The post The early bird catches an education appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>Eunice Sibiya, Head of Consumer Education at FNB says, “It used to be that everyone worried about the cost of university, but nowadays you have to consider the costs of your child’s pre, primary and high school education. The reality is that you need to make decisions around your child’s schooling career as soon as possible, while you’re still pregnant. Once you’ve decided on the type of education you want your child to receive and where your child will be attending school, there are a number of financial plans and considerations to put into place.”
Firstly, you need to add this expense to your budget as soon as you possibly can, so that you can add a meaningful contribution toward your child’s education. It might be tough in the beginning to stretch your budget, but this will allow for adequate savings in the future.
“Depending on the child’s age, consider opening a savings account, or approach your bank or financial institution to ask about savings or investment plans specifically geared towards saving for an education. Many people do this for university tuition, but these savings plans can be for any level of your child’s education,” says Sibiya.
There are also a few things you can do while your child is at school to soften the blow to your pocket.
If you’re sending your child to pre-school or crèche, find out if your employer offers this facility on the premises. There are usually staff discounts and you won’t have to change your driving routine. You’ll also be close to your child during the day.
Throughout your child’s schooling career, find out what other expenses you’ll have to take care of besides tuition. You might need to buy sports gear or equipment. Extra-curricular activities might not be included in the tuition fee and will be an extra cost.
“Find out if your child’s school offers any sort of discount for early payment. It’s a good idea to use your bonus to pay for your child’s annual tuition, as you might get a discount if you do this,” says Sibiya.
She adds that, during enrolment, if you have two or more children at the same school, it might be worth asking if there are discounts for the second and third child. There might also be school or university bursaries on offer that could be relevant and slash costs.
Sibiya says another good tip is to consider buying your child’s school uniform from friends or school leavers to save money, or buy blazers, dresses a size bigger. Your child will grow into them and you won’t have to buy a new uniform every year.
“It’s very competitive out there and the rising cost of education means that you have to start planning as soon as possible so that you can lessen the effect it has on your finances in the future. The sooner parents start putting money aside, the longer their money can work for them,” concludes Sibiya.
The post The early bird catches an education appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>The post Add an Avo to your (and baby’s) diet! appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>Avos have been around since the days of the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilisations – the latter which believed the fruit had aphrodisiac properties and enhanced fertility.While the jury’s still out on the conclusive impact of avoson fertility, what we do know is that their high levels of folate make them a dietary must-have for women who intend falling pregnant.
Folate is an important nutrient that helps prevent neural tube defects, promotes a healthy nervous system and is essential for the formation of red and white blood cells, normal cell division and growth in foetuses. It is recommended for all moms-to-be as well as pregnant moms until the end of the first trimester at least when this critical foetal development is taking place.
Of course avos make for a satisfying snack for pregnant moms who need to keep their energy up throughout their pregnancy. This is especially true during the second trimester when they’ve kicked the morning sickness and feel hungry more often, and the third trimester when big meals are off the menu.
Avos are also a god-send once baby is born. Not only are they quick, easy and incredibly convenient meals for breastfeeding moms who don’t have a lot of time on their hands, but their soft, buttery texture means they’re also perfect first foods for babies from six months onwards.
Babies need carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals for optimal growth during those first two vital development years. Avos help meet these nutritional requirements by providing potassium, vitamin E, iron, lutein and beta-carotene. Avos are also a source of fibre and monounsaturated fats and are energy dense, all of which are great for growing babies.
It’s a good thing avos are so easy to prepare! Moms can add sliced avo to crackers or rice cakes or simply eat them out the skin for fuss-free snacks, or include diced avo in salads, pastas or with grilled chicken or fish for a more substantial meal. For babies, mash avo for first meals (from six months), and cube avo for older babies and toddlers who are self-feeding.
There’s no doubt, avos are a fantastic food from bump to birth and beyond!
For more avolicious recipes visit www.avocado.co.za, like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/iloveavocadoSA and follow us on Twitter @iloveavos
The post Add an Avo to your (and baby’s) diet! appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>The post Babies shouldn’t die of a broken heart, says Hudson Initiative appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>Around 1 in every 100 babies is born with a heart defect, and in South Africa, many of those go undetected. It’s estimated that at least one in every five babies who dies of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) was an undetected CHD sufferer – but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Cardiac surgeon Professor Robin Kinsley says advances in paediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery have made it possible for survival into adulthood for the majority of babies born with congenitally malformed hearts, but this is not the case on the African continent.
“Here, this is a dream as roughly 280 000 neonates born every year on the continent are left untreated, demonstrating the natural history of the congenitally malformed heart by default,” he says. “This is due in point to lack of finances, lack of locally developed personnel and proper understanding of the problem.”
The statistics get scarier when you hear that globally, twice as many children die from congenital heart defects each year than from all forms of childhood cancer combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for CHD.
The Hudson Initiative faces a long, arduous road – one that is starting with awareness, will encompass a growth in research funding and the collection of funds to help families who cannot afford the surgeries needed to help their babies, and will end in the creation of Hudson’s Law.
To explain the end goal, detecting CHDs is as simple as administering a test, called Pulse Oximetry, which measures how much oxygen is in a baby’s blood, after the baby is 24 hours old. This dramatically increases their chances of survival, says Andrea Slater, the driving force behind The Hudson Initiative.
“This is the most important part of our focus: We’re going to make sure that screening for heart defects become as normal a scan as the Downs Syndrome check at 20 weeks. We’re going to make sure that Pulse Oximetry tests are performed on all newborn babies before they are sent home. And we’re going to make sure that the terms CHD and congenital heart defect is no longer foreign or misunderstood,” says Slater.
“If mothers are armed with the information they need to protect their babies from CHD-related issues, these deaths could potentially be avoided. CHDs are scary but they’re not the end. CHD babies live. They thrive. Post-surgery, hope is very much alive.”
Ultimately, the Initiative will realise the introduction of Hudson’s Law, which will see Pulse Oximetry testing becoming compulsory. In the meantime, the initiative is raising money to fund CHD awareness campaigns and pay for Pulse Oximetry testing in infants. The long-term goal is to pay for surgeries needed by babies whose families who cannot afford them.
Interested parties can sign a petition and spread the word by visiting www.hudsoninitiative.org. They can also be part of the social media campaign using the #JustAsk hashtag, which prompts expectant mothers to do three things:
“Our journey with Hudson was a very real, very painful, very testing and an extraordinarily fulfilling one. We like to think he chose us because he knew we would do something to address the concerning statistics around the sheer number of babies who are sent home with undiagnosed CHDs. We’re going to change things on behalf of the boy who changed our world.”
About the Author: Andrea Slater is mother to a CHD angel and all she wants is to help other tiny people get a fighting chance in this life. Readers are welcome to visit her blog for more on Hudson’s journey. For more information visit www.hudsoninitiative.org
The post Babies shouldn’t die of a broken heart, says Hudson Initiative appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>