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Tips for parents – Chinese New Year

Tips for parents – Chinese New Year


Do you get a little panic when your friends or relatives give food to your little ones without asking for your consent? In my opinion, I would say it is absolutely acceptable to politely remind your friends and relatives about your little ones’ food allergies and your personal preference of “please ask me before giving food to my child”. 

Here is a list of festive snacks that adults cannot resist but not necessarily healthy snacks for children:

Flavoured dried plums

The tasteful flavoured dried plums are irrisistible (for adults). Did you know that it is actually made of lots of artificial flavoring and preservatives? Take a look at the ingredients list and I’m sure you can find very little natural ingredients. 

It is bad for children as children’s detoxification system is yet to be mature. Moreover, children might risk swallowing the small seeds, a serious choking hazard.  

Salted vegetables & dried meat related products

The high sodium content in this category of festive food can easy surpass one’s daily recommended sodium intake. Marinated food products are often packed with nitrite, aflatoxin and benzopyrene, that are the main cancer causing culprits. 

Nuts & Seeds

Many parents might assume that as long as children have a mouthful of teeth, they should be able to safely consume nuts and seeds. In fact, children below 3 years old have yet to fully developed their chewing and swallowing skills, therefore they might not be able to productively chew the nuts and seeds into a digestible form. In rare cases, children suffer from choking hazard especially when they are eating while playing. 

Honey

Honey is not suitable for toddler below 1 years old due to the risk of Botulism. Botulism is a rare and potentially fatal illness caused by a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The disease begins with weakness, blurred vision, feeling tired, and trouble speaking.

Jelly

The colourful and tasteful jelly is another artificial food that you should not be giving to your children. Not only that it contains little or none nutritional values, it is also one of the common choking hazard.

Alcohol

It’s absolutely not all right to have a two-year-old sipping wine and beer, it provides absolutely no benefit to the child and it can be quite harmful. 

Alcohol has very specific effects on the body that can be particularly harmful to a child. It causes the blood sugar to fall to levels that can cause irritability, confusion, and even seizures. It lowers the body temperature, and since children’s bodies have such a large surface area relative to their weight, they lose heat rapidly and can become hypothermic very easily. Additionally, alcohol has very direct effects on the brain. Since most of a person’s brain growth occurs during the first few years of life, repeated exposure to alcohol could interfere with brain growth and cause delayed development and lowered intelligence.

Ginkgo

Ginkgo is known for containing a small amount of toxin, more if consumed uncooked. However if a child consumes uncooked ginkgo, the risk of food poisoning and fatality is much higher than adults. 

Coffee
Caffeine in coffee may hinder children’s brain and bone development. Who needs an even more hyper child when your child is already active without caffeine?

Glutinous Rice Balls, Rice Cakes


The main ingredient for this festive snack is glutinous rice. Although it is a relatively healthy option, but children’s delicate digestive system may not be able to handle them well yet. Overeating this category of snacks will cause bloated stomach, nausea and poor digestion. Definitely not recommended for toddler below 3 years old. 

Sashimi, medium rare beef, alcohol-cooked seafood etc


Most of the sashimi slices on top of the Yee Sang are not hygienically prepared, so you can imagine the risk level of food poisoning, especially for those with poor digestive system and children. 

Children do not have a mature digestive system to protect them against food-borne disease.


What should you be doing?

Keep an eye on them

Better be safe than sorry. Remind your children if they have any food allergies, give gentle reminders to your friends and family on your take of giving food to children. 

Emergency Assistance

Seek immediate medical assistance if needed. Better be safe than sorry!

Know your limits
It is impossible to ban your children to snack on every single type of less healthy snacks. Set your limit and educate your children to consume these snacks responsibly and sensibly. After all, the big part of CNY is food sharing, right?

新年育儿锦囊之三,舞狮篇

新年育儿锦囊之三,舞狮篇

学龄前孩子在新年期间,听到舞狮团敲锣打鼓!由于年纪小,小朋友即害怕又期待,想看又紧张!五味杂成的心情,爸爸妈妈了解吗?



这些年的观察与体验,看到小朋友紧张地观察这个庞然大物,不知所措……终于嚇哭的心情!
于是我们设计课程,首先介绍狮头的各部分名称:


从会贬的眼睛开始摸,再看到两眼中间的独角,大大的嘴巴可以伸出手来分享橘子🍊或者金币,再沿着狮子的身体摸到狮尾,感受一片一片的鳞片。


接着我们再介绍乐器,先让鼓队打鼓,再响锣、用小棒子敲钹,完成介绍乐器各部分名称后再组合起来,从小声量到大声量,最后一片锣鼓响满天!让孩子们体会热热闹闹的开心气氛。
这些年的观察经验,发现到小朋友最后都爱上了狮子,热情地在狮子边跑来跑去。


再与舞狮团队挥别的当儿,还依依不舍……
欢迎到绿茵或绿野蒙特梭利学校参与循序渐进、按歩就班班的文化体验。

新年育儿锦囊之三,舞狮篇

新年育儿锦囊之二 :      饮食篇


过年期间带小朋友参加各种饭局聚会,难免会有亲戚朋友把各种能吃的不能吃的都往自己家的小朋友嘴里塞。需知小朋友还小,有的东西不能吃,有的会过敏,有的消化不了。我的经验是,提前打招呼,温和且坚定地告亲戚朋友不要给孩子吃东西,当然还是无法避免一些亲戚继续无所谓、依然故我地喂,爸爸妈妈要做的就是时刻盯紧,看到他们忍不住与孩子分享时,当场制止。

以下食物逢年过节家中常备,成人过年解馋的零食,却不能喂小宝宝吃!对孩子的健康造成威胁,父母应时刻警惕孩子误食和亲戚喂食。 


1、话梅、蜜饯:
话梅肉让很多人“爱不释口”,其实这种蜜饯类食品几乎是各种添加剂的大集合!看看它的配料表就知道了:鲜杏肉,白砂糖,食盐,奶油,柠檬酸,甜菊糖苷,阿斯巴甜,甜蜜素,甘草,香兰素,乙基麦芽酚,山梨酸钾,糖精钠,安赛蜜,苯甲酸钠。
小朋友的解毒功能很弱,如果再加上饮料和其他食品中的类似添加剂,难免添加剂的总量过高。而且小宝宝还太小,话梅有核,宝宝吃了根本就不会吐出来,只要卡住就会造成生命危险。
2、咸菜、腌制食品:
过年过节特别喜欢腌制各种咸菜、肉类,而且在腌制过程中会放很多盐。高盐饮食易诱发高血压病;腌制品中含有大量的亚硝酸盐,它和黄曲霉素、苯丙芘是世界上公认的三大致癌物质。所以,像咸菜、腌肉、培根、鱼片、牛肉干、鱿鱼丝这类食品,尽量不要给宝宝吃。
3、花生、瓜子、坚果:
很多家长会觉得宝宝长牙了、能咬了就可以吃坚果了。但实际上3岁以下的小宝宝不易嚼碎坚果,而且吞咽反射还未发育完善,即使能咬动坚果,也不能充分咀嚼,大颗粒仍然容易卡住气管。而且堵住气管后若抢救不当,短短几分钟就可能丧命。
尤其像夏威夷果、开心果这种圆形的坚果,宝宝吃在嘴里时,大人一逗笑,就更容易滑进气管里。
4、蜂蜜:
蜂蜜中往往混有肉毒杆菌孢子,由于婴儿肠道菌群防御力有限,肉毒杆菌孢子可能会在肠道中发芽并释放毒素,导致肉毒杆菌中毒,造成便秘、食欲不振、虚弱、哭声改变和口、眼等不听使唤。世界卫生组织建议,1岁以下宝宝不适合吃蜂蜜。
5、果冻:
这玩意儿虽小,且五彩缤纷、香甜滑爽,但含很多添加剂,尤其人工色素,宝宝长久食用会导致反应迟钝、智力下降。另外,老人和小孩吞食果冻容易发生意外 。果冻上面都有提示,3岁以下孩子不适合吃。
6、白果(银杏):
很多人知道白果有轻微毒性,但是小宝宝食用白果,比成年人更加容易导致中毒,而且年龄越小死亡率越高。如果食用的白果是自家熟制或用微波炉烘烤,极有可能只有七八分熟。生白果的毒性比熟白果的毒性更强,几颗就可能引发中毒。
7、酒:
虽然儿童喝酒不一定都会导致中毒,但危害是很大的,尤其是7岁以下的孩子。由于肝脏还未发育成熟,肝对酒精的解毒能力相对较差,如果饮酒可能会损伤肝,很容易就过量,出现昏迷等重症,3岁以下的宝宝伤害更大,严重的话还会造成脑损伤或死亡。
8、咖啡

不能给小朋友喝咖啡,因为咖啡内含有大量的咖啡因及茶碱,、阻碍婴儿骨骼发育。

不利于健康及大脑发育, 这些物质会刺激大脑,导致孩子过度兴奋,出现成瘾性和引发多动症。 
9、汤圆、年糕:


很多地方过年有吃年糕和汤圆的习俗。但年糕一般都是糯米做的,一方面糯米不好消化,可能会加重宝宝胃部的负担。
另外,糯米这种食物还可能加剧宝宝胃酸的反应,会造成宝宝胃部不舒服。而且糯米很黏,宝宝很容易吞咽不下去而发生危险。因此, 不建议3岁以下宝宝吃年糕或汤圆。
10、鱼生、半熟牛排、醉蟹、醉虾、生田鸡:


很多生鱼片、魚生的卫生皆不过关,其中含有大量的病菌,在调料中蘸一下几乎没什么杀菌作用,孩子的消化道很娇弱,很容易就造成腹泻、胃肠感冒等症状,一些鱼生、没有煮熟的鱼(特别是淡水鱼)、半熟的牛肉、生虾蟹、田鸡內可能还有寄生虫,是酒精、芥末、调料根本杀不掉的!
因为好吃生食而导致全身长满寄生虫的案例比比皆是,成人也就罢了,儿童感染寄生虫,严重时可能会影响生长和智力发育。


家长怎么做?

1.盯紧

除了告诉孩子哪些东西不能吃外,该打招呼的也要打招呼,该盯紧的盯紧,面子事小,孩子事大,尤其是事关孩子安全的问题,该拒绝的一定要有礼貌的拒绝,等悲剧发生什么都晚了。
2.急救
紧急情况应联系送医。

如果是小孩被噎,家长应在联系送医的同时尽快自行施救。

3.有些食物可适当妥协
当然,除了以上几种食物外,还有不胜枚举的垃圾食品,比如薯条、可乐、薯片等等,吃了对小朋友身体一点好处没有,但过年期间,家里难免有亲戚朋友来串门,喂一口在所难免,家长不必刻意阻挠,在做不到严防死守的情况下,我们可以控制好宝宝的食用量,保证全家人过一个欢乐祥和、健康平安的新年。

Tips for parents –        新年育儿锦囊之一 :      害羞篇

Chinese New Year is around the corner. Family and friends gathering is a highlight of CNY. Have you ever encountered a situation where your little one is too shy to greet uncles and aunties during the gathering? 

Then, you would probably feeling embarrassed and say “Come, faster call uncle auntie! Don’t be a rude kid”. But did you know this statement is actually doing more harm than good? Your shy little one is already feeling uncomfortable and overwhelmed with the presence of so many strangers. And now, daddy mommy made such a remark, it’s like rubbing salt into would. Ouch!
Many parents would wonder why your child turn into a shy little kid in public places, but when they are at home, you want to find their “mute button”, whenever they cannot stop shouting, running, singing and dancing. 
So what’s going on now? What can you do to support your child to overcome this strange moment (too shy to greet uncles aunties)?
I would normally say “Oh my child is not ready, when he’s ready, he will say hello to Aunty”.
In fact, introvert children do not feel shy all the time, they are normally shy when they are surrounded by many strangers or trying to get used to novelty. 
We all know that no two men are the same. Introverts are usually express less of their own opinion, quiet and obedient. They need longer time to adapt to new changes, so they usually go unnoticed and might have lost opportunities because they don’t like direct confrontation. My key message for parents with introvert children is, take note of your children’s feelings, you play a massive part in helping your children to build confidence to adapt better and faster.
Parents are responsible for a child’s behaviour. How you educate and raise your children have a long lasting impact to the formation of their personality and value system. If your children are receiving positive influence from home and school, then your children are on the right path to live a positive life.

新年将至,亲朋戚友之间互相拜年、聚会、聊天是一件美好的事情,但是孩子还小,一旦面对少见面的亲戚或生人,孩子就好像变了个人。缩到爸爸妈妈的背后,最尴尬的情形莫过于,死活不肯跟长辈打招呼,或者如果好心的叔叔阿姨想逗一下,更是立即成为蜷缩的刺猬了!这让两方的家长都觉得很不好意思!
甚至有些长辈会批评孩子, 为什么不会叫人,这么没礼貌!这只会让孩子的伤口上再撒一把盐,自我形象将变得更弱小。
很多内向、害羞孩子的父母都有这样的经历,在家的时候,孩子声音洪亮、手舞足蹈、能唱能跳,可一旦来了生人,孩子就好像变了个人似的!
应该如何帮助孩子度过这个尴尬的时候呢?
我通常会帮腔说:”小朋友还没准备好,等他准备好了,他就会跟阿姨说哈喽了!“爸爸妈妈这时主动伸手与朋友握手,以化解这个尴尬的场合,孩子看在眼里也渐渐的学到了应对进退的方法。

事实上,害羞的孩子并不是时时刻刻都害羞,他们的害羞大都只表现在陌生环境中或者陌生人面前。

我们现在已经知道,无论什么气质的孩子都可以成材。害羞的孩子通常气质安静,并遵守规则。但不可否认的是,害羞的孩子对陌生环境和事物感到紧张和恐惧,他们的“安全区域”小,因此适应慢,花费时间长;由于缺乏公众表现的机会,因此较少得到学校和同伴的关注;

这样的孩子由于不爱争取,常常会失去很多机会;更重要的是,在这个快速、激烈的竞争年代,害羞的孩子也可能产生自卑心理,从而对自我形象产生怀疑……这些都是父母需要关注的。

父母务必认真对待小孩子的所作所为。父母的抚育和教育方式,以及社会环境的变化对一个人的性格都会产生一定的影响。这要看孩子在什么样的环境下成长以及在什么样的老师指导下学习和发展,若是父母、老师和社会的友人给予正确健全的身体力行的影响,其未来的发展走向就比较乐观,反之亦然。

Three essential skills children should learn.     什么是这个时代最值得培养孩子具有的能力?

Three essential skills children should learn. 什么是这个时代最值得培养孩子具有的能力?

Before you read on this blog post, take a moment to ask yourself – how prepared is your child to face tomorrow’s world?

We were all educated in a school system that believed the world would remain basically the same, with small changes here and there. We learned knowledge, sat in exams after exams, and trained with skill set that may not have prepared us well enough to adapt to the era of technology. 
And that’s fine, because we had no idea what the world had in store for us. Sometimes I ask myself, what would I do differently if I didn’t have to spend so much time and energy to sit in exams? What should I learn to adapt, deal with changes, to be prepared for anything but not learning anything specific?

As an educator and a mother of two, I believe that if our children are equipped with these essential skills, our children will be strong individuals to welcome tomorrow’s never stop changing world.

Being passionate about life,Curious and eager to learn, unlearn and relearn. 

Be brave to step out of comfort zone to learn new knowledge, skill set to do extraordinary things in life.

Courage

Be brave to face own fears and persevere to achieve goals. It is an ability to feeling fear yet choose to act; persevering in the face of adversity; standing up for what’s right; learn, unlearn and relearn to stay current and get ahead. 

Compassion

Despite popular belief that happiness depends solely on you, the way to achieve it may not lie just within yourself, but in your relationships and interactions with others. We all think we want to be loved, but what actually feels good to us is feeling loving — and part of what makes us feel more love for other people is doing kind, compassionate things for them.

Let’s do some reflection:
Competence and attitude, which is more important to lead to happiness in life? 

Are your children achieving good academic results at the expense of their opportunities to practice and learn these essential skills?

Remember, Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Your children’s happiness and success should not be judged by how early he can name all the countries in the world, but what difference can he make for the world.

 

我们当前的教育制度,花费了很多的时间和精力,考核学生对知识的掌握——而不是真正的能力的提升!
那么什么样的能力是值得我们去重视并培养的呢?

三种值得培养的能力是

一:对生活热情,具强烈好奇心

具有强烈的欲望去探索世界上有趣的人、事、物。所应具备的工具是阅读能力及终身学习热诚。

二:克服困难、坚持到底的精神

对自己想要达成的目标,想要做的事情坚持到底的去完成。
三:和谐的人际关系、高尚的品格

当妻子丈夫的同心同德,朋友之间的互相理解和支持,工作伙伴的团队协作,这是一个人能成就事业,得到幸福感的重要来源。高尚的品格如友爱、互助,同理心等培养。做个有社会情怀并具美好品格的人。

当有了这些美德,孩子会自动去做那些大格局、大担当的事情。

如果你的孩子保有好奇心,对克服困难坚持到底的好人缘、好性格以及美好的品格,那么你根本无须忧虑你的孩子将来会过不好。

反之,如果孩子的成绩很好,或孩子的成绩通过提前学、大量练习能够很好,但这些行为伤害了好奇心,伤害了和谐的人际关系,伤害了美好乃至高尚品格的建立,

即使真是赢在起跑点上又如何?人生是马拉松而不是百里衝。这绝对是得不偿失!

Visit TSP Blog to find out more

Is baby walker a necessity for a child to learn walking?              学步车真的可以在孩子一岁学习走路时,学到怎么迈开他的人生第一个步伐吗?

Is baby walker a necessity for a child to learn walking?              学步车真的可以在孩子一岁学习走路时,学到怎么迈开他的人生第一个步伐吗?

Is baby walker a necessity for a child to learn walking?

My nephew received a baby walker as a newborn gift. This baby walker is equipped with various fun and colorful parts of alphabets, shapes and even nursery rhymes. It’s such a beautiful gift that even adults want to play with it.

But I told my sister she should think twice before letting my nephew to learn walking with a baby walker.

Here’s my view…

Many people would think that baby walker is convenient and safe, safe in a sense that a toddler can move freely and learn walking without physical support of adults.

If you take a closer look at how a baby walker works, you will see that when a toddler walks with a baby walker, the toddler does not control and coordinate his body, hands and legs when he’s moving with a baby walker. The toddler does not get to feel how leaning forward and backward can affect his movement. 

Just because baby walker is convenient and mobile, a toddler is then exposed to even more risks of injury, such as falling onto hard surfaces, usually down steps or across changes in floor level, burns and scalds as a result of toddler gaining access to hot beverages and electrical appliances (e.g. kettles, heaters and ovens), choking from toys or play equipment attachments that come off easily.

Still not convinced by these points? Let’s look at some facts and data from America and Canada for you to consider if you’re still thinking “Should I get one for my toddler?”

An annual average of 23,000 baby walker caused incidents happened from 1990-1994

A rough 197200 baby walker caused incidents requiring medical attention involving toddlers below 15 months old happened from 1990-2001

Canadian government banned the sales and use of baby walker since 2004

Reality is, baby walker doesn’t train a toddler to walk. It is a misconception that the use of baby walkers helping to develop children’s walking skills. Numerous research have shown the opposite, over dependency on baby walker delays a toddler in achieving normal locomotor milestones, such as crawling, standing alone and walking. In severe cases, it will also cause atypical walking pattern due to poorly developed bone structures and weak leg muscles.

Children naturally develop their walking skills through rolling, sitting and crawling as they build stronger muscles in different stages of physical development. Placing your child on the floor is the best way to train their muscles and naturally develop these locomotor skills. As they master these skills, it will also develop their balance and coordination, both very important skills for when they start to walk. 

“Everyone falls down, getting back up is how you learn how to walk” – Walt Disney.

小外甥在他出生时,收到他人生第一个五星级的豪华学步车。

这辆特别高档的学步车上,装上铃铛、旋转英文字母、按扭上可唱出脍炙人口的儿歌:小星星、出声音的小玩具……琳琅满目,应有尽有!看起来真是好玩极了!送的觉得这是一个大礼,受礼的人觉得感激不尽!

但我告诉妹妹这个豪华产品不适合用,他觉得很可惜!

大部分人觉得,用学步车很方便,即使没有大人扶着,也可以安全的练习走路。

实际上,在这整个看似“走路”的过程中,他却无法学会如何控制自己的重心。因为保持平衡,控制身体不摔倒的诀窍只是在于车子本身。他并不能感知究竟在走路中怎么去协调手脚的同时并用,和身体究竟是该前倾一些还是后仰一些!

因为学步车的底轮轻便灵活,宝贝儿能借助它轻易滑向家里的任何地方,这无疑会增加他们接触到各种“危险品”的几率,导致意外伤害的发生。

1990-1994年, 美国平均每年发生23000 例学步车相关的伤害。

从1990-2001年,美国总共有约197200个15月以下孩子因为学步车相关伤害到急诊室就诊。

甚至加拿大政府在2004年开始禁止使用和销售学步车!

实际上,学步车只能帮助孩子站立,而不能帮助他们学会走路。

而在居家环境中,我们观察一岁上下的孩子怎么学走路?只要扶着矮桌子的边缘,慢慢站起来,就可以学到了,而且这也是随机的。 

婴儿过早或过多使用学步车,不仅不能加快学步,反而会因为用脚尖触地而造成足关节变形,脚后跟外翻,以及出现“x”或“o”型腿。同时,容易罹患感觉统合失调症,表现为好动、任性、脾气暴躁、不易与人沟通等,还会出现注意力不集中、阅读跳行等危害。

让孩子在自然的环境中,学习如何调整、发现及练习该怎么站起来走路!扎扎实实地迈开人生第一小步,走稳了再跑,而不是一开始就滑得很顺利!

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