yao* (Essentials for Children) states: For newborns, one must not use oily hands to bind and wrap them. In spring, it is taboo to cover the head and wrap the feet; in summer, it is taboo to drink cold liquids or eat ice; in winter, it is taboo to heat clothes and bedding with fire. To keep a child safe and sound, let them experience hunger and cold regularly. These are truly profound words.

It further states: An infant's stomach and intestines are fragile and narrow. Foods that are thick, sticky, dry, hard, sour, salty, spicy, pungent, as well as all meat, fish, fruits, wet flour, roasted items, baked goods, stir-fries, and fried foods, are all substances that generate heat and are difficult to digest. All such foods should be strictly prohibited. Ignorant women, fearing the child's crying, give them anything they want, eventually accumulating chronic diseases. By then, regretting it is futile. As the saying goes: "To cherish a child is to cherish their diet." Remember this, remember this.

*Yang Zi Zhen Jue* (True Secrets of Raising Children) states: Eat hot food, not cold; eat soft food, not hard; eat small amounts, not large. This is a truly excellent method.

It also states: Nursing infants require careful care and management; attend to them diligently without being negligent. Excessive milk ultimately damages the Stomach; eating leftovers injures the Spleen. Thick quilts are not beneficial; thin clothing is actually appropriate. When there is no wind, expose the child frequently to the sun; follow the natural changes of cold and heat.

Applying chicken manure to the infant's umbilicus is very effective; use hen manure for boys and rooster manure for girls.

For night crying in newborns, burn the flower of the rush stem (*Jieda Hua*) into ash and apply it to the nipple/breast, or take four or five grains of the rush flower, crush them, and dissolve them in water decocted from rush stems (*Xin Cao Tang*) to administer orally; the crying will cease immediately.

Grind ox horn (*Niu Jia*) into powder, mix with an appropriate vehicle, and apply to the umbilicus; the crying will cease immediately.

Take Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma) 1 qian 5 fen, processed with ginger juice; Renshen (Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma) 1 qian 5 fen; Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) 5 fen; Zhuye (Bambusae Folium) 20 leaves. Prepare as two doses. Add one slice of fresh ginger to each dose, decoct in water, and take orally.

For infants under one month old who cry incessantly, take real Niuhuang (Calculus Bovis) and Fei Chensha (Prepared Cinnabaris) ground into extremely fine powder, 5 li of each, and apply to the infant's tongue; the crying will stop immediately.