How Does Your Little Sweetheart Tells You That He/She Loves You?

I read this from babycenter.com this morning and tears become visible in my eyes. Never had I thought that our little ones, as young as a newborn, does know how to express their love to us *silly*.

Here are what been read from that article:
1) Your newborn stares into your eyes
He's actually working hard to memorize your face. He doesn't understand anything else about the world, but he knows you're important.

2) Your baby thinks about you even when you're not around.
Between 8 and 12 months old, he'll start to scrunch his face and look around when you leave the room — and he'll smile when you return.

3) Your toddler throws wicked tantrums.
Nope, those screaming fits don't mean he's stopped loving you. He wouldn't be so hurt and angry if he didn't trust you so deeply.

4) Your toddler runs to you for comfort when he falls down or feels sad.
Kids this age may not truly understand the meaning of "I love you," but their actions speak louder than words.

5) Your preschooler gives you a flower picked from the garden, a finger-painted heart, a sparkly rock, or another gift.

6) Your preschooler wants your approval.
He'll start to be more cooperative around the house, and he'll look for chances to impress. "Look at me!" will become a catchphrase.

7) Your grade-schooler trusts you with secrets, like his first crush or his most embarrassing moment.
You're his confidante, even if he shies away from your hugs in public.

Para Cayenne Con Amor

When I was just a little girl
I never thought of what should I be
Will I be pretty, will I be rich?
What are all these to me?

When I grew up then fall in love
I thought who should my sweetheart shall be
And shall he be handsome, shall be rich?
Do these matter to me?

Now I grow old and have a little girl
I'm really worry'n how she should be
Shall she be pretty, shall she be rich?
I pray the best to be

Qué será será, whatever will be will be
The future must be good to she
Qué será será, what will be must be
The very best for she

Menu 1: Fruity Salad Porridge (Instant)

Here is one of the baby's menu that I liked. It is for infant of 6+ months old.

Serves portion: 2 persons
Cooking duration: 20 minutes
Utensils: Usual Kitchen Utensils

Ingredients:
150 ml warm water
50 gm Nestlé® GOLD® Infant Cereal Rice with Apple and Cranberry
50 gm pureed pear
50 ml orange juice

Cooking Instructions:
1. In a bowl, mix all ingredients.
2. Mix well and serve immediately.

Nutrition count per serving:
Energy = 108 Kcal
Carbohydrates = 20g
Protein = 3.2g
Fat = 1.8g

Good To Know:
Cranberry may not be widely available locally but worth adding to a child’s diet.

Good To Remember:
Cranberry helps to fight infections with its anti-fungal and anti-viral properties.


Source: http://www.weaning.com.my/my/child_nutrition/recipes/recipe_detail.htm?stage=1&num=10&pci=5

Potty Training with 21mos Cayenne

Have been thinking of potty train Cayenne so that she has lesser chance to get diaper rashes especially during hot spell. Read few forums about potty training toddlers so I decided to train her (no diaper) on a non-working Saturday. From that forum, it says bring your child to pee in every 20 to 30 minutes, so the first round I decided to wait for 30mins but failed (she pee in about 20mins). So the second round I decided to let her pee in another 20mins and it was successful. Then I concluded to bring her to the potty in every 20 minutes. Who knows?

She got frustrated and annoyed by my repeated question (you want to shee shee?) in every 20mins and brought her to sit on the potty, ended she remained silent and did not want to talk much. At the very last attempt, she told me "no shee shee, mi mi ngoi ngoi" (meaning she does not want to pee but want to sleep) *pity her* Then the whole evening (till nite time) she was very cranky.

This is the first time she asked for afternoon nap. I guess she was really fed-up with those attempts and decided to sleep. She even gave up watching Barney which is her favorite cartoon. So I put up a diaper on her and tell her to go to sleep with it. She smiles back at me and hug her pillow.

Today, I read from aNon's blog about Rachel's outing without big bag nor diaper on her. I count again and realized it happens when Rachel is 2yrs & 4mths old. So I guess I can wait a little longer in training her again. Hopefully, she is not phobia by her first potty training.

Wishing good luck to myself!

The Pampered Child Syndrome

Parents often pamper their children without realizing it. They fail to realize that they are causing much damage to them such as personalty / behavior problems. Somehow I would try to brief a little about it here.

Children (you may see them in classrooms, offices, homes or public areas):
- who are given everything, but constantly demand more;
- who believe that they are entitled to the same rights as adults, but are not ready to accept grown-up responsibilities;
- who are loved, nurtured and protected, yet are unhappy, anxious or angry; and
- who are increasingly being diagnosed with emotional, behavioral or other major psychiatric disorders.

It is a multi-faceted sociological and psychological phenomenon, driven and supported by parents who truly believe they have their children's best interests at heart, and who work hard to ensure that their youngsters are given everything possible to make them feel special.

Please do not treat this child as if they are having measles, depressed, or defiant as this will not helping at all in improving their behavior.

Here is another list of identifying and dealing with them:
- a child may not be willing to accept refusal. He/She may cry or throw a tantrum, if what is desired is not received
- a pampered child may not listen to parents (parents may compromise on authority and the child takes the parents for granted)
- even in other relationships, the pampered child has adjustment problems. Among friends, the child may expect things to go on his/her favor
- the child may hold the parents responsible for her pampered behavior and dislike them for that
- he/she feels that parents can provide anything on this earth and may make demands that parents cannot meet
- parents do not rebuke a pampered child and this can spoil the child. The child may not realize his/her limits
- parents themselves find it difficult to meet demands, although, they try to do so
- he/she may find it difficult to accept setbacks and failures, the child may find it difficult to adjust to other environments which may not be as comfortable as the parental home.


There is a book entitled "How to Recognize it, How to Manage It, and How to Avoid It" by Dr. Maggie Marmen.

15999 15999 15999... Children Rights

Remember the above number, 15999, for you may save young lives in Malaysia by just dialing that number. Please! Please! I am begging you please do report to them if you ever come across of any child being abused (physically or emotionally), threatened, tortured, sexually harassed, neglected, abandoned, used for begging, or trafficked.



Have a heart, show your sympathy, shower them with your love although they are nobody related to you. IT WOULD BE TOO LATE FOR YOU TO SHED A TEAR LATER when you read the news about a child was dead from being abused.

Read on to know more about the Malaysia Child Act 2001 [Act 611]:

(Act 611 repealed the Juvenile Courts Act 1947 [Act 90], the Women and Girls Protection Act 1973 [Act 106] and the Child Protection Act 1991 [Act 468].)

Source: Law of Malaysia

Lastly, have you heard about the smoking toddler in Indonesia? This one of the worst child abused stories that I had ever heard. It is about a child, two-year-old Ardi / Aldi, whom his father gave him his first cigarette at 18mos. I wish I could ask the mother / father to save their crocodile's tear in seeking help now.

Happy Mother's Day 2010

This is my Mother’s Day 2010 write-up:

Many chapters have gone

My precious one is growing up fast and is catching up

Living with more excitements and worries

If there is only one wish for me before I die, it should be…

Another new and improved chapter begins

My little one turns to be a nice lady on earth

She will be smarter and wiser than me

She will be able to earn more and live well than me

Along with a sympathetic heart

She is stronger to help the poor

She is wealthier to donate to others

For I am no longer be around with her

I ask from God for a golden mask

To cover her tearful face and cast only smiles

And a steel cocoon for her

To protect her from bad and the most scary ones

Fearful less and fewer sad paths ahead

Nice spirits are always by her sides

To guide and hold her all along the way

To sing her a song to soothe her pains

Do remember these lines on every mother’s day

To reach me is not that far away

Just close your eyes and say my name

And I will be there

[I have been thinking what to write for this year Mother’s Day. Those I wanted to tell my momma are all expressed in last year post out and the only thing to continue doing is continuously shower her with my loves.

Yet I did not give up on writing a post for this year Mother’s Day, so struggling until today and that is why I am posting it out late this year (Mother’s Day 2010 blog posted on 30Jun2010 *LOL*).]

From Teething to Brushing Teeth

Cayenne is turning to 18mos soon. There were so much worries and sleepless nights when she is teething especially when she had lost appetite at her first teething at 4mos. Seeing her only drinks up 2oz of formula for the whole day back then is really sickening... I broke down and cried few times.

I feel so bad each time after I scolded, bitten and/or whacked her when she refuse to drink. Tears fallen down on my face when I am recalling all these. Hate myself so much for being like this but I swear I will never ever repeat this.

Now, I think I am used to it, not so much worrying when she is teething and refuse to drink milk. As I can just feed her solid foods, on the other hands, somehow I realized she loves solid foods than milk. That is why I am looking for food enriched with Calcium (thanks to aPee and aNon for the info), I found Fernleaf CalciYum is not bad... she just love it (so far only tasted on Vanilla, Strawberry and Grape). Will try Yoplait later but it is kinda hard to get in local supermarkets.

Next, I have another thing to worry, now, toothpaste. So worry to buy her just any kid's toothpaste but very appreciate Kah Lai's reply. I have more confidence now in buying toothpaste from the pharmacy for her now. Just look for less fluoride for her age now although it is known to be good for tooth.

Let's go 洗刷刷 wooo wooo!

Child's Nap

The average child's need to nap and on a napping schedule:

1) Newborns sleep as much and as long as they need to.
2) 4 and 12 months, babies move to two naps a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, each ranging from 20 minutes to three hours.
3) 2yo, most toddlers take a single two-hour nap in the middle of the day.
4) 3yo, some will have given up naps entirely.

As with most other sleep issues, consistency is essential.

Some says, by 15mos some children start to give up their morning nap. If you can, have your child nap in the same place that he sleeps at night. A set nap time in a set place will ensure that he gets the sleep he needs. The best times for naps are mid- to late morning for morning naps and early afternoon for afternoon naps. Don't let your child nap past 4 in the afternoon, or he'll have problems going to sleep at night. At least three hours should elapse between the end of an afternoon nap and bedtime. Make nap times consistent

And Other says, two naps are no longer predictable, although putting your child down for a short time in the morning and again in the afternoon is recommended. By the time he's 18 months old, don't expect more than one nap per day, usually between noon and 2 p.m. Don't let your child sleep past 3, or you may have a harder time getting him to bed at night.

Anyway, I think no forcing them to sleep as it should be an enjoyable task to do.

Vitamins, Minerals and Other Nutrients They Need

Calcium: Builds strong bones and teeth, promotes healthy nerve and muscle function, helps blood clot, and helps the body convert food into energy.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs): Help build cells, regulate the nervous system, strengthen the cardiovascular system, build immunity, and help the body absorb nutrients. Necessary for healthy brain function and vision.

Iron: Important for making hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying red pigment in blood, and myoglobin, a pigment that stores oxygen in muscles. Lack of iron can cause anemia, which can result in fatigue, weakness, and irritability.

Magnesium: Keeps bones strong and the heart rhythm steady, supports the immune system, and helps maintain muscle and nerve function.

Potassium: Works with sodium to control the body's water balance, which helps maintain blood pressure. Assists with muscle function and heart rhythm and, in later years, may reduce the risk of kidney stones and osteoporosis.

Vitamin A: Plays an important role in vision and bone growth; helps protect the body from infections; promotes the health and growth of cells and tissues in the body, including the hair, nails, and skin.

Vitamin C: Helps form and repair red blood cells, bones, and tissues; helps keep your child's gums healthy and strengthens blood vessels, minimizing bruising; assists with healing, boosts the immune system, and keeps infections at bay. Also helps the body absorb iron from iron-rich foods.

Vitamin D: Helps the body absorb minerals like calcium and builds strong teeth and bones. Essential for reaching growth potential and peak bone mass. Also functions as a hormone with roles in immune system health, insulin production, and regulation of cell growth.

Vitamin E: Limits the production of free radicals, which can damage cells. Important for immunity, DNA repair, and other metabolic processes.

Zinc: Needed by more than 70 enzymes that aid digestion and metabolism, and essential for growth.

Babyhood

From the book I read, entitled How to Manage You Children printed by Federal Publication.

Everything a child sees and hears during the first five vital years is stored. So it's important to ensure that what goes into a child's impressions storage are things which do not upset him/her psychologically or emotionally and should be handled carefully.

A baby is a mass of instincts. If any one of a baby's instincts is thwarted, there is going to be a lot of noise. Try to find out the reason for the thwarted instinct of a baby and try to satisfy that. However, very often we do not know what is the actual problem (their instinct is about), so the best way to deal with it is to replace it by another instinct.

Remember! A BABY CANNOT THINK. It's just a bundle of basic instinct. Each instinctive activity is accompanied by a definite response which, if thwarted, causes irritation and results in crying.

Instincts such as hunger, curiosity, boredom, fear, cold, heat, light or darkness are common.

For example, if you baby starts crying / screaming and you totally out of idea what is so wrong with him (after checking the diapers, feeding milk / water, sleepiness), try behave crazily by making funny faces to him/her to arouse its curiosity (which is another instinct).