All4Baby » WEEK_39 https://all4baby.co.za From Pregnancy to birth to baby and beyond. The place to find, chat, and share. Wed, 16 Jul 2014 09:55:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=171 How hygienic is it to put your baby in a shopping trolley? https://all4baby.co.za/babies-6-12-months/health-hygiene-illness/451/hygienic-put-baby-shopping-trolley/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hygienic-put-baby-shopping-trolley https://all4baby.co.za/babies-6-12-months/health-hygiene-illness/451/hygienic-put-baby-shopping-trolley/#comments Wed, 23 Apr 2014 08:33:48 +0000 https://all4baby.co.za/?p=451 Shopping trolleys are fun for many children as moms do their weekly or monthly grocery shopping. But how clean are they?

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As consumers, we don’t know if shopping trolleys are ever cleaned or not.  While sanitising trolley wipes go a long way to helping moms and dads, they are impractical when it comes to cleaning all the parts of trolleys that children touch

A mom’s perspective

“Often, while shopping with my daughter Reilly, she’d get bored with sitting in the trolley. Soon she’d start touching the trolley and then would put her hands straight into her mouth! When I saw retailers offering sanitising trolley wipes to shoppers, I wondered just how clean trolleys were,” mom Kerry Costa explains.

She investigated the issue and found startling statistics pointing to the dirtiness of shopping trolleys. She also visited local malls and saw trolleys stored in parking lots and used for packing shelves and fridges and transporting fresh produce waste.

More bacteria than a public restroom

Just think, trolleys are passed from hand to hand, all day, every day without the opportunity for disinfection. At the end of the day, a trolley has just as much (or even more) bacteria than a public restroom. Yuck!

Bacteria E.Coli can cause major infections

Researchers at the University of Arizona analysed the handlebars of 85 shopping carts and found fecal bacteria in 72% of them. With further analysis they determined that 50% of these bacteria corresponded to variations of E.Coli, along with other types of bacteria.

E.Coli is a bacteria that usually lives in the intestines of humans and animals. This bacterium has many varieties, some of which are harmless, but others however cause diarrhea because of their toxins.

Some varieties can cause severe diarrhea that can damage your intestines. The bacteria can also be found in vegetables and spread from person to person if the infected person has not washed their hands after going to the bathroom, contaminating surfaces such as handles of shopping trolleys for example.

Cover all surfaces with a trolley pouch

Kerry’s research prompted her to develop the ReillyRooz Shopping Trolley Pouch, which effectively covers all the areas of a trolley that young children (up to 4 years) sitting in the front seat are exposed to. The easy-to-assemble pouch slips easily into the seat and wraps over the handlebar of the trolley, offering a hygienic and comfortable shopping solution for both parents and their children.

For further information, visit ReillyRooz on Facebook or www.reillyrooz.co.za

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Maximise your baby’s learning potential https://all4baby.co.za/babies-6-12-months/learning-development/333/maximise-babys-learning-potential/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=maximise-babys-learning-potential https://all4baby.co.za/babies-6-12-months/learning-development/333/maximise-babys-learning-potential/#comments Fri, 11 Apr 2014 07:18:47 +0000 https://all4baby.co.za/?p=333 Many parents spend time focusing on the nutritional side of things. What are you doing to stimulate the growth of your baby’s brain?

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As a parent, you always want to make sure that you give your children the best possible start in life.

The early years of a child’s life are critical for future learning. Do you know that the latest Harvard research indicates that between birth and four years of age, brain development is at its optimum function?

Why then, are we not taking advantage of this period? Maybe the question is rather, how do we take advantage of this period?

The window of opportunity

“At BrainBoosters we capitalise on the first four years of a baby’s life. We call this period “the window of opportunity” – during this period, babies are able to absorb information, making all learning effortless, “says BrainBoosters Co-founder and Head of Product Development, Karina Strydom.

Colours, shapes and numbers

The BrainBoosters methodology is focused on introducing concepts such as colours, shapes and numbers to children from the time they are born. “Our methodology is based on introducing colours, shapes and numbers in isolation. Our parenting programme allows parents to interact with their children, while teaching these important concepts, “says Karina.

According to The Scientific American Mind, children who learn their colours, shapes and numbers earlier tend to do better at school.  “Colours, shapes and numbers are all around us. These concepts form part of a vital foundation that is needed in order for future learning to take place, “says Karina.

What is so special about these concepts? Why are they important for kids to learn? According to research, colour is not in itself a mathematical concept, but is used in activities such as sorting, matching, grouping and classifying. The ability to recognise and discern the difference between shapes is necessary to see physical differences between objects.

“We teach children ten shapes with our method. Recognising the difference between a hexagon and a pentagon will help children to distinguish between a “b” and a “d” and a “6 “and a “9”,” says Karina.

A simple process centred on play

This might seem really complicated to teach to a baby, but it really is a very simple process. “All our programmes are centred on play. We believe that learning is child’s play and have created products and activities that facilitate active engagement between parent and child, while important concepts are being learnt” says Karina.

For more information on Brain Boosters, visit: www.brainboosters.co.za

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Let your baby and tot develop through messy play https://all4baby.co.za/babies-6-12-months/learning-development/296/let-baby-tot-develop-messy-play/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=let-baby-tot-develop-messy-play https://all4baby.co.za/babies-6-12-months/learning-development/296/let-baby-tot-develop-messy-play/#comments Thu, 10 Apr 2014 08:33:45 +0000 https://all4baby.co.za/?p=296 Your baby or tot is never too young to be introduced to messy play. The benefits of messy play are countless and form an essential part of a child’s learning process.

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Spending time outdoors and making what might look like a mess, is the ideal learning situation for your little one. During messy play, babies and toddlers develop crucial hand eye coordination and fine motor skills, amongst other things.

Geoffrey Holtes, brand manager for the baby skincare brand, Krayons, says that babies and small children should be encouraged to explore a variety of materials and textures while at play. “Free and creative play is not only fun for the child, but also stimulates the senses and develops a rounded tactile awareness. Of course, you still need to be mindful of what is safe for your child”

Keeping the fun outdoors helps to ensure that the mess is easily mopped up, but cleaning your little one might take a little longer! Geoffrey says that there are a range of bathtime products that are specifically developed to assist in keeping babies and tots clean and moisturised, especially after an afternoon in the garden.

Those that leave a baby’s skin soft and smooth, protecting it from dryness throughout the day or night are ideal.

When bathtime is over, remember to pat your baby’s skin down with a soft towel and once dry, apply a layer of Aqueous cream over your baby’s body. Don’t forget to apply a generous layer of petroleum jelly before securing the nappy.

For more information on Krayons products visit KrayonsBabies on Facebook.

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