It's Nice To Be Neat

19. Neatness means much in a child's sickroom. An easy way to keep things tidy is to roll down the tops of at least a half-dozen paper bags. Put these into a shallow carton and thus have a place for sorted toys and other items.

20. Make pockets of oilcloth which can be fastened to the side of the bed table to hold materials. One mother fastened a shoe bag on the wall next to the bed for the same purpose.

21. A plain paper bag fastened to the mattress with a safety pin, or a paper shopping bag hung on the bed post, takes care of scrap paper, Kleenex, etc., and is easily disposed of. Be sure to fold the top of the bag down at least once, for added strength where the pin goes through.

22. Orange crates, painted bright colors and stacked one on top of the other next to the bed, provide space for toys and equipment, and look gay.

23. A good-sized carton kept under the bed makes an ideal storage place for many items. Attach a rope which will make it easier to pull out from under the bed.

24. If your child needs a bedside toy box, how about wooden apple boxes? Nail two together (the bottom one turned on its side; the upper one open at the top). Now you have a place to store less-used toys in the bottom, with a compartment on top which the child can dig into. Casters on the bottom box will make for easy rolling.

25. Sandwich bags are ideal for keeping small equipment sorted.

26. Cardboard soda cartons, such as soft drinks come in, have handles and compartments, and can be easily lifted. They are convenient for holding various items.

27. Muffin tins and plastic eggstorers (as used in the refrigerator), or a number of small boxes, are other handy receptacles for holding small objects a child is using and for keeping them sorted.

28. Cutting weekly radio and television schedules from Sunday newspapers and mounting on a cardboard backing will facilitate handling and reaching for these often used items.

29. A large bar of soap makes a good pin cushion and helps keep sharp objects out of the bedclothes.

Miscellaneous

30. Even if your child's stay in bed is to be a short one, remember that writing in bed is less difficult with a good writing board. Different sized "clip-boards" are to be found in most stationery stores, or you can make one easily from a bread board. Simply tack on a writing pad and put a screw eye in the comer for tying on a pen or pencil.

31. Hang a bulletin board near the child's bed and have a schedule for medicine-taking-time posted on it. (It is difficult to remember exact hours for medicine? The answer is a kitchen time clock, usually used for baking. Or set the trusty old alarm clock for the proper hour. ) Use a bulletin board also for pictures and clippings (change frequently), or for any other papers the child would enjoy having close at hand.

32. Attach a bell to the bed and arrange a set of signals with the child; for example, one ring for a drink of water, two rings for "I've finished my meal, " etc. This system will enable you to know what is needed, will save many steps, and will also amuse your child.

33. Ice or kitchen tongs tied to the bed with a long string are useful when things have dropped to the floor out of reach.

34. One of the best feelings for anyone confined to bed is that of being freshly clean and scented-what a boost for morale! A child, like an adult, enjoys the little extras of good grooming. If old enough to handle facewashing, he or she will find a great "pick-me-up" in having some special grooming supplies at the bed side: special soap in a pretty soap dish; a small, colorful hand towel; talcum powder in a pretty container; pleasant hand lotion; toilet water.

35. Cornstarch, powdered into the bedsheet with a powder puff or a piece of cotton, will make the bed more comfortable, especially in hot weather.

Clothing

36. For a child who is always in a wheel chair or bed, clothes that fasten at the back make dressing and undressing an easier task.

37. For bed, make a slip-on jacket with two bath towels. It will drape and cover nicely, and will be so easy to wash! Sew the long sides of two towels together, leaving an opening of about 18 inches in the middle. Make sure the opening is large enough to slip easily over the child's head. The hemmed (or short) edges of the towels hang at the child's sides and should be sewn together up from the bottom, leaving openings for armholes, of course, so that the jacket will not bunch together at the front or back.

38. Full body casts and bedjackets were never meant for each other-one so glamorous and the other so drab. But it may be necessary for your child to spend some months in a body cast. Then comes winter and complaints of chilly arms. A sleeve wardrobe is the answer. Use a favorite sleeve pattern. Be sure to add extra at the shoulder so that the sleeve will be large enough to fit over the cast. Sew as usual, binding the top well. Attach to the cast at the shoulder with thumb tacks.

39. Sleeves are so simple to make that a child can have a number of pairs, and the drab body cast will look more festive. A plain pair for morning, made of striped cotton flannel; pink or blue flannel edged with lace for afternoons. Be gala in the evening; make a sheer wool pair, trimmed with sequins or tiny artificial flowers.

40. Body casts aren't for girls only and neither is the sleeve wardrobe. But no frills for a boy-plain materials and tailored sleeves are in order. Decorations? On a small piece of unbleached muslin, draw with crayons Indian signs, or baseballs, or footballs, or birds, or beasts, and sew this piece to the sleeve above the elbows. Or why not let him wear his tie on his sleeve?

Cut out miniature ties from father's discarded ones. Start a new vogue!

41. A boy in bed doesn't have much choice in dressing up, but a number of beanies will be fun to make and will give him a lift at the same time. Beanies can be made by cutting the brim off an old felt hat. Cut away any excess material and have it fit the head snugly, with enough edge to turn up for a cuff. Air holes can be cut and the edge scalloped with scissors. It can be painted for further decoration.