Comfort in bed doesn't mean just a back rest and a bed table-although these are important. It means having toys and play materials close at hand. It means comfortable, attractive bed covers and clothes. It means temptingly served meals. It means thoughtfulness in trying to anticipate the needs of the child. When a child's immediate surroundings are pleasant, his materials conveniently arranged, and mealtimes gay, life can not only be more tolerable-it can even be quite special.

The following suggestions are primarily for the bedbound child, but some of them may be usefully adapted for a child who spends a short time in bed, or one who spends his life in a wheel chair. Some of them should be helpful in saving a mother many steps each day.

Comfort in Bed

1. The most cheerful room in the house should be chosen for the sick child, even if this means using the living room.

2. A good light over the bed is important, but a bed close to the window is even better. (In winter, weather-stripping the window will keep out drafts. ) If your child's bed is close to the window, he will feel less "shut-in" as he becomes absorbed in street scenes.

3. At night be sure there is a good light over the head of the bed-where it will shine on the child's work, but not in his eyes.

4. To make a child feel less isolated when he must be confined to one room, hang a mirror so that he can see into the next room from his bed. A series of mirrors, from one room to another, can reflect the actions of members of the family even though they are in distant rooms.

5. Use every opportunity to decorate your child's room. Take advantage of holidays which suggest wonderful decorations for your child to enjoy: holidays such as Halloween, Columbus Day, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, the Fourth of July, etc. A good source to keep you posted on special days are the calendars which make a point of naming the year's events.

6. Don't wait for a birthday party or a holiday to dress up the child's room: a few balloons tied to the bed will make it look festive.

7. If the child's bed is close to the wall, fasten a large sheet of wrapping paper on the wall with adhesive or scotch tape. Encourage the child to use this for drawing.

8. A piece of beaver board holds thumb tacks easily. If no beaver board is available, use one side of a large cardboard carton to make a bulletin board to hang on the wall next to the bed.

9. Save your good bedspread-make a temporary one of an old sheet or piece of unbleached muslin. (Pinking shears will help! ) When visitors come, have them sign their names in different colored crayons or special textile paint on the bedspread. This will delight the child. If crayons are used, press the signatures with a warm iron for greater permanence. (The child could embroider the names with gay bits of floss. )

10. An "apron" made from a piece of denim, oilcloth, or plastic, large enough to cover the area of the bed where the child is playing, will be a great help in keeping the sheets and covers clean and dry.

11. Sometimes a child in bed complains that the covers are too heavy on his legs. Pillows placed along both sides of the bed wall hold the covers up, and solve this problem.

12. One mother's idea for an inexpensive back rest was to cut a sturdy carton (about 3 feet square) in half, cutting the sides diagonally. She bound the edges with brown paper tape (gummed, of course). When placed on the bed with the open side down, it was just as good as a triangular pillow.

Bed Tables

13. A big space for play and work is a great advantage. A child-sized billiard table, or any table about that size, will fit nicely over a single bed. Do put rollers on the legs so that it can be moved easily to the foot of the bed when necessary.

14. A bridge table with shortened legs, cut to allow space for the child's legs, can be placed directly on the bed and provides a nice large surface.

15. A sturdy carton, cut to fit over the child's knees, makes a satisfactory bed table for a short period of time.

16. Why not use the dining room table pad for a temporary play surface in bed?

17. If a child is allowed to sit up, with feet dangling, a table put lengthwise along one side of the bed will do the trick.

18. No matter what bed table is used, put an oilcloth covering on it. Fasten it on with elastic as is done with bridge table covers. A different color or pattern of oilcloth for each day of the week would provide changes at slight expense.