Educational materials used to determine ability

For the study, published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, researchers examined 117 babies, aged nine to 18 months.

One group was provided with educational materials in the form of a baby media product, including DVDs, word and picture flashcards, and flip books to be used daily over a seven-month period.

The other group received no materials. Assorted tests were used to determine the babies’ ability to “recognize letter names, letter sounds, vocabulary, words identified on sight, and comprehension.”

Products shown to have no effect

The end of the experiment showed no difference between the group that had the materials and the one that didn’t.

Although educational DVDs and similar products were shown to have virtually no effect, they do seem to have an effect on parents.

Parents have confidence in products

“It’s clear that parents have great confidence in the impact of these products on their children,” says lead study author Susan Neuman, a professor in NYU Steinhardt’s Department of Teaching and Learning. “However, our study indicates this sentiment is misplaced.”

Used to encourage cognitive development

While babies exposed to educational DVDs may not to learn to read any faster, it’s still possible to encourage cognitive development. A 2012 study by researchers at North Dakota State University and Texas A&M found that babies who sit up — either alone or with assistance — will reap the most reward from educational toys and videos.

(AFP Relaxnews)

The post Baby development: Can you teach your baby to read? appeared first on All4Baby.

She suggests a few minutes of tummy time each day to help your baby develop a strong neck, strong back and strong tummy muscles – which will soon help her to crawl and walk.

Kate also advises moms to use homemade play dough for little hands to help develop fine motor skills.

Helpful advice and tips from the Pampers® Institute are available at www.Pampers.co.za and on www.youtube.com/PampersZA Receive emails with information tailored to your baby’s age by subscribing at www.Pampers.co.za/registration and connect with us at www.facebook.com/PampersSA

The post Video: Why tummy time is important appeared first on All4Baby.

Bailey’s tips include observing your child’s behaviour and responding in a productive way with loving touches and encouraging words.

Watch the Pamper’s YouTube video for more tips on how to assist your baby’s social development.

Helpful advice and tips from the Pampers® Institute are available at www.Pampers.co.za and on www.youtube.com/PampersZA . Receive emails with information tailored to your baby’s age by subscribing at www.Pampers.co.za/registration and connect with us at www.facebook.com/PampersSA

The post VIDEO: Encourage your baby’s social development with these tips appeared first on All4Baby.

However, as Pampers® Institute expert and educational psychologist, Tshepiso Matentjie says: “Play and interaction with parents is important for brain, social, physical and emotional development in babies.”

Pampers® has come up with a solution to this dilemma. By making use of the items that you already have in your home, and your Pampers® Active Baby-Dry nappies, you don’t need to buy toys for your child to be able to play and learn.

Nappy changing time provides you and your child with some uninterrupted bonding time. The new Pampers® Active Baby-Dry nappies feature a host of new characters – the Pampers® Buddies. Use the Buddies to teach your child colour, animals and texture.

Here is another idea of how to make a toy from household items:

What you need:

• 1 paper towel roll
• Extra cardboard
• Food colouring, wrapping paper or paint for decorating
• Scissors
• Rice
• Sticky tape
• Pencil

What to do:

1. The first step is to decorate the paper towel/ toilet paper roll.

(If you are painting it ensure that you wear old clothing. Place old newspapers on your work station to protect the area)

• If you are using normal paint: paint the roll on the outside area and wait for the paint to dry.
• If you are using food colouring:mix the food colouring with a little water and use like paint.
• Ensure to paint the extra cardboard too.

(If you choose to cover the roll, glue the wrapping paper/ magazine pages  onto the roll ensuring that there is extra paper on the ends.)

2. Take the extra cardboard and draw around the end of the roll to make
   a circle (A). Now, draw a bigger circle around this circle (B).
   (See diagram alongside)
3. Cut out the bigger circle then cut slits to the middle circle (see red
   lines alongside) – taking care not to cut too deep.
4. Repeat step 2 and 3 so you have 2 circles
5. Tape one circle to one end of the roll –making sure that it is secure.
6. Pour enough rice into the roll that a sound will be produced when
   shaken.
7. Seal the other end of the roll the same way you did the other
   side. (If you are using wrapping paper, fold the ends in and
   seal them with sticky tape.)

The post Homemade baby toys: A rattle or shaker appeared first on All4Baby.

This is definitely a myth. Keeping your baby up longer at night or between naps will result in an overtired child. An overtired child will be fussy, cranky, have trouble feeding and take much longer to settle into sleep.

They will also be more likely to wake during the night and earlier in the mornings, and will only have very short naps the following day.

Your baby will sleep through the night when she is three months of age

It is possible, but only if you have set the foundations for healthy sleep skills early and your child is developing good self-soothing strategies.

In this instance, you can usually expect babies to start sleeping through the night between three and six months of age (providing they are healthy and developing well).

However children that still rely on “props” to fall asleep, such as feeding/rocking/patting, etc. will more than likely continue to wake through the night. This is because they have never learned the ability to put themselves to sleep so they are unable to consolidate sleep cycles through the night.

They will often rouse after a sleep cycle and instead of using their own skills to return quickly to sleep they will cry out for their “prop” before they are able to go back to sleep.

Letting your baby fall asleep while being held is a bad thing

It is very difficult to always put your baby in their cot/bassinet while awake and allow them to use their own skills to fall asleep when they are newborns, as they need to sleep often.

Parents will sometimes be out and about and need to put their baby to sleep in the pram, car seat or carrier. However it is important to be respectful of your child’s sleep needs and whenever possible give them the opportunity to attempt to fall asleep in their cot or bassinet. This is the place where they are going to get the best quality sleep.

Remember how challenging and disturbed your own sleep is if you have to sleep in the car, or even when staying in a hotel room as opposed to your own bed at home. If you always let your baby fall asleep in your arms they are never going to develop their own self-soothing skills.

Just remember that as your child grows, they get heavier and while you may find it easy to rock a newborn to sleep in your arms, it will not be as easy to do this with your one, two or even three year old.

You should never wake a sleeping baby

It is never enjoyable to have to wake a sleeping baby, and the only reason I would suggest doing this would be to preserve a bedtime. As children get older their sleep needs change and sometimes too much daytime sleep (for an older baby or child) can have a negative effect on bedtime and sleeping through the night. However, the opposite is also true and over tiredness will also negatively impact night time sleep so it’s best to err on the side of more sleep as opposed to less.

Daytime naps aren’t always needed

Most children will usually drop their daytime nap around three or four years of age (providing they are getting their 11-12hrs of night time sleep). However, it is possible that children as young as two and a half years of age to drop their daytime naps. Before this age, a daytime nap or naps are very important to prevent over tiredness and recharge their little bodies for the remainder of the day.

Filling your baby up by putting infant cereal in her bottle will help her sleep

This is a myth. For very young babies, the length of time for which they are able to sleep is largely determined by how quickly their little bellies empty after a feed. However, as your baby reaches the three to six month age, it is healthy sleep habits and good self-soothing skills (that can be introduced gently from birth) that will help your baby sleep for longer periods. It is always very important to ensure your baby is well fed and developing properly, but the addition of good nutrition throughout the entire day is more important than adding infant cereal to their bedtime bottle.

About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za

The post Baby sleep myths busted! appeared first on All4Baby.

Pampers® has come up with a solution to this dilemma. By making use of the items that you already have in your home, and your Pampers® Active Baby-Dry nappies, you don’t need to buy toys for your child to be able to play and learn.

Nappy changing time provides you and your child with some uninterrupted bonding time. The new Pampers® Active Baby-Dry nappies feature a host of new characters – the Pampers® Buddies. Use the Buddies to teach your child colour, animals and texture.

Here is another idea of how to make a toy from household items:

My first car

What you need:

• 1 paper towel roll
• 4 cold drink caps
• 1 straw
• Food colouring, wrapping paper, magazine pages or paint for decorating
• Scissors/ sharp knife
• Pencil
• Glue

What to do:

1. The first step is to decorate the paper towel/ toilet paper roll.

If you are painting it – ensure that you wear old clothing. Place old newspapers on your working station to protect the area.

• If you are using normal paint: paint the roll on the outside and wait for the paint to dry.
• If you are using food colouring: mix the food colouring with a little water and use it like paint.

If you choose to cover the roll, glue the wrapping paper/ magazine pages onto the roll ensuring that the outside area is covered as neatly as possible.

Optional: if you would like, you can also paint the cold drink caps – as these will be used as wheels.

2. Cut the straw in half.
3. Place the roll in front of you horizontally and cut two small snips 3cm apart on one end of the roll. This will be the back of the car.
4. Draw a one cm rectangle a few cm’s close to the back of the car and cut it out. This will be where the driver sits. (Use a Lego man if you have one to be the driver)
5. Measure with the straws where the wheels of the car will be. Use the scissors or knife to cut 4 holes in the paper roll (2 holes on either side of the roll) – big enough for the straw to fit through.
6. Use the knife to pierce holes in the centre of the caps, ensuring that the holes are big enough for the straw to fit.
7. To assemble put the straw halves through the holes. One half in the front and the other at the back.
8. Finally, slide the caps through the straws.

You and your child can now enjoy playing with your home-made car.

The post Homemade baby toys: My first car appeared first on All4Baby.

However, as Pampers® Institute expert and educational psychologist, Tshepiso Matentjie says: “Play and interaction with parents is important for brain, social, physical and emotional development in babies.”

Pampers® has come up with a solution to this dilemma. By making use of the items that you already have in your home, and your Pampers® Active Baby-Dry nappies, you don’t need to buy toys for your child to be able to play and learn.

Nappy changing time provides you and your child with some uninterrupted bonding time. The new Pampers® Active Baby-Dry nappies feature a host of new characters – the Pampers® Buddies. Use the Buddies to teach your child colour, animals and texture.

Here is a creative idea of how to make an educational toy from household items: 

Animal Pompoms

What you need

• Wool in different colours
• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Buttons and beads for eyes

How to make the pompoms

1. Draw a 2cm circle on a piece of cardboard then draw a bigger circle around it. Cut out the bigger circle– Keep in mind that the size of the cardboard that you use will determine the size of the pompom.
2. Cut a slit to the inner circle then cut out the inner circle. At this point the cardboard should look like a ring..
3. Wrap wool around the cardboard ring until you are satisfied with the thickness. It’s important to leave some wool for later.

 Optional: For the manufacture of two-coloured pompoms, first wrap the ring in one colour of wool, and then the second.

4. Once you are done wrapping the wool, cut the wool around the outer edge.
5. The wool should now be look like the lower image on the right. Take the extra wool you saved and wrap it around the loose wool. Your pompom is now complete.

Making different animals

Chick - Use glue to stick on two black eyes (use beads or buttons) and two cut out triangles to form a beak.

Cat– Glue on ears, a tail, button-eyes and a nose. (The ears and tail can be made from paper)

Frog – Glue two legs and two white circles – which will be the eyes – to your pompom. In the middle of the white circles draw (or glue) two black beads. This will make big, expressive eyes. Use a small length of black wool to form a mouth.

The post Homemade baby toys: Animal Pompoms appeared first on All4Baby.

Language development and the ability to learn

An undetected hearing loss in a child will hamper their speech and language development as well as their ability to learn, which often leads to communication difficulties and social isolation that has the potential to leave a child bewildered and alone in a world of silence.

According to Hema Thakor, a Client Relations Executive at Oticon South Africa, a leading hearing aid manufacturer, the gap between the vocabulary of children with normal hearing and those with hearing loss widens with age. “Without intervention, children with hearing loss may struggle to catch up and therefore it is important to act early if you suspect your child has a hearing loss. The earlier the problem is identified and intervention begun, the less profound the ultimate impact will be,” says Hema.

Hema Thankor, Client Relations Executive of Oticon SouthAfrica

From the womb

Infants are able to recognise familiar voices even before they are born, which is why babies get excited in the womb. “As a parent, you will expect your child to respond to your voice when you speak to them, or for them to move their head or eyes to follow the sounds they are hearing or to startle at loud sounds such as a door banging. If there is however no reaction then it would be prudent to investigate your child’s hearing,” says Hema.

Difficult to pick up

A mild hearing loss is often not picked up as it is easy to miss that a child cannot hear soft sounds. It normally only comes to light once the child starts talking between the ages of one and one-and-a-half years of age. A delay in their language development is an indicator or once they start school and struggle to hear well in the classroom.

If a parent suspects that a child has a hearing loss, they often do not know how to go about confirming it. “It can be quite a traumatic discovery and many parents spend quite some time in a state of denial, because they find it too painful to accept what is happening. It is a perfectly normal reaction, but for the sake of your child it is important to contact an Audiologist and to have your child’s hearing tested as soon as possible,” urges Hema.

 Hearing loss can occur if an infant:

• Is born prematurely
• Has stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit
• Is given medications that can lead to hearing loss – ototoxic drugs such ARVs
• Has a family history of childhood hearing loss
• Has had complications at birth
• Has had infections such as Meningitis or Cytomegalovirus
• Is exposed to very loud sounds or noises even for a brief duration

When and how can a child’s hearing be tested?

A child’s hearing can be tested as early as the day they are born. In fact, the majority of medical facilities in the private sector offer newborn hearing screening programs that will test the child’s hearing before they are discharged.

In an infant the aim would be to test whether the ear is functioning correctly by objectively assessing the outer ear, middle ear and inner ear (cochlear), which means that the infant does not have to respond to the test but that the equipment utilised will determine the results.

Recommended screening technologies include oto-acoustic emissions (OAE), which assess cochlear functioning, and auditory brainstem responses (ABR), which record neural activity in response to sounds.

The tests are accurate and take one to three minutes to perform; and have the same sensation as simply putting a finger in the infant’s ear.

“A hearing loss or the degree thereof is often not diagnosedduring one assessment in infants.An Audiologist willoften at the very least repeat the same test twice or perform multiple tests to confirm results in order to ensure the reliability of the results,” says Hema.

Treatment options

There are various treatment options available, following an accurate diagnosis. “Speak to your doctor or Audiologist about optimising the hearing that your child has, to develop his or her speech and language.This could result in your child being fitted with a hearing aid or cochlear implant.

However, your Audiologist will be best equipped to advise which is better suited to your child. Remember that the road to hearing is often thwarted with emotional distress, so don’t embark upon the process alone, even parents need support,” concludes Hema.

For more information, please visit www.oticon.co.za

The post What if my baby has hearing loss? appeared first on All4Baby.

Sleep is vital for our physical and emotional well being. It is well known that it promotes the secretion of growth hormone as well as restoring brain processes. This enables us to perform subtle cognitive and social tasks as we go about our daily lives.

It may be surprising to note that the very same environmental, behavioural and social factors that may interfere with sleep, can play an important role in ensuring healthy sleep habits from the start.

In daily practice, when one is presented with an “unsettled infant”, or a “badly behaved toddler”, lack of sleep, or plain exhaustion is often not considered, as the practitioner is often too busy looking for a “physical reason” for the childs’ distress.

Physiological factors that affect sleep

There are obviously certain physiological factors to exclude from the outset, and a detailed history from the parent (or caregiver) is necessary. The obvious factors should include the following:

• Illness
• Nutrition
• Digestive disturbances
• Allergies
• Anaemia
• Parasitic infection (worms)
• Candida (thrush):oral/systemic/peri-anal
• Teething
• Nappy rash
• Emotional trauma

Once these factors have been excluded, the area of sensory overload should be investigated.

Sensory integration

The behaviour displayed by an infant or toddler upon exposure to sensory input will differ depending on the manner in which the stimulus is interpreted.

The sensory system functions in order to form a composite picture of what is going on around us. Sensory integration is the critical function of the brain that is responsible for producing this picture.

For most of us, effective sensory integration occurs automatically, unconsciously and without effort. However, for most infants, particularly premature babies, and toddlers with sensory integration difficulties, this process is inefficient due to immaturity of the sensory system. Therefore, babies and some toddlers will have difficulty in processing too much sensory stimuli.

Exposing a baby to sensory stimuli

When a child is exposed to sensory stimuli, a pattern usually occurs.

The child may interpret the stimuli as non stressful and respond to the stimuli appropriately. This response will not affect the stability of the behavioural subsystems of the nervous system.

© marchibas – Fotolia.com

Approach signals

The child will display self-regulation approach signals.These signals indicate that she is in control, and is neurologically well organized. Children displaying these signals appear to be inviting interaction.

These signals include:

• Soft and relaxed facial expression, with alert and open eyes
• Relaxed limbs with smooth body movements and minimal motor activity
• Turning towards sound and visual stimuli with interest
• A toddler will ask and respond to questions, smile and laugh

Warning signals

The child starts to experience stress when the exposure to the stimuli continues. The child will display some warning signals. At this stage she still has the ability to self-organise or self-regulate.

She is able to produce a behaviour to decrease the effect of the stress, thus preserving the stability of the behavioural subsystems of her nervous system.

© hartphotography – Fotolia.com

Warning signals that the child is becoming overloaded include:

• Hand(s) on face
• Fingers or hands in mouth or nose
• Fisting
• Bracing of legs or body
• Shifting to a drowsy state(infant); wanting to lie down(toddler)
• Fidgeting
• Decreased eye contact with you
• Sucking(infant); excessive mouthing(toddler)

This is the stage to allow the baby or toddler to go to sleep. All further stimulation should be avoided at this point. These signals must be interpreted as warning messages that the child may be reaching maximum tolerable stress levels. It is important to note that if the child is given some space to “zone out” she will be able to regulate her state of sensory overload herself to enable her to go to sleep unaided.

Stressed signals

If the exposure to the stress/stimuli continues, it will stress the child to such a degree that she becomes unable to overcome the effect of the stress by self-regulation(above). The compensating lower subsystem of the nervous system becomes unstable, resulting in a stress reaction such as crying and inability to fall asleep unaided. She will now need extensive help such as sucking on the breast or a bottle, being rocked or driven in a car in order to fall asleep. These stressed signals signal the end of the child’s ability to self regulate, and include:

© Barbara Helgason – Fotolia.com

• Loss of eye contact, or staring into space
• Irritability
• Moaning ,whining and crying
• Tantrums (toddler)
• Frantic, disorganized, jerky movements(infant); excessive fidgeting(toddler)
• Hands and fingers shielding the face
• Changes in vital signs such as heart rate and respiration
• Trunk arching
• Tongue thrusting(infant)
• Yawning, sneezing and hiccupping
• Gagging or spitting up
• Colour changes – paleness, mottling, flushing, cyanosis

These signs are very often misinterpreted as colic(infant), or boredom or bad behaviour(toddler). However, the sensory system at this stage is in such disorganization that it is unable to self-calm, and the child will end up crying inconsolably(infant), or having a tantrum(toddler). It is very important at this stage to:

• Modulate the environment for the child – remove stimulation
• Encourage and facilitate hand to mouth activity (sucking fingers, dummy)
• Encourage finger grasping
• Deep hug(toddler)
• Place your finger in the infants palm
• Swaddle the infant or place in a sling
• Allow the infant to “nest” in flexion

Children who are constantly over-stimulated and or deprived of “quiet time” will remain in this level of stress, and will thus never sleep.

To avoid children entering into this stressed, over-stimulated, over-tired state, it is crucial to avoid excessive stimulation, and to monitor how much time the child spends awake between sleep cycles. It is important that children are allowed to sleep before they reach this state of over-tiredness.

The post The sensory link to your baby’s sleeping disorders appeared first on All4Baby.

Busy parents of young children everywhere will be delighted by the launch of an innovative play-based educational programme focusing on the all-round development of children in the 0-6 age group.

Subscription-based conitnuity programme

Mysmartkid [www.mysmartkid.com] is a subscription-based continuity programme which uses toys, tools and play-based activities to promote school readiness and the reaching of key developmental milestones in the field of early childhood development (ECD).

Launched by Leisure Books, a leader in the field of member-based subscription programmes in South Africa, the programme also includes a website with an online shop for both members and non-members as well as suggested activities and expert advice.

John Samson, Business Manager of Mysmartkid, said: “The new Mysmartkid programme is a convenient, fuss-free, value-for-money investment in your child’s future.

“Our aim is to offer peace of mind and convenience for parents and parents-to-be who often find themselves overwhelmed by an avalanche of information, advice and childhood paraphernalia.

“Mysmartkid offers these parents a one-stop-shop solution: advice, activities and toys backed by experts to help your child reach his or her developmental milestones in the comfort of your own home and in a fun way,” he explains.

A smart box targeted to your child’s age group

Members sign up to the programme on a 12-month basis. Every two months they receive a ‘Smartbox’ of curated items, usually toys, educational products and activities, targeted to their child’s age group. Accompanying the Smartbox is a full-colour newsletter packed with relevant advice and information as well as tips on how to use the material with your child.

Involvement of ECD experts

A key benefit of Mysmartkid is the involvement of a panel of leading ECD experts.  “Professionals from the fields of occupational and play therapy and child psychology, themselves parents, have helped develop the programme and will continue to play a key role. Their expertise and insights are instrumental in keeping Mysmartkid relevant, targeted and up-to-date,” says Samson.

Other key benefits include

The Mysmartkid programme is available for a subscription fee of R295 every second month, which includes free delivery of the Smartbox. Members will also receive targeted age-appropriate email newsletters jampacked with additional information, advice and activities. Other key benefits to subscribers to the Mysmartkid programme include:

• Free welcome gifts of a children’s backpack (valued at R175) and an exclusive handbook written by an occupational therapist giving parents a step-by-step outline of their child’s ECD milestones.
• Member-login access to www.mysmartkid.com with its free information, expert advice and ideas for further play-based activities promoting ECD milestones.
• Exclusive members-only discounts through the Mysmartkid online shop.
• A monthly member newsletter brimming with expert advice, tips and information for parents.
• Immediate access to an online parent forum.

About the Author: To join Mysmartkid or to find out more information about the programme, sign up at www.mysmartkid.com

The post Putting play at the heart of early childhood development appeared first on All4Baby.