The Lazy Mum’s Guide to Leading a Healthier Life

Here’s a little secret many mums are not going to admit to – but the fact that you clicked on this article means you agree: Mummies can get lazy too!

We’re not lazy when it comes to giving our children the best, but sometimes we look at other mums and wonder, how do they juggle everything.

One of the things that many mummies feel guilty about is a healthy lifestyle. Living healthy seems like a lot of hard work.

It means buying organic food for the kids, preparing it in the most healthy manner possible, all while ensuring the house is in tip top condition. How exhausting.

But it doesn’t have to be. A healthy lifestyle can be easy and passive. We’re going to let you in on that secret here. This is all you really need to lead a healthier life at home:

1. Adopt A Healthier Attitude

Does it really begin with us? Yes, it does! Our children look at us as role models everyday and their behaviour tends to mimic ours.

Leading a healthy lifestyle is not just about being physically active and eating clean. It is also about that mindset!

You can still be a lazy mum (we’re not judging), but all you have to do is put a positive spin on things.

Got dishes piled up and don’t know where to start? Instead of becoming frustrated, try to turn it into a fun chore. Turn on some music, get the kids to dance along with you as you do the dishes together.

It isn’t “lazy” if it’s delegating, right?

2. Do Everything With A Smile

Again, health is not just about the physical but also emotional and mental. Every time you smile, your brain recognises it and immediately starts producing endorphins or happy hormones.

Children see a smiling parent and they will also learn to smile more, resulting in a happier, healthier household.

Also, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to smile, so even the laziest of parents can do this!

3. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation

We bet when you first opened this article, you thought it would be a bunch of hacks for the household. Read on, we promise there’s a super easy hack that many parents can practice for healthier living at home!

But before we get there, here’s another tip to kickstarting your healthier lifestyle – mindfulness and meditation. Mindfulness and meditation enables us to live in the present. Just by using simple breathing exercises, we can return our focus to the present and be in the moment.

Many times we’re always rushing and on-the-go, that we forget to stop and smell the roses (in other words, appreciate the little things in life).
It is a simple to do, yet its health benefits are deep and far-reaching. It also helps us become better parents to our little ones.

4. Clean Air At Home

This is the ultimate lazy hack for parents who want to live a healthier lifestyle at home — clean air! On top of the daily pollution that we face, sometimes we also have to worry about the haze. Not to mention, the children’s allergies!

But this all can be solved at home by simply breathing in clean air!

It is as simple as installing an air conditioning system at home that can protect the whole family from allergens, dust, bacteria growth and viruses.

Panasonic’s X Premium Inverter Series air conditioning system is a revolutionary air purification system that can do just that. It cleans the air in your home while you’re sleeping, while improving the quality of air that we breathe in. On top of that, this complete air conditioning system is also energy-saving and friendly for the environment!

But the best part has got to be its wireless controls over the network. Now you can manage an entire air conditioning system from your phone. All you have to do is download the app and install the network adaptor and you can easily manage the system from anywhere.

The app can control 20 units per location and up to 10 different locations. If that isn’t effortless healthy living, I’m not sure what is!

When you combine all the tips mentioned above, you might find that living healthier isn’t as hard as you initially thought it would be.

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What Do Newborns Look Like? Normal Physical Characteristics of Newborns and How They Change

You may always wonder what a normal baby should look like. And what seems odd to us sometimes are actually newborn babies’ normal characteristics.

Before you become parents, you might have a picture in mind of what a newborn baby looks like. You may imagine a cherub-like baby with soft and tender skin, bumpy cheeks, and a sweet smile. However, when your baby is first born, they don’t look like that much.

Freshly delivered newborns have the normal characteristics of being covered in good and other fun stuff. Their skin may look blotchy and rashy-red, and their hands and fingers might have a tinge of the colour blue.

It is very much understandable that parents would be frightened by the sight of their newborns. But, most of these icky and unsettling newborn features are totally normal. Yes. N-o-r-m-a-l.

It may be helpful to know what to expect so you may not be alarmed if what your baby would look like after birth. So mums and dads, let us review what the normal characteristics of newborns are.

Normal Characteristics of a Newborn

Credit: Freepik

Whether you are a new parent or a veteran, you might be concerned and curious about why your baby looks like that. Many of the (physical) conditions that we will be talking about here are common and normal characteristics of a newborn.

These conditions will diminish or change as soon as your baby develops and grows. But to make sure if a feature is really normal, you may need the help of a
paediatrician
.

The newborn’s characteristics that you need to take note of are in the list below.

Newborn characteristics of skin:

At birth, the skin of a normal newborn has purplish-red colour. Then, within minutes, the skin turns pink. We can frequently see that the skin and feet are blue during the early hours of your baby’s life.

Jaundice to some degree is normal for newborn babies in their first week of life. Usually, this is due to the immaturity of their livers and is not a health condition for your baby.

Newborn characteristics of the head:

Moulding may refer to the long, narrow, cone-shaped head that is caused by the passage through a tight birth canal. If the OB-gynaecologist sed a vacuum to deliver your baby, you might notice more moulding and/or bruising. Your baby’s head will return to its normal shape in a few days.

You may also notice a “soft spot” found in the top front part of the head.

The head closes with a bone when your baby is between 12 and 18 months old.

Characteristics of the n
ewborn’s eyes:

The newborn baby’s eyes are puffy because of the pressure on the face during delivery.

The production of “crossed-eyes” and jerky, uneven movements, are normal. Your baby’s muscle control of their eye movement is still in development.

Newborn characteristics of the nose:

Your baby’s nose could have been misshapen during the birth process. It may be flattened or pushed to one side. It will go normal after 1 week of age.

Image Source: iStock

Characteristics of newborn’s reproductive organs:

Swollen breasts are noticeable during the first week of life in many boy and girl babies.

Your baby’s genital may be swollen, too.

Erections usually occur in a newborn baby boy, which means the bladder is full and nerves are normal.

Newborn characteristics of feet:

Your baby’s feet might be turned in any direction inside the cramped quarters of the uterus or womb.

Characteristics of newborn’s hair:

In some cases, you may find lanugo in your baby after birth. Lanugo is the fine downy hair that is noticeable on your baby’s back and shoulders. It is more common to happen in
premature babies
.

The use of the APGAR scale to assess the characteristics of a newborn

To use the
APGAR scale
, a doctor gives a score for each sign at one minute and five minutes after birth. If there are problems with the baby, an additional score is given at 10 minutes.

In cesarean delivered babies, a baby is additionally assessed 15 minutes after the delivery.

A means activity movement of the muscles, P stand for a pulse, G means grimace (response to care), second A stands for the appearance of the skin, and R means respiration/breathing.

Sign

0 pts.

1 point

2 points

A

Activity (muscle tone)

Absent

Arms and legs flexed

Active movement

P

Pulse

Absent

Below 100 bpm

Above 100 bpm

G

Grimace

No response

Grimace

Sneeze, cough, pulls away

A

Appearance (skin color)

Blue-gray, pale all over

Normal, except for extremities

Normal over the entire body

R

Absent

Absent

Slow, irregular

Good, crying

A baby with a score of 7 to 10 is considered normal.

4 to 7 points may require some resuscitative measures.

A baby with APGAR of 3 and below requires immediate resuscitation.

You may request or demand your doctor to get your baby’s APGAR, just to make sure. Either way, your doctor or
OB-gynaecologist
 shall give it away to prevent any complications, and to ensure your baby is alive and normal.

When Does Baby’s Skin Colour Stop Changing?

Image from | pexels.com

Researchers accounted that a baby’s skin became lighter and less red between 2 to 2o months old. Additionally, a baby’s skin was found to increase yellow pigment until they reach 20 months old.

However, this study was performed on small sample size, and the racial and ethnic orientations of the babies in the research are unclear. Various ethnic skin tones may change differently, becoming either darker or lighter over time.

Newborn babies can have different skin colours when they are born. Your baby’s skin color might change over time and should settle fully at around 20 months old.

Due to a natural occurrence of genetics, your baby may look more like one of the parents than the other, or may not look like either.

Certain skin colours are typical and common for a newborn baby. But there are various complications or health conditions that can result in a baby’s particular skin colour. If this is alarming, you should contact your baby’s doctor immediately.

When Do Babies’ Looks Change From the Past Normal Characteristics

Credit: iStock

Arguably, your baby changes more in the first year of their life than during their 12-month period of life. If ever you are concerned with how your baby looks, wait for a while. You may expect some dramatic changes in a relatively short period of time.

Notice that babies gain lots of weight during the first year of life. Weight typically doubles during their 5 to 6 months, then triples by 1 year of age. This rapid weight gain will significantly affect your baby’s appearance, filling out their frame and becoming adorably chubby.

Other alterations come even more quickly. Bruising on your baby’s face from cramped
womb position
 should fade within days after birth. Their unusual head shape and their head lumps may also begin to settle and look normal after a few days of life.

Lanugo also doesn’t take long to fall off. A few weeks into your baby’s life, this fine, fuzzy hair at their back and shoulders should begin to be replaced with normal body hair or vellus. Meanwhile, the hair on their head will start to grow, too.
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Eye colour, too, may take some time to fully develop. According to experts, you might see eye colour changes, especially in grey or blue-eyed babies (depending on culture and race), starting at around 6 months of age, and can take a couple of years to get to their final colour.

So mums and dads, even if you find your newborn baby without a cute face, better review the normal characteristics of a newborn baby. These features are normal, but if you mind and find something odder than what is normal, better consult your baby’s doctor immediately.

Source:

Henry Ford Health. (n.d.). Your Newborn’s Appearance.
www.henryford.com/services/baby/newborn-care/newborn-characteristics

Very Well Family. (March 25, 2022). What Will My Newborn Look Like?.
www.verywellfamily.com/what-a-newborn-baby-looks-like-2759392

Stamford Pediatrics. (n.d.). Your Baby’s Appearance.
stamfordpediatrics.com/medical-advice/newborn-characteristics/

Medical News Today. (September 10, 2021). Baby and skin color: A guide.
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/are-black-babies-born-white

This article was written by Nathanielle Torre and republished with permission from theAsianparent
Philippines
.

Here at theAsianparent Malaysia, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Malaysia is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.

Disclaimer: You are not allowed to share this article on any other website or on Facebook without providing proper credit and the original article link on
theAsianparent Malaysia website

Read more:
Babies and Pets: Can They Co-Exist?

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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: SIDS Causes, Risk Factors and Tips for Prevention

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Why a water-birth may be right for you

Delivering by water birth is becoming increasingly popular compared to conventional labour and delivery in a hospital ward. It has been practiced for ages, and the practice is seeing a reemergence among modern women.

When a woman delivers by water birth, she squats in a tub filled with warm water in the position most comfortable to her for labour. Some women choose to deliver the baby in the water while some women prefer to climb out for the actual birth. It can sound a little scary, but there are many benefits of water birth you may
not be aware of.
 Here’s a little more information on what you should know if you’re thinking about delivering by water birth.

Won’t being born in water hurt the baby?

Actually, it is thought that being born in water is a less traumatic way for the baby to enter the world, as the environment feels like the amniotic fluid it’s been submerged in already for nine months. The warm water is soothing and comforting, and it reduces the stress of labour and delivery for both baby and mum.

The benefits of a water birth can include:

Reducing stress hormones, which lowers blood pressure and allow the body to produce natural painkillers

Increasing movement and energy during labour, as the water supports a heavily pregnant body and can improve blood circulation and encourage
better contractions

Reducing tearing, as water relaxes the perineum, making it stretch better so few stitches are needed later

Improving mental focus as the mum-to-be can adjust her position, relax, and concentrate on birthing

What are the risks of water-birth?

Water births are best for low-risk, healthy pregnancies. They are not suitable for women with herpes, which can be transmitted in water, or other medical conditions which can cause complications. Water birth can also be complicated when there are multiple babies involved, so it should only be carried out by an experienced professional. It is also not suitable for premature babies who need special attention.

The risks with water birth that you should be aware of include:
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Breech positioning:
 Even if your baby was correctly positioned for birth at your last scan, it can flip around anytime. If your baby is in a breech position, you require
medical intervention.

Water inhalation:
 Normally, a baby does not take its first breath of air until it is born. But sometimes, if the baby is having problems in the birth canal, the baby may inadvertently inhale some water, though this is rare.

Dirtying the pool:
 During labour, it’s very common to lose control of your bowel movements. While midwives and nurses are used to this, and will even clean up the debris, you might feel uncomfortable about birthing your child in this water.

Presence of meconium.
 Meconium is your baby’s first feces and is black or green in colour. While it can wash off the baby’s face, it’s best to avoid contact by coming out of the water once it’s detected.

Snapping of umbilical cord.
 One risk when a baby is born in water is that the umbilical cord can snap when the baby is lifted out of the water. Professionals are usually very good about doing this with care when handling the baby, however.

You can also choose to have a water birth in the comfort of your home instead of a hospital. However, you should at least have an experienced trained doula or midwife by your side in case of complications.

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6 Chinese Confinement Food Recipes To Boost Your Postpartum Immunity

In Chinese tradition, confinement is an extremely important period for new mums and to recuperate their body after childbirth. It allows the new mum to take much-needed rest for an immunity boost to recover faster from the delivery.

It also helped that both the mother and baby remained indoors and under the care of the family. And even though science has made enough progress for women to have safe childbirth, it never hurts to adopt some of the traditional roots with modern science in a bid to boost the overall immunity levels of the mum and the baby.

That’s why we’ve listed six Chinese confinement food recipes that new mothers should try at home.

These recipes aren’t just about being healthy and nutritious, but they are tasty as well. And just in case you aren’t a new mum, you can always try them at home to give your immunity a natural boost.

6 Immunity Boosting Confinement Food Recipes To Try

1. Chinese confinement food recipes: Milkfish and Green Papaya Soup

Image Source: The Meatmen Channel on YouTube

This Chinese-style soup with slices of fish and green papaya can be consumed daily and helps boost the production of breastmilk.

The milkfish also has a less ‘fishy’ smell and taste but packs all the nutrients that fishes have to offer. It is certainly a must-add to your postpartum diet.

Ingredients:

Cooking oil – 2 tbsp

Milkfish – 2 pieces

Ginger – 8 slices

Red dates – 20 g

Peanuts – 50 g

Water – 3.4 litres

Green papaya -1 kg cut into cubes

Salt – to taste

Muslin bag

Method:

Add cooking oil to a pan and fry both pieces of the milkfish.

Add four ginger slices and pan-fry until the fish turn golden brown.

Transfer the fried fish into a muslin bag and let it rest in a pot.

Add red dates to the pot along with ginger slices, peanuts and boiling water.

Cover with a lid and let all the ingredients boil for one hour until the water turns murky.

Remove the muslin bags with the fish and store them aside.

Add the diced green papaya pieces and boil for another 15-20 minutes.

Season the soup with some salt and serve in a bowl immediately.

2. Chinese confinement food recipes: Red Glutinous Rice Wine Chicken Mee Sua

Image source: The Meatmen Channel on YouTube

This recipe is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties with ingredients like sesame oil, ginger, ride wine, and more, all of which help in the wellbeing and recovery of mothers during the postpartum period.

 These are collectively rich in unsaturated fats, help maintain bone health, and fight off free radicals. Food items like ginger are also known as galactagogue and help boost breastmilk production.

Ingredients:

Chicken drumsticks – 2 lbs

Foo Chow Red Wine – 3 cups

Sesame oil – 1 tbsp

Fresh ginger peeled and thinly sliced – 1-inch

Red Yeast Rice – 1 tbsp

Mee sua noodles or use somen noodles – 8 bundles

Salt to taste

A small pinch of sugar optional

Fresh cilantro leaves

Chopped green onions

Method:

Marinate the chicken for 15 minutes with red wine lees, rice wine, ginger juice, and light soy sauce.

Add sesame oil to a pan and then thin slices of ginger.

Fry until the slices turn crispy and fragrant, then drain and set aside.

In the same pan, add the marinated chicken drumsticks and fry until they turn light brown.

Add more of the red wine lees followed by rice wine add salt according to your taste preference.

Stir and mix everything evenly and let it simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken turns soft and tender

In another pan, add the mee sua to boiling water and blanch for one minute.

Drain off water and transfer the mee sua into the individual serving bowl.

Portion our chicken pieces and ladle them with some hot soup and with some of the red yeast rice, if preferred.

Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro leaves.

3. Chinese confinement food recipes: Ginger Fried Rice

Image Source: The Meatmen Channel on YouTube

This is one of the easiest confinement food recipes to prepare and adds a lot of nutritional support for your recovering body. The recipe has ample ginger and sesame oil that also helps build inner immunity against cold weather.

Plus, the anti-inflammatory properties will help your body heal faster.

Ingredients:

Cooked white long-grain or jasmine rice – 2 cups

Chopped chicken fillets – 260 g

Cooking oil divided – 2 tbsp

Large eggs – 2

Mixed vegetables thawed if frozen – 1 cup

Marinade:
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Grated ginger – 1 tbsp

Sesame oil – 1 tsp

1 stalk green onion finely sliced

Ingredients:

Marinate the chicken with salt and cooking wine, cornstarch, sesame oil, and mix well.

Leave the marination for 15 minutes

Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl with a little bit of salt and pour the mixture over pre-cooked rice and mix evenly.

Pour cooking oil into a pan and fry the beaten eggs. Stir fry until cooked. Set aside.

Add minced ginger to the same pan followed by garlic and stir until fragrant.

Add the marinated chicken to the pan and stir fry until cooked.

Pour the rice mixture, mix well and stir constantly to avoid the rice sticking to the pan.

Top up the fried rice with light soy sauce and salt to taste, as well as sesame oil and mix it well.

Add in cooked eggs and pepper.

Garnish it with sliced green onion and fried garlic strands.

4. Chinese confinement food recipes: Pork Liver with Scallions & Wolfberries

Image Source: The Meatmen Channel on YouTube

Get a boost of nutrition with this recipe that has ample of vitamins and minerals from pork liver.

It is considered one of the best confinement food recipes not just for recovering mums, but also for women on their periods or anyone in need of an immune system boost.

Ingredients:

Pork liver – 320 g thinly sliced

Cooking oil – 1/4 cup

Ginger strips – 60 g

Chicken powder

Wolfberries – 10 g

Rice wine – 50 ml

Ginger juice

Light soy sauce

Scallion – 4 stalks

Salt

Pepper

Method:

Remove blood and impurities from the pork liver by adding flour and rub gently.

Add the cooking wine and mix well and let it marinate for 15 minutes.

Rinse and drain the liver.

Add salt, pepper, chicken powder, rice wine, ginger juice, light soy sauce, and mix well.

Add cornstarch to the mixture followed by sesame oil and leave it to marinate

Meanwhile, fry the ginger strips and set them aside once they turn light brown.

In the same pan, add minced ginger and garlic and stir fry until fragrant.

Add the marinated pork liver and stir fry for about two minutes.

Add the wolfberries, rice wine and stir fry until just cooked.

Top the pork liver with sliced scallions and mix well.

Garnish with the fried ginger strands

5. Black Vinegar Pig Trotter

Image Source: The Meatmen Channel on YouTube

This dish is as common as it gets with confinement food recipes, courtesy of its great nutritional support and abundance of proteins.

It is also great at boosting the immune system for anyone who is feeling under the weather. Make this at home and restore lost energy.

Ingredients:

Pork trotter – 1 whole (1.2 kg that’s cut into smaller pieces)

Old ginger – 150 g (sliced)

Young ginger – 200 g (sliced)

Sweet vinegar – 750 ml

Black rice vinegar – 300 ml

Sesame oil – 3 tbsp

Scallions – 3 stalks

Palm sugar – 200 g

Boiled eggs – 6

Scallions – 3 stalks

Method:

Put the pork trotter pieces with scallions in a skillet pan
.

Add water until the pork trotter is fully covered.

Bring it to a boil until the scums from the pork float.

Drain and wash the pork.

Add boiling water until the pork is fully covered and bring it to a boil for the second time until the scums float.

Drain and wash the pork.

In the same skillet, add old ginger, young ginger and stir until fragrant.

Add the blanched pork trotter next and stir fry until it’s slightly brown and fragrant.

Transfer the pork into a deep pot and add sweet vinegar and black vinegar.

Let it braise for one hour.

Add palm sugar and six boiled eggs and let it all cook for 10 minutes.

Serve the pork trotter in an individual bowl with a boiled egg and add top it up with some soup. Garnish using coriander and enjoy.

6. Stir-Fried Pork with Mushrooms

Image Source: The Meatmen Channel on YouTube

This recipe is exactly what you’d want to eat when you have midnight food cravings. The dish is packed with ginger and mushrooms, and there’s plenty of flavours to keep your taste buds happy.

But more importantly, its active anti-inflammatory and rich fibre and protein ingredients make it one of the most obvious go-to confinement food recipes. Together, these help to provide energy and heal the body faster.

Ingredients:

Pork shoulder – 380 g (sliced thinly into shreds)

Ginger – 30 g (sliced thinly into match-sticks)

Minced garlic – 1 tbsp

Shimeji mushrooms – 75 g

Oyster mushrooms – 75 g

Sesame oil – 3 tbsp

Cornstarch solution – 1 tbsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water

Light soy sauce – 2 tbsp

Mushroom seasoning – 1 tsp

tsp Sugar – 1/2 tsp

Shaoxing rice wine – 3 tbsp

Method:

Heat the sesame oil and stir fry ginger slices until they turn fragrant and brown.

Push it aside and add in minced garlic and stir fry until fragrant.

Add in pork slices, mushrooms stir fry constantly until cooked.

Continue to stir fry and add in light soy sauce, mushrooms seasonings, sugar and rice wine, and mix all the ingredients well.

Add in cornstarch solution to thicken the sauce.

Garnish with spring onion

Dish up and serve hot with rice.

Remember, it is important for you to eat a balanced diet and pay attention to your nutrition. Since these meals are simple to make and packed full of nutrition and fibre, they will help energise you and fuel you through the day.

The most important point to note is that at the end of the day this journey is yours: What works for someone else may not always work for you. But as long as you take care of yourself, you also take care of your growing little one.

Recipes and videos in this article were produced by The Meatmen Channel. Subscribe to their
Youtube channel
 for weekly recipe ideas!

The Meatmen Channel is a lean team of meaty people from the little red dot, Singapore. They are here to turn your favourite Asian dishes into easy, home cook recipes. For more, visit
The Meatmen Channel website
.

This article was first published on
theAsianparent Singapore
.

Disclaimer: You are not allowed to share this article on any other website or on Facebook without providing proper credit and the original article link on
theAsianparent Malaysia website

Read more:
Diastasis recti: All you need to know about this postpartum condition

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Facts Vs Myths About Formula Milk Every Parent Should Know

Some mothers choose to give their > 1-year-old toddler formula milk for a variety of reasons. No matter the reason, all mothers want the best for their kids. Two of the main concerns are typically quality and nutrition. This article helps to provide clarity as well as addresses other perceptions surrounding formula milk.

Here are some formula milk facts versus myths that every parent should be made aware of.

Formula milk facts vs myths

Myth #1: All premium formula milk brands are manufactured in Western countries.

Fact: Most premium formula milk brands are manufactured in Southeast Asia. That’s right – you read that correctly. The fact is — it is a false perception that many Asian parents have. But what does it matter where the manufacturing is done?

This is where it is important for parents to understand the difference between a single manufacturing process versus a double manufacturing process.

A single manufacturing process is when the source of milk comes directly from cows in one country, like Holland, and are transported straight from farms to factories in the same country at the right temperature to be processed into formula milk before being packaged and sold to consumers.

A double manufacturing process is when milk is sourced from a farm that brands do not own – most likely a farm in Europe, Australia or New Zealand. This means that the cows are reared in farms overseas and the milk extracted from these cows are processed into powder before it comes to Southeast Asia for brands to add in their own formulations.

This forces the powdered milk to be put through multiple heat treatments that might end up compromising nutrient quality.

Friso Gold has full chain control with single manufacturing process to better preserve natural nutrients.

Myth #2 – Expensive is better.

Fact: Quality is the number one criteria cited by mums when choosing formula milk. So, what does good quality look like? Most mums believe that the more DHA the better. However, as the saying goes, the gut is the second brain. And so, it is important for milk formula to first be gut-friendly. An easy-to-digest milk formula will essentially support better absorption of key nutrients.

Look for milk formula that preserves 90%+ of natural nutrients for easy digestion.

Myth #3 – Formula feeding is easy.

Fact: Sure, formula feeding is relatively easy. All you have to do is measure out the right amount of water and mix thoroughly.

But when you are encountered with a stressful situation, like trying to placate a hungry child while trying to prepare their milk, you wish the milk would just make itself!

Thankfully, the great design behind Friso Gold Step 3 exhibits exactly what good packaging design should entail. First of all, you only need one hand to open the can due to the unique protection lid that offers airtight protection to preserve the freshness of the milk powder.

Secondly, the cleverly designed package is thoughtful towards parents because it holds the scoop right at the very top of the can — which means you never have to dig through the can ever again just to get the scoop out.

Thirdly, with a scoop guide, your child gets the right amount of recommended nutrients with every feed to support his or her right growth and development.

Parents, did you know that you are doing your best just by staying educated on where your child’s milk comes from?

Myth #4 – Milk formula is just a convenient solution.

Fact: There are many factors that go into choosing formula milk and it isn’t as simple as just picking one off the shelf.

Part of giving your best as a parent is knowing where your child’s milk is from as well as how it is made. When you look at your child’s formula milk label and identify the country it was manufactured in, you should be able to tell immediately if it had gone through a single or double manufacturing process.

Friso Gold provides natural goodness of milk starting from the source, thus ensuring the whole process of “Grass to Glass” and freshness of formula milk is preserved through their unique protection lid packaging.

Undoubtedly, when mums take the time to understand the manufacturing process behind formula milk and take the right steps in choosing a formula milk for their child, they are truly giving their best.

Friso Gold Step 3 is specially formulated with LocNutri™ technology, which uses only a mild heat treatment during the milk manufacturing process to preserve 90%+ of natural nutrients for easy digestion, so more nutrients goodness can be absorbed.

This way, your child will naturally have stronger insides so that he or she can experience more with you — which is ultimately what every parent wants.

For more information on Friso Gold Step 3 or to request a sample, visit their website
here
.

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5 Healthy Tips to Guard Your Child Against Illnesses

Having a small child means no running away from a fever and a cold, the two most common sicknesses that will “accompany” them as they grow up
1
.

Children are always exposed to a variety of germs and bacteria everywhere, whether at school, home or in kindergarten.

And with the world’s condition today, parents are getting more worried about their child’s health
2
. Just recently in March, Malaysia is seeing a surge in the number of children (0 to 12 years) being admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) due to viral respiratory illness
3
.

Naturally our child’s body has a defence system that is responsible for protecting from harmful germs, viruses and bacteria. They were born with natural protection from their mothers in the earliest months. As they begin to grow, that protection also begins to wane and vaccines are given to children to help keep them from falling ill
4
.

So as a parent, how do we ensure our child’s health is in shape, especially during the period when they are growing up?

Tips for keeping your child healthy throughout the year

1. Maintain good hygiene

Even good hygiene, bacteria and germs can be transmitted and contact with other people or objects and children especially are also more likely to catch viruses from the constant touching of their mouth and nose.

As a parent, you should pay special attention to your child’s hygiene before and after each meal, after using the bathroom, after arriving home from school, and when they cough or sneeze.

Teach them young, they say. Practising the habit of handwashing reduces the chance of them spreading infections after touching something. Washing hands more regularly has now become a second nature; maybe even getting children to sing the ‘happy birthday’ song twice to make sure they hit the 20-second recommended mark
5
.

2. Establishing good sleep routine

Just like how adults are moody when they don’t get enough sleep, the same thing happens with children that aren’t sleeping properly. Poor sleep during childhood can persist for extended periods, resulting in long-term problems in academic performance, poor impulse control, and impaired social functioning
6
.

Having a good night’s sleep is important to keep your child’s body full of energy and will also reduce stress levels. They also benefit from the restorative effects of sleep including improved brain function, development, working memory, and emotion regulation
4
 thus making them less susceptible to sickness.

Sleep requirements for each night vary by age:
7

Babies between 0 and 3 months need 14 to 17 hours of sleep. Infants between 4 and 12 months need 12 to 16 hours of sleep per 24 hours (including naps).

Toddlers between the ages of 1 and 2 need between 11 and 14 hours per 24 hours (including naps).

Kids between the ages of 3 and 5 should get from 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours (including naps).

Children ages 6 to 12 should get between 9 and 12 hours per 24 hours.

3. Get active

Physical activity and exercise are essential for a child’s overall fitness. By regularly doing physical activity, it can help prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several cancers. It also helps prevent hypertension, maintain healthy body weight and can improve mental health, quality of life and well-being
8
.

Encourage your child to play outside and explore the outdoors or take them to the playground, where they can run, jump, climb, slide, and move in general, giving your child a healthy outlet for exercise.

Besides taking them to the playground, parents can also consider other physical activities or even sign them up for physical classes or sports teams. Just remember to always wash their hands after playing outside.

4. Eat a well-balanced diet

Providing your kids with nutrient rich foods is a must when it comes to healthy development. It’s so important for parents to feed a variety of foods from each of the food groups, every day.

Even if it’s only in small amounts, offering your child a broad array of foods is the ideal way to expand their palate and ensure a diverse range of nutrients they need for growth and energy.

Phytonutrients in food, for example, have great benefits to the body for they are antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, antiaggegrative, and anti-inflammatory – acting as a natural defence weapon in maintaining a healthy body. Phytonutrient-rich sources include both colored (fruits, nuts, berries, vegetables, tea, cacao, legumes, spices) and uncolored foods (onions, garlic, ginger, shallots)
9
.

5. Food supplement

Parents can make a meal plan to ensure that your child’s meals always have some amount of essential-nutrient food. However, sometimes food supplements may help to ensure that children are getting enough. This is particularly important if your preschooler or children is a poor eater or are not getting a wide variety of vitamins and minerals in their diet. It also helps boost energy levels and support their body’s natural defence system.

Scott’s Pastilles
with Vitamin C are high in Vitamin C which is highly beneficial in helping the body absorb iron from their food. Did you know that the daily recommended Vitamin C intake for children aged 1-6 years old is 30mg and 35mg for children aged 7-9 years old?
10
 You can help fulfil your child’s daily Vitamin C intake with Scott’s Pastilles with Vitamin C which contains 21mg of Vitamin C per serving.

Scott’s, the No. 1 Brand in Peninsular Malaysia for Health Supplement and Vitamin C in Children Category based on IQVIA*, has been around for nearly 60 years in the country. It continues to make nutrients in interesting forms and formats that appeal to children alike.
Recommended from the age 3 onwards, the Scott’s Pastille with Vitamin C come in 5 different flavours — blackcurrant, orange, peach, mango and mixed berries — that are also Halal-certified.

So parents, amidst all the play, exploring, and fun, remember to keep up with your child’s Vitamin C intake. Give them Scott’s Pastilles with Vitamin C daily.

*IQVIA Malaysia Consumer Health Malaysia Audit (CHMA), Health Supplements and Vitamin C Children Category, Total Peninsular Malaysia, MAT Nov 2021 (Values)
Disclaimer: Consumption with adult supervision is advised and not to replace a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

PM-MY-SCT-22-00113

References:

Childhood illnesses
. nidirect. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2022, from
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/conditions/childhood-illnesses

Simon, A. K., Hollander, G. A., & McMichael, A. (2015). Evolution of the immune system in humans from infancy to old age. Proceedings.
Biological sciences
,
282
(1821), 20143085.

Bernama. (2021, September 12). Reopening of schools: Parents can choose not to send children to school – Radzi.
Astro Awani
. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from
https://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/reopening-schools-parents-can-choose-not-send-children-school-radzi-319377

Covid-19: Health Ministry says vaccination for children important for transition to endemic phase. (2022, March 12).
Malay Mail
. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2022/03/12/covid-19-health-ministry-says-vaccination-for-children-important-for-transi/2047028

Norman, R., & Gordon, B. (2020, October 15).
Handwashing can’t stop – millions of lives are at stake
. World Health Organization. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from
https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/handwashing-can-t-stop-millions-of-lives-are-at-stake

Wu, L. C., Hattangadi, N., Keown-Stoneman, C., Maguire, J. L., Birken, C. S., Stremler, R., Constantin, E., & Charach, A. (2022). Sleep Duration and Internalizing Symptoms in Children.
Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry = Journal de l’Academie canadienne de psychiatrie de l’enfant et de l’adolescent, 31
(3), 115–123.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, September 14).
How much sleep do I need?
 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from
https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html

World Health Organization. (2022, October 5).
Physical activity
. World Health Organization. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity

Khan, H., Barreca, D., Suntar, I., & Nabavi, S. M. (2020).
Phytonutrients in food: From traditional to rational usage
. Woodhead Publishing.

Yu, Y. K. (2016, September 8).
Importance and toxicity of vitamin C
. PORTAL MyHEALTH. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from
https://www.myhealth.gov.my/en/importance-toxicity-vitamin-c/

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 or
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 now!


Adult Acne & Face Map - Why Do Some Of Us Still Get It?

Acne can make us lose some self-esteem. You survived your school years, you survived your teenage life and probably thought you survived all the acne you were going to have. But too bad, nothing as such! Acne can hit you even in adulthood. Adult acne is defined as acne that occurs continuously, or develops after the age of 25.

Acne occurring during adulthood can be due to a variety of factors. Although acne is not similar to acne in your teenage times, the onset of adult acne can take place anywhere on the face.

More often, acne in adults tends to be at specific spots on the lower face area such as on the jawline. Adult acne is usually due to hormonal imbalance and it is more commonly seen in women. Nodulocystic or cystic acne is the hormonal acne that develops with a large, inflamed cyst on the adult face. This acne is undeniably painful. Close to that time of the month for women, hormone regulators produce excess oil in the skin, combined together with the dirt from the environment and wallah – here comes the spots! Unfortunately, women with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) or women who have no regular menstrual cycles experience adult acne more frequently, due to the hormonal imbalance.

Acne can appear on many areas of the face. Each part of the face corresponds to a different internal system in your body that needs to be looked at. So, by paying attention to this mapping, you can look at what needs help which eventually will assist with improving your complexion.

Face Acne Spot Map

Forehead

Acne on the forehead could be an indicator to look into your digestive system, or it could also be due to poor stress management and lack of rest.

Between The Eyebrows

This area could be a sign that you might have poor diet management with an excessive oil intake, or ineffective gallbladder functions.

Nose

Acne on the nose might be telling you that you have a digestive system that is weak, some constipation and bloating or have a less than ideal fibre intake.

Cheeks

Acne on cheeks are a sign that you might have liver or lung problems, are overeating, or are using dirty makeup brushes or cellphones.

Mouth or Lip Area

This signifies excess of oily foods, high calorie foods and possibly a weak gut.

Worry not! There are ways to soothe your acne

Our skin obviously becomes more sensitive when we have acne. We want to treat the skin gently so it does not cause additional breakouts and we definitely do not want scarring. Here are some tips on how to manage your skin naturally when acne hits:

1. Use “at-home” natural ingredients

There are several ingredients in your kitchen that could help to soothe acne. These are natural at-home remedies are believed to combat acne problems, reduce scarring and prevent acne from coming back. Natural ingredients such as
apple cider vinegar
 (ACV) is known for its wide benefits. While it is also antimicrobial, applying ACV to the skin could help to reduce acne in a short time. Additionally,
Kelulut Honey
, cinnamon, aloe vera, and turmeric also help with your acne.

2. Proper diet

Diet also plays an important role in your skin condition. Eating healthy whole foods such as fruits and vegetables will help to increase your fibre intake and therefore give you less constipation or
gut related issues
, thus giving your skin a better chance at breathing.

3. Managing stress

Stress could trigger hormones to regulate more oil in the skin. This will clog pores make us break out even more. This is why
management of stress
 is essential.

4. Balanced hormones

Balanced hormones will help you to get closer to healthier skin and reduce your acne outbursts. Signs like heavy irregular and painful periods, hot flashes, night sweats, indigestion are symptoms that could mean hormonal imbalance. If you are concerned about this, go to your doctor and suggest a blood test. Typically doctors will do a test to check on your hormones levels by testing for things like thyroid, oestrogen, testosterone and cortisol levels.
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Acne in adults is more common than we think and it can be very stressful. But with correct management, diagnosis and correct lifestyle it is however possible to prevent acne from getting worse and eventually reduce future outbreaks.

This article has been republished with permission from
PurelyB

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#TAPReviews: MAM Baby Supreme Pacifiers

As a mother, there were many things I read up on. One of the things I came across was of course, how pacifiers affect teeth development in babies. Upon further research, I found that MAM Baby pacifiers, especially their Perfect range, was developed by paediatric dentists to support oral development.

So since birth, my son has always used MAM Baby’s Perfect Pacifier. Somehow, I also had it in my head that to maintain his oral development, I should continue using the newborn size.

This is where I went wrong.

My assumption that not going up a size would help his oral development was completely wrong, because it brought about a different set of issues. For one, he was developing a rash near his mouth due to saliva always leaking out from the sides of the pacifier.

After speaking to MAM Baby about this, they advised me that I should have gone up the sizes as he met those milestones. So when the opportunity for us to try MAM Baby Supreme Pacifiers cropped up (with the appropriate sizing!), we decided to give it a shot.

And here’s what I found:

1. Saliva doesn’t leak out anymore

What I found out was that when you give a child a pacifier that is too “small” for their age, and as their mouths grow bigger, they will find it hard to suck at the pacifier teat. This is how saliva pools and eventually leaks out to cause rashes around the mouth.

After switching to the 16+ months Supreme pacifier, this was no longer an issue.

2. It certainly fit better

If you can see from the picture above, Jedi is wearing a MAM Baby Perfect Pacifier for newborns. Obviously, at over 18 months, this is way too small for him.

Subsequently, after he tried the new MAM Baby Supreme Pacifier, I could immediately see the difference where it fit better on him and the saliva would no longer leak out and get stuck on the pacifier rims, causing rashes around the mouth.

3. It is still the same teat as the Perfect range

Despite the pacifier design looking different, the extra-thin teat remains the same as the Perfect range of pacifiers, maintaining its priority on good oral development for your growing baby. It allows for a more natural mouth closure as well as gives teeth more room to grow.

This Supreme design also offers better breathability since the shield design is airy, which really makes a huge difference in our hot and humid climate.

Though the Supreme pacifiers are not new to the rest of the world, it is a new product line by MAM Baby that has recently been brought into Malaysia.

For more information on the MAM Baby Supreme pacifiers or to purchase them, visit the Malaysian MAM Baby website
here
.

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Mummies beware! Ceiling fans can be a safety hazard

We’ve never really thought anything more of ceiling fans than the fact that they help cool the room down, and that they work better than standing fans, and are more environmentally friendly than air-conditioners.

However, what mummy Karen Xiao experienced may just be an eye-opener to how unsafe they can actually be.

Karen shared with us that while she was in the room with her 4-month-old daughter, her ceiling fan suddenly went out of control and two of its blades broke.

Thankfully, neither Karen nor her baby was hurt. Karen also states that if she had placed her baby on the bed, she’s sure it would have totally been a much worse scenario.

You can read her Facebook post about the incident below:

According to Karen, the ceiling fan’s speed was at its lowest and was left on for a few hours when the incident took place.

The fan first started shaking, the one blade hit the ceiling fan and broke.

In order to stop the other blades of the fan from breaking, Karen quickly switched the power off.

She suggests that the incident could be due to the fan’s prolong usage, especially with it being 4 years old.

Karen hopes that her Facebook post will be able to raise awareness about the potential dangers that a ceiling fan can bring. Also, mummies should think twice about installing a ceiling fan in the baby room, or putting the baby’s bed directly under the ceiling fan.

Safety tips to protect your babies

The following tips are from this
theAsianparent article
.

If you have a pedestal/table fan, place it well away from potential contact from the baby, ensuring there is nothing nearby that he can climb up onto in order to reach the fan.

Make sure that all cords are out of reach from your baby.

Invest in a fan guard, which is made out of fine mesh and fitted over the fan head to prevent little finger getting caught in the blades. This will also prevent your child from poking other objects in the blades.

If you do buy a second-hand fan, run it through rigorous tests for health and safety. Make sure the grill is secure and the oscillator works, and the electrical works are safe as well.

Consider fitting a ceiling fan as these are obviously placed far away from your baby’s reach.

If you do install one, ensure at least 3 to 4 feet between the tip of the ceiling fan blades and the edge of your child’s bed or other furniture, so if he’s tempted to jump on his bed or climb he won’t reach the fan. This is especially important if your child has a bunk bed.

Ensure that all blades are properly installed and that the fan is securely mounted following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Never turn a fan into a play thing. As a kid, you may have made silly noises in front of a fan, but it’s best not to show your child how to do this as it’s a safety hazard.

Do not hang streamers, ropes or other items from the blades of a ceiling fan. This could pose the danger of strangulation for your child.

Clean your fan at least once a month, as dust and dirt will get trapped on the blades.

We hope you’ve learnt an important safety message from this article. If you have any thoughts on this story, do share them with us.
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How to Count Your Baby's Kicks, and Why is It So Important?

From the moment you experience that first fluttering sensation in your tummy, to those strong (and sometimes painful!) jabs and punches from little elbows and knees – your baby’s kicks – from the very first one to the very last, are all precious. However, counting kicks during pregnancy is also an important way for expectant mothers to keep track of their baby’s movements during the third trimester of pregnancy.

It is important to keep track of all your baby’s movements daily in the third trimester, as any changes detected in this period are often the earliest sign of distress in a baby.

When a mother has established regular kick patterns, she has a sense of what is considered normal and regular, and what is not. We at theAsianparent, frequently hear from mums whose babies were saved because they counted kicks during pregnancy. Because of this, these mums were thus able to weed out any unusual developments (or lack thereof) in their baby’s movement patterns and were able to alert their healthcare providers in time.

Regular monitoring of your baby’s movements helps you keep track of what is normal and what is not. Photo: iStock

Counting kicks during pregnancy: Why is it important?

Stillbirth prevention

It is every mother’s nightmare to have the pregnancy she laboured for months in advance to end in a tragedy.

Stillbirth
 is devastating and unexpected. But it can sometimes be prevented, and counting kicks during pregnancy, and especially in your third trimester and towards the end, is one way to ensure that you lower the risk of your baby being stillborn.

According to
Count the Kicks
,
a stillbirth prevention public health campaign established in the United States of America, the early success of the initiative’s efforts have already been spotted with stillbirth rates dropping nearly 32 percent in Iowa, the state in which it was first implemented. The campaign notes that approximately 24,000 babies are lost to stillbirth every year in the US. “Statistically, that means 1 out of every 167 pregnancies ends in stillbirth. For African American mums, that number is even more alarming – 1 in 94!”

According to reports
, fifty per cent of mothers who have lost a baby to stillbirth in the third trimester reported that they noticed a gradual decline in foetal movement several days prior to the loss of the pregnancy. This indicates that many cases of stillbirth are not sudden and that you might be able to save your baby if you are aware of the warning signs and of what’s normal and what’s not with regard to your baby’s movements.

In fact, a change in your baby’s heartbeat is one of the last things to occur when a baby is in distress, whereas decreased movement is an early sign.

Monitoring your baby’s movements allows you to detect changes in usual patterns, indicating any potential problems before actual changes in the heart rate are detected. The time in between the detection of reduced patterns in movement and decreased heart rate, may well be the only time you have to save your baby.

The campaign further notes that if the outcome of decreased rates in stillbirth brought about through mothers counting their baby’s kicks and being aware of their movements to note any new changes indicating a potential threat, “is replicated in all 50 states (of the US), more than 7,500 babies will be saved every year!” The numbers thus naturally increase multiple folds, in a global context. Counting kicks during pregnancy is a way of saving babies’ lives.

And one of those could be yours.

It is vital, therefore, for pregnant mothers to keep track and observe patterns that will be established through the course of their pregnancy.

Futhermore, in addition to
helping prevent stillbirth
, counting your baby’s kicks serves as a way to help you to bond with your baby.

This is your special time with your little unborn baby, reserved to focus on your baby’s movements and personality. You may take this one step ahead if you wish and further utilise this as an opportunity for family time, when you bring your partner and any other siblings into the midst to share this experience with you. This will enable them to improve their bond with the baby as well, strengthening family ties and establishing an early connection in between family members.

Counting kicks can also count as Family Time! Photo: iStock

Counting kicks during pregnancy: how to keep track of your baby’s movements

Pregnant mothers are advised to begin counting kicks in the 28th week of their pregnancy, or at 26 weeks if you are high risk or pregnant with multiples.

Your pregnancy may be progressing along smoothly and without much complication, but even normal pregnancies can sometimes turn problematic, and usually active babies can also experience distress, sometimes quickly and without other warning signs.

A record of your baby’s movement every day will alert you if your normally active baby has slowed down, and you will have recorded data to show your ob-gyn regarding your concerns.

Here are some tips for you to make counting kicks during pregnancy easier:

Make use of online resources and apps available to keep track of your baby’s movements in order to facilitate a digitised record that you are able to flip back to access, or show to your ob-gyn if the need arises. theAsianparent’s Kick Counter is one such resource.

Start at the 28th week of your pregnancy, and count your baby’s movements every day, preferably at the same time.

Every baby is different, and the time you pick should be when your baby is usually active and you notice an increase in movements.

Your baby should have at least 10 movements within an hour.

Sit comfortably, with your feet up or lie on your side to count each of your baby’s movements – these include kicks, rolls, pokes and jabs, but not hiccups as they count as an involuntary movement.

Time yourself on how long it usually takes to get to ten movements.

In most cases, it will take less than half an hour on average in order to record ten movements, but each baby is different.

Regular monitoring of movements will enable you to soon form patterns and derive a sense of what’s normal for your baby (how long it takes your baby to get to ten movements), alerting you to call your doctor if you notice any changes.

Be sure to count your baby’s movements every day without fail.

Documenting your baby’s movements will give you a record of data that you could provide to your doctor if the need arises. Photo: iStock

When to call your doctor?

While the word “normal” differs from baby to baby, and activity patterns are unique and different to every foetus, keeping track of your daily kick counting sessions will enable you with a sense of what your baby usually does.

Anything out of the ordinary should be considered as a potential problem and you should bring it to your doctor’s attention right away.

Notify your ob-gyn immediately if there have been:

Any change in movement patterns (it starts to take longer than usual to record ten kicks).

Any changes in the strength of your baby’s movements, that is if you notice the movements become weaker, or if you suddenly notice a wild surge in your baby’s movements. Both of these instances should be paid attention to, and taken to your doctor immediately. You should not wait until you note significant changes in your baby’s movement pattern, or note no sign of movement at all, to bring the matter to your doctor’s notice.

Any feeling that something is “off” with regard to your baby’s movements. When in doubt, contact your doctor. Pay attention to that mummy-sense. It’s there for a reason, and it is usually right! As the adage goes, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Contrary to the popular belief that babies kick lesser towards the end of your pregnancy, you may experience a difference in movement with less sharp kicking and more rolling.
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However, if you have been keeping track of movements at the same time each day, it should take about the same amount of time to feel 10 movements.

Remember mamas, anything out of the ordinary, anything different, even a “prickling” of that mummy-instinct and gut feeling, needs to be paid attention to. These could be vital signs that your baby is in distress and you could be one step away from saving your baby’s precious life.

This article has been republished with permission from
theAsianparent Singapore
.

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Our Top Picks for Best Distance Learning Tools

We can’t deny that distance learning is quite a challenge. To make it easier, we’ve picked out a group of tools to make it easier for schools to deliver lessons, communicate effectively and facilitate fun learning even when we can’t do it in person now. Best thing, most are free to use.

1. Learning and Classroom Management

Google Classroom

This may be the easiest way to launch online classes and stay connected remotely.

Easy to create classes – To join a class, teachers just have to share a code with her students.

Effective communication – Teachers can post announcements and facilitate class discussions instantly.

Seamless assignment workflow – Teachers can assign, grade and review assignments securely. Students can access course materials anytime and anywhere.

Stay organised – Keeps all class materials, including assignments, videos and photos, neatly organised in Google Drive folders

Price:
 Free

Compatibility:
 Desktop, iOS and Android

Visit Website

Edmodo

Teachers can share lessons, communicate with students and keep parents updated all with one tool and a variety of languages.

Teachers can live stream class instruction, present activities and create quizzes that the whole class can do online.

Discover new lessons and get inspired by resources posted by other teachers around the world.

Facilitate classroom discussions with students and send direct messages to parents.

Students can stay more organised with an in-built planner that will be updated automatically.

Price:
 Free

Compatibility:
 Desktop, iOS and Android

Visit Website

2. For Teachers to Create Digital Learning Content

Nearpod

This software allows teachers to customise lessons and students to participate interactively in virtual classrooms.

Teachers can create customisable lessons by using Google Slides or by importing existing lessons (ppts, pdfs, jpegs) in minutes.

There are thousands of ready-to-run lessons created by other educators. Some are free, some needs to be paid.

Teachers can control lessons across all student devices and evaluate student responses live or create post-session reports.

Students are kept engaged in every lesson as they are always required to participate actively with open-ended questions, drawing tools, activities, quizzes, virtual field trips and more.

Price:
 Free, Paid, In-app purchases

Compatibility:
 Desktop, iOS and Android

Visit Website

Planboard

Cut down lesson prep time with this online classroom planner.

Create digital lessons and customise with videos and photos.

There’s a Standards Progression tool that can help keep classroom progress on track.

View and edit lessons on any device, and also share lessons with colleagues.

Easy to organise subjects, timetables and semesters.

Price:
 Free, Paid

Compatibility:
 Desktop, iOS and Android

Visit Website

3. Platforms That Support Live-video Communication

Google Hangouts

Engage in a conversation or start a free video call to keep in touch with all your contacts worldwide.

Setting up is a breeze. Simply just share a link and talk.

Talk to one person or communicate as a group of up to 10 people across any devices.

Add more to the conversation with videos and photos.

Price:
 Free

Compatibility:
 Desktop, iOS and Android

Visit Website

Microsoft Teams

Host audio or video meetups with your school community and achieve more as a team.

Chat privately or in groups without compromising security.

Host live presentations with up to 10,000 attendees inside or outside your school.

Access features that allows you to share files in real time and save what’s important.

Price:
 Free with Office 365

Compatibility:
 Desktop, iOS and Android

Visit Website

Zoom

It’s easy for spontaneous video group chats and works fine with low-bandwidth connections.

Host online classes or group chats for up to 100 people in a snap.

Easily share photos, web, Dropbox or Google Drive files.

There’s a 40 minute time limit for free group sessions.

Price:
 Free

Compatibility:
 Desktop, iOS and Android

Visit Website

 Skype

This alternative now allows group sessions up to 50 participants without having to sign-in.

With a Chrome browser, there’s no need to install anything before starting a group video chat.

Participants can record sessions and rewatch them for up to 30 days, which can come in handy.

For anyone living in a messy space, there’s a feature to blur the background. Super handy.

Price:
 Free
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Compatibility:
 Desktop, iOS and Android

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4. Digital Portfolio and Parent Communication

ClassDojo

This is a simple communication platform that helps build a positive school community instead of just a classroom.

Children’s work can be neatly stored in their own digital portfolios for easy track recording.

Teachers and students can share feedback on progress along the way, and parents can access character building activities for their kids. This is a great way to encourage skills and values like teamwork, perseverance and mindfulness in students.

Teachers and parents can instantly message each other without sharing any contact details.

When everybody can go back to school like normal, teachers can share the classroom experience with parents through photos and videos.

Price:
 Free

Compatibility:
 Desktop, iOS and Android

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5. Online Learning Resources

 British Council Learn English Kids

Find tips and advice from the English teaching experts to help children practise their English at home. Just like their
in-person classes
, children learn through online interactive activities that are fun, such as stories, games, songs and videos.

Visit Website

Scholastic Learn at Home

Scholastic offers day-to-day projects categorised into topics to keep Kindergarten up to Year 9 kids occupied at home. There are reading materials, activity ideas, tips and tricks for home learning, and other resources for both teachers and families.

Visit Website

Duolingo

Enhance school lessons with Duolingo. Get children to become proficient in new languages through fun, game-like lessons that are quick to pick up and effective to learn. Master Chinese, French or even Swahili with new words, vocabulary and grammar covered in every lesson.

Visit Website

Khan Academy

Click on “Courses” to access online learning resources sorted by subjects, including Maths, Science, Reading, Social-emotional learning and Arts. Lessons cover preschool learning to high school lessons. Children can practice interactively online.

Visit Website

YouTube Read Aloud @Brightly Storytime

Read along to full-length picturebooks either presented by the anchor storyteller, Ms. Linda, or the authors themselves. Snuggle up for some weekly story time to raise lifelong readers.

Visit Website

This article has been republished with permission from
Kiddy123.

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Stock Up on These 3 Must-Have Pantry Items

Due to the current situation, it can be a bit inconvenient (not to mention unsafe) to be buying food supplies on a daily basis. We get that fresh food is the best kind of food to consume for one’s health and all but as the surroundings around us change, so do we as we have to learn how to adapt along with it. Therefore, here we have listed down 3 of the most necessary pantry food items that we reckon you should stock-up on which will help you and your loved ones survive this trying period without much suffering (in terms of your stomach that is).

1. Rice

As born and bred Malaysians, rice is something most if not all of us can’t live without. Thus, on your next pantry run, make sure to get enough rice to last you and your family for at least a month. That way, you won’t need to make unnecessary trips to the supermarket just to buy some more rice. Besides being a staple food item, rice is also a versatile ingredient to have around the home as you can make lots of dishes using it such as risotto,
nasi lemak
,
nasi lauk
 and don’t get us started on
nasi goreng
.
Nasi goreng
 alone has many versions like
nasi goreng kampung
,
nasi goreng cina,
 and many others.

2. Noodles

For those of you who don’t like rice (as horrifying as that might be we won’t judge you for it) or are trying to lose weight by not consuming rice, there are always noodles. When we say noodles, we’re not just referring to the yellow noodles, laksa noodles or instant noodles. We’re also talking about pasta, vermicelli and basically anything related to noodles that can be slurped. Just like rice, noodles are very versatile and many delicious dishes can be made using them such as noodle soup, Italian pasta, ramen and you guessed it, fried noodles. Just throw in any other ingredients alongside it and it’ll easily become a mouthwatering home-cooked dish.

3. Eggs

Although eggs are rarely the main stars in any cooked meal, the absence of them in one’s kitchen can prove to be problematic. Imagine frying rice or noodles and not having any eggs to throw into the mix. Of course, it’ll still be eaten to the last grain but it’ll be missing that one element that elevates a dish from good to great. Apart from complementing and elevating a dish, eggs can be eaten at any time of the day be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. For breakfast, one can make scrambled eggs, omelette, or soft boiled eggs. For lunch, egg salad or egg spread on bread. For dinner, egg casserole or for a more local taste, egg fried rice.

This article has been republished with permission from
Printcious.

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Is Your Little One Getting Vaccinated Soon? Tips On What You Should Do Before & After Each Jab

Infectious diseases are one of the leading causes of death among children
1
. Vaccination is one of the ways that can help protect and prevent children from getting these diseases.

The Malaysian National Immunisation Programme has been in place since the 1950s – all babies born in Malaysia are given free vaccinations
2
.

The immunisation programme offered by the Ministry of Health Malaysia can help prevent around 13 childhood diseases namely Tuberculosis (TB), Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Measles,
Haemophilus influenzae
 type B (Hib), Hepatitis B, Human papillomavirus (HPV), Japanese encephalitis (JE), Mumps, Rubella and Pneumococcal
2
.

As parents, do pay close attention to your child’s vaccination schedule. Parents are advised to follow the vaccination schedule accordingly as it is important in helping your child to have optimal protection
3
.

What do you normally do before getting your child vaccinated?

Based on survey conducted on theAsianparent app(4)

There are a few important steps parents can take to prepare for their child’s vaccination, for example, more than half of the parents who responded to the survey conducted on theAsianparent app said that they would read up on information about the vaccines on the internet. 38% would read leaflets provided by medical centres or doctors about vaccines
5
.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask your doctor. In fact, 35% of parents from the survey agree that they would talk to their doctors to find out more about the benefits and risks of vaccines their child is taking
5
.

Moreover, parents can also talk to other parents that have brought their children for vaccination. 17% of parents agree that it is good to ask for their advice and find out what the side effects their child has been through after vaccination.

Do bring along your child’s vaccination card in order for your doctor to check on your child’s vaccination records
5
.

What are the three things you do to calm your newborn during vaccination
5
?

Based on survey conducted on theAsianparent app(6).

There are a few tricks and ways to soothe babies when they are getting vaccinated, and to make sure that they feel calm during the visit to the doctor’s.

Firstly, 28% of parents distract their baby with their favourite toy. 44% of parents try to talk to their baby with a soft and comforting tone while distracting them with their favourite toy.

Parents can also entertain their baby by singing their favourite song (15%) while holding and hugging them (64%).
15% of parents calm their baby down with blankets which have their smell, while 33% of mums breastfeed their baby before vaccination.

28% of parents would hold their baby in a comfortable position while looking into their eyes.

What are the three things you do to calm your older child during vaccination
5
?

Based on survey conducted on theAsianparent app(7)

Calming older children during vaccination may be slightly challenging as they are more likely to wriggle out of your arms or have a meltdown.

According to the survey conducted on theAsianparent app, 38% of parents point out interesting things in the room to create distractions.
59% of parents will hold their child’s hand for support and 30% will encourage them to take deep breaths.

14% of parents also try telling stories or jokes to their child as a temporary distraction, while 35% of parents hold them on their lap.
Furthermore, 11% of parents offer sweets after taking their jabs.

Parents can also explain to their children that the pain from the injection is just temporary and will not last for long.

What are the 3 things you do to calm your newborn after vaccination
8
?

Based on survey conducted on theAsianparent app(9)

After their baby’s vaccination, 27% of parents swaddle their baby with a blanket and comfort them with a soft and calming voice.
Babies are also often calmed with physical touch. 24% of parents say they hug and sway their baby close and 40% of parents will shush their babies calmly.

62% of parents say they will breastfeed, and 15% of parents let their baby suck on pacifiers or their bottles for comfort.

What are the three things you do after vaccination for older children?

Based on survey conducted on theAsianparent app(10)

For older children, 37% of parents use a cool, wet cloth to reduce soreness and swelling of the injection site, while 31% of parents will give lukewarm water baths to reduce fever
5
.
58% of parents agree to make sure that their child drinks more water, while 18% of parents give non-aspirin pain relievers
5
. 49% of parents ensure that their child gets plenty of rest.

While 39% of parents offer words of encouragement while offering cuddles and hugs after the child has gotten their vaccination.
Before leaving the clinic, do consult with your doctor on what you can do for your child at home to help them reduce possible side effects of the vaccine.

Do not panic as there are possible side effects that are generally temporary after vaccination. This is because your child’s body is building antibodies naturally in order to prevent infectious diseases.

What are the effects of vaccines towards infants?

Many parents are concerned about getting their children vaccinated due to their doubt on vaccine security.

Vaccines are generally well tolerated due to its stringent and extensive research before public use. Normally there are mild side effects which may include fever, mild swelling and pain at the injected area
11
. If this happens, consult with your doctor or comfort your child with lukewarm baths and cold compress for mild swelling and pain
5
.

However, parents are encouraged to immediately see the doctor shall any of the below occur
12
:

Breathing difficulties

Unable to wake up

Prolonged crying

Fever

Why Are Infants Vaccinated From Young Age?

Parents should know that vaccines are important in supporting infants as their immune system is weak
3
.
By providing vaccines to your infants according to the fixed schedule, you can help protect your child from some fatal diseases
13
.

If your child does not receive complete vaccination on time, they are at risk to contract diseases such as measles and whooping cough
13
.

According to the USA’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most unvaccinated children are prone to be infected by fatal diseases, which can lead to death
13
.

So as parents – we are sure you want only the best for your children and families. Ask your doctor about the necessary preventive steps you can take today.

This information is provided as a professional service by MSD. The views expressed in the publication reflects the experience and opinions of the authors.

MY-ROT-00230 Jul/2022

References:

UNICEF. Childhood diseases. Available from:
https://www.unicef.org/health/childhood-diseases
. Last Accessed 1 July 2022.

Immunise4Life. The Malaysian National Immunisation Programme (NIP). Available from:
https://immunise4life.my/the-malaysian-national-immunisation-programme-nip/
. Last Accessed 1 July 2022.

MyHealth. Immunisation: Facts and Myths. Available from:
https://www.myhealth.gov.my/imunisasi-fakta-dan-kemusykilan/
. Last Accessed 1 July 2022.

theAsianparent Survey. What do you normally do before getting your child vaccinated?. Retrieved on 20 July 2022.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Before, During, and After Your Shots.

Available from:

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/visit/before-during-after-shots.html
.
Last Accessed 1 June 2022.

theAsianparent Survey. What are the 3 things you do to calm your newborn during vaccination?. Retrieved on 20 July 2022.

theAsianparent Survey. What are the 3 things you do to calm your older child during vaccination?. Retrieved on 20 July 2022.

KidsHealth. How Can I Comfort My Baby During Shots? Available from:
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/baby-vaccinations.html
. Last Accessed 20 July 2022.

theAsianparent Survey. What are the 3 things you do to calm your newborn after vaccination?. Retrieved on 20 July 2022.

theAsianparent Survey. What are the 3 things you do after vaccination for older children?. Retrieved on 20 July 2022.

World Health Organization (WHO). Vaccines and Immunization: Vaccine Safety Q&A. Available from:
https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/vaccines-and-immunization-vaccine-safety
. Last Accessed 15

June 2022.

Seattle Children’s Hospital. Immunization Reactions. Available from:
https://www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/immunization-reactions/
. Last Accessed 20 July 2022.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Answers to Your Most Common Questions about Childhood Vaccines. Available from:
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/FAQs.html
.
Last Accessed 1 July 2022.

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download
 theAsianparent Community
 on
iOS
 or
Android
 now!


Mum finds daughter's fingers covered in blisters after playing with slime

Are your kids obsessed with slime? Slime is one of the most popular “toys” that kids play with today. But like most toys, it also comes with its fair share of risks. So parents, you have to ask yourself – is slime dangerous?

As fun as it may be to play with store-bought slime or simply make your own slime, the thick and slippery substance could be potentially toxic to your children’s skin and cause health problems.

Is slime dangerous? Borax in slime linked to health problems

Image source: YouTube screengrab

Mum-of-two Gemma Williams from the UK, was horrified to find her daughter’s fingers covered in blisters after making slime at home.

The
New York Post
reported Layla Fisher, 10, was diagnosed with chemical burns caused by the slime she made using a recipe she found online using only glue, shaving foam and contact lens solution.

Contact lens solution contains trace amounts of borax (sodium borate), also known as borax or boric acid. The chemical is one of the primary ingredients for making slime at home as it’s the stuff that gives the slime its gooeyness. It can also be found in liquid starch and liquid laundry detergent.

While borax is fine in small doses, exposure to excessively high levels of borax has been linked to health problems like irritation, diarrhoea, and vomiting, and could potentially cause
birth defects
 as well as
infertility problems
.

Thankfully Layla’s all okay now after seeing a doctor and going on medication.

It’s not just in other countries that slime poses a potential health risk to kids.
In Singapore
, regulatory agency for consumer goods safety Enterprise Singapore found two slime products sold here, Magnetic Putty and Dr Wacko’s Mad Lab Colour Goo, containing unsafe levels of borax and have removed them from shelves.

The agency advises parents to purchase slime from reputable brands and stores, and to check if the product has met safety requirements.

Make your own fluffy borax-free slime

Is slime dangerous? Even if you make slime at home, it can contain dangerous chemical substances that are harmful to the skin. | Source:

The best (and safest) way is to make your own borax-free slime at home with your kids. It’s quick to make

and is plenty of fun. You can try this recipe
 using only shampoo and cornstarch.

Put 1/2 cup shampoo and 1/4 cup of cornstarch in a bowl.

Mix well.

Add 3 drops of food colouring (optional – especially if your kid is allergic to colouring).

Add 1 tablespoon of water and stir. Slowly add 5 more tablespoons of water, stirring well after each one.

Knead the slime for around 5 minutes.

Keep adding cornstarch into your slime if you find it’s still sticky. Different brands of cornstarch and the level of humidity the air means you may need a little more cornstarch than what we listed here.

For a slightly warm, “volcano slime”, try this:

Pour 1/4 cup white school glue (check the ingredients!) and a 1/2 cup of cornstarch in a bowl.

Add 3 drops of food colouring (optional).

Mix it well.

Knead it with your hands for 10 minutes.

Heat it in the microwave for 20 seconds.

Let it cool, then knead it for another 10 minutes.

Extra tips for aspiring slime creators

Before you make the slime, cover your table with a dirty tablecloth or oilcloth so it’s easier to cleanup later.

Slime can be a little messy, so it might be wise to play with slime over plastic table mats to protect your furniture. Give it a quick wipe down when your kids are done playing with the slime.

Because it’s made of glue, Slime becomes harder to clean off the longer you keep playing with it, especially once it starts to dry. Use warm soapy water to bring the slime back to life.

Don’t forget to ask your kids to wash their hands and avoid touching their mouth when playing with slime.

Source:
New York Post

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The Gift of Healthy Hair: Dyson Hair Care Experience This Mother’s Day

Celebrate this Mother’s Day with a limited-edition gift set for the Dyson Supersonic
TM
 hairdryer and the coveted Dyson Airwrap
TM
 multi-styler. But why stop there? Complete the gifting experience with a visit to the Dyson Demo Store / Dyson Beauty Labs for a complimentary session where she can learn styling tips to get the best out of her Dyson machine!

Dyson engineers are continuously striving to advance engineering, bringing people better ways to style hair more healthily, informed by a continued dedication to hair science and deepening understanding of all hair types.

This Mother’s Day, Dyson combines pioneering tool technology with Dyson-designed accessories to provide the ultimate gift for loved ones. Dyson hair tools are engineered to preserve hair from extreme heat damage. With a range of tools, personalisable with precision-engineered attachments, variable heat settings and accompanying accessories, owners of all hair types can create many styles, without compromising the health of their hair.

Complete the gift with an experience this year. Dyson Demo Stores invite customers to experience Dyson technology first-hand. Visit Dyson Demo Stores to meet Dyson Experts for a complimentary demonstration on styling tips and learn how to get the best out of Dyson’s haircare technology. Presentation cases can also be personalised with a choice of debossed initials, available only when buying directly from Dyson.

To buy, learn more and experience Dyson Hair Care technology, visit www.dyson.my and Dyson Demo Stores.

Dyson Supersonic
TM
 hairdryer

Engineered for different hair types, the Dyson Supersonic
TM
 hair dryer is powerful and fast. The tool uses a fast but focused airflow is engineered for balance in the hand, is quieter than others and intelligently controls the temperature to help protect hair from extreme heat damage.

Unlike traditional hairdryers, the Dyson Supersonic
TM
 hair dryer measures air temperature over 40 times a second to regulate temperature output. Featuring Dyson’s intelligent heat control technology, the Dyson Supersonic
TM
 hairdryer prevents extreme heat damage, to help protect hair’s shine.

The Dyson Supersonic
TM
 hairdryer in fuchsia/nickel gift set comes with an exclusive Prussian blue presentation case and is priced at RM2,099, available from Dyson Demo Stores and www.dyson.my/dyson-supersonic-fuchsia-nickel-gift-edition.

Dyson Airwrap
TM
 multi-styler

Styling hair should not be synonymous with damaging hair. Similarly, to the Dyson Supersonic
TM
 hairdryer, the Dyson Airwrap
TM
 multi-styler features Dyson’s intelligent heat control technology, allowing users to achieve their desired style at a lower temperature, preventing hair from extreme heat damage.

Now re-engineered for faster, easier styling, the Dyson Airwrap
TM
multi-styler brings new and re-engineered attachments powered by enhanced Coanda airflow. Next-generation styling barrels featuring a rotating cool tip now allow users to style the full head, creating clockwise and anti-clockwise curls and waves, without the need to switch attachment mid-style.

Re-engineered brush attachments deliver precision shaping with enhanced Coanda performance, alongside an all-new dual-purpose Coanda smoothing dryer to hide flyaways in a single pass, with no extreme heat and transform into a powerful dryer with the flick of a switch.

The Dyson Airwrap
TM
 multi-styler is priced at RM2,699, available from Dyson Demo Stores and www.dyson.my/products/hair-care/dyson-airwrap/overview.
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Disclaimer: You are not allowed to share this article on any other website or on Facebook without providing proper credit and the original article link on
theAsianparent Malaysia
 website

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Language Classes: Does My Child Need Them?

Giving the gift of languages – Is a foreign language really a gift to my child?

As Malaysians, being bilingual is something we take pride in. Being able to converse in at least two or more languages, be it Malay, English, Mandarin or Tamil, switching tongues just seems natural to us. But as parents in Malaysia, sending your child to language classes just might not be on your mind. Here’s why you should definitely consider language-based enrichment classes for your little one:

1. Language Absorption

Children between the ages of 6 months up to 10 years are like little sponges, they absorb everything easily and quickly! It’s a natural ability for children that age to imitate their surroundings. Monkey see, monkey do!

Their brains are designed to receive and learn foreign languages easily within the early years of their lives. Studies from the University of Washington show that as children age, they lose the ability to understand and learn foreign languages gradually.

Mortimer English Club
 offers English language enrichment classes through games using senses and is easily accessible with locations all over Klang Valley.

2. Boosts Brain Activity

Studies have also shown that being bi- or multilingual are better at multitasking and are more focused than monolinguals. Exposing your child to foreign languages can provide ‘mental gymnastics’ which can assist in sharpening their attention skills.

Other skills that are acquired when your child is introduced to foreign language include:

Critical thinking

Problem solving

Better memory

Better overall cognitive patterns

Check out
EMS English School
, a top-ranking English language center that offers a variety of classes to suit the needs of a modern family.

3. Boosts Empathy

Children who are exposed to foreign languages are often more open and empathic. This is because they understand and appreciate foreign culture and arts through the languages they learn. Often times, children who are multilingual tend to be mindful of their surroundings and considerate towards others who may or may not understand the language.

Other than that, a multilingual child also has a deeper perspective towards a different race, customs, geography, and other things that may be ‘different’ from what they are accustomed to.

Bright Star Chinese Education
 strives to promote the Chinese art and culture through different courses made available at the center. Classes are available for different age groups, covering various topics.

With native English speakers as teachers, parents can be sure that
Emphasis English Academy
 only provides the best English language lessons using the Emphasis Method to help your child master the language.

4. Better Academic Performance

As your child begins to learn a new language and acquire additional skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, these skills become the foundation of your child’s learning abilities academically.

Studies show that children and young adults who are multilingual perform better academically especially with Mathematics and languages.

Looking to teach your child Mandarin?
Little Professor Chinese Learning Centre
 has a specially designed pictorial programme to help young children master 2,500 Chinese characters in no time using right and left-brain strategies.

Modern English
 also provides English language classes of the highest standard using a student-centred approach.

5. Breaking Borders

When your child masters a foreign language, it enables them to spread their wings and acquire friendships from around the globe, opens up opportunities for them in the future, and have deeper insights into how others perceive the world.

Learning Mandarin itself can allow you child to speak with over a billion people worldwide and learning English allows them to speak with over half of the world’s population. Isn’t that cool?

As a household name in English education,
Cambridge English for Life
 has centers all over Malaysia to provide English language training for you and your little one.

Similarly, check out
British Council
, an English language center that is specially designed to stimulate learning via latest technologies.

This article has been republished with permission from
 Kiddy123.

Read more:

5 best enrichment classes for babies and toddlers in Klang Valley

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