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Clip description
Dramatised scenes from a child’s first years illustrate the importance of a correct diet in early childhood development. A young family take their five-month-old daughter, Rosemary, to a baby health centre to be weighed. The matron explains the growth rate of young babies and gives dietary advice. Next Rosemary, now a one-year-old, starts crying while playing with her toys. Her parents rush to her aid and note that she’s teething. Then the two-and-a-half-year-old Rosemary is playing by a lake as her mother watches. The family doctor stops by to ask how she is doing. He examines the toddler and says that she is in good health and being fed properly. He concludes, 'if only more parents would realise the importance of these early years’.
Curator’s notes
The character of 'Rosemary’ – a five-month-old baby at the beginning of the clip and a two-and-a-half-year-old toddler by the end – helps the audience, especially parents, to identify with the film. Viewers can follow her development, eventually through to adulthood, to see the film’s message about nutrition borne out. Without Rosemary and the dramatised scenes, the film would most likely consist of a dull public lecture.
