Advice from the experts
Parenting Hub

Learning to Play Alone

Parents often feel they must occupy their baby’s every waking moment or boredom will set in. Not so. Not only is learning how to play alone an important skill to grasp, but your baby will be more cheerful overall if you don’t play together 100 percent of the time. If your child needs downtime, she may turn away, get restless, or cry. Tune in to baby’s cues. When you respect a wish for independent play (supervised, of course), you show that being alone can be a good thing. Also encourage your child to develop self-entertainment skills. Engage them in a favourite activity. Play for a few minutes, then step back to observe. Once your baby is comfortable with you being some distance away, walk out of sight for a few minutes. (Of course, make sure the area is carefully baby-proofed, and keep your baby within your sight.) When your child first realises you’re gone, they may fuss but will probably settle down in a few minutes and become absorbed in the activity or toy. Wean yourself from being the driving force of play; you’ll help boost your child’s creativity. While learning through play is your baby’s “work,” for you it can be one of the very best perks of parenting. Our parenting advice is given as suggestions only. Laugh & Learn™ Smart Stages™ Puppy and Sis Have you already met Smart Stages™ Puppy and Sis? These soft and cuddly pals are entertaining companions for little explorers at the age of 6-36 months. They respond to your baby’s touch with exciting sing-along songs and phrases that introduce more than 100 first words, parts of the body, colours, shapes and more! And because every baby develops at their own pace, Puppy and Sis come with Smart Stages™ technology, so you adjust the level to unlock new content as your child grows. There are a variety of songs, sounds and phrases within each of the three levels of play. And Puppy and Sis’s light-up, multicolour heart even twinkles along to the music! Level 1 – Explore – Baby can press Puppy and Sis’s hands, foot, heart, nose or ear to hear first words, colours, the alphabet, parts of the body and more! Level 2 – Encourage – In this level, fun phrases reward little ones as they’re encouraged to count along, find colours, and identify parts of the body! Level 3 – Pretend – Puppy and Sis are ready to play pretend with fun sing-along songs and phrases that engage toddlers in exciting and imaginative play, all while expanding their vocabulary! By Dr. Bettye M. Caldwell Ph.D. Professor of Pediatrics in Child Development and Education

February 25, 2021
RediscoverDairy

Cheese, full of goodness and a lunchbox fav

Versatile and delicious, it’s incredibly easy to make cheese one of your family’s three-a-day dairy options, every day.  Like other dairy, cheese is also a firm favourite with kids. Used as a tasty topping, an essential ingredient and a go-to sandwich filler, cheese also stands alone as a nutritious and satiating snack.  Packed with protein, calcium, phosphorus and other essential nutrients, cheese, in all its many varieties, deserves its place as a healthy food item in your family’s diet. Understanding the benefits of cheese, how to choose it and how to use it will help you to plan, shop and enjoy including cheese across breakfast, lunch and supper, and the snacks in between.  Natural cheese is a fermented food, and while its exact origins are unknown, there is evidence from Ancient Rome and Ancient Egypt that the goodness of cheese has been recognised for thousands of years.  Cheesemakers use milk, salt, beneficial bacteria and a natural enzyme known as rennet as the foundations for producing a vast array of cheeses.  Different formulae and ageing processes result in different textures, flavours and colours that are all packed with goodness. Maretha Vermaak, the registered dietitian at Rediscover Dairy says, “Cheese can make a significant contribution to your daily nutrient requirements – from the protein that supports healthy bone and muscle development and repair of body tissue; to the dental protection we get from the calcium and phosphorus by having cheese directly after a meal.  As parents who are concerned about good nutrition for our growing children, it is great that cheese is also so completely delicious.” When it comes to choosing the cheeses we include in our family’s meals and snacks, value for money is often top of mind.  Luckily, today’s cheese options range all the way from luxury to everyday prices and there’s something to fit every budget.  Proper storage of cheese also impacts on affordability because you want to avoid any food waste.  Many cheeses freeze well, enabling you to buy specials or cheaper bulk options and safely freeze for later use.  It often works well to buy a big block of a harder cheese such as cheddar or gouda, grate it all before its use-by-date and freeze the surplus for quick and easy use.  Processed cheese spreads can be stored in the pantry until they are opened, and some varieties of cheeses, including sliced processed cheese, have longer shelf lives in the fridge.  It’s always important to check the labels when it comes to storage and the nutrient content of a food item.  Proper meal planning, and shopping for value for money can help you to include more cheese, more often. Another factor for many busy parents is convenience.  The reality of our daily lives is that we often need fast solutions and time-savers.  It helps to have nutritious options such as cheese on hand so that we can quickly prepare daily meals, snacks and lunchboxes.  A good example of this is glass jar cheese spreads which are healthier options than many other bread spreads, or sliced or portioned cheese products that are grab-and-go, and a great way to control portions. When it comes to lunchboxes, cheese is always a winner, some tips include: Plan for lunchboxes – plan before you shop, and pack lunchboxes before the morning rush Involve your children – in preparing their school snacks and lunches.  They learn about nutrition and how to share chores, and you can have fun together Keep it different – it may seem easier to keep doing one thing but embracing a variety of lunchbox foods encourages your children to try new foods as they develop and prevents boredom and lack of interest in eating their school lunches Aim for balance – growing children benefit from a variety of nutrients, even when it comes to snacks and lunchbox lunches.  Make sure you are including protein sources like cheese, milk and yoghurt as well as carbohydrate sources like bread and crackers.  Don’t forget to add fresh fruit and veg too. Hydration is essential – dehydration can have adverse effects on your child’s performance at school.  Water and milk are top choices.  Rather avoid sugary drinks. For more dairy ideas join the Rediscover Dairy Facebook page: www.facebook.com/RediscoverDAIRY

February 23, 2021
Happy Family Organics

Minimize added sugar in your child’s diet

It’s true. Your baby or toddler was born with a sweet tooth! Children this age naturally prefer sweet tasting foods, including breastmilk. Did you know that babyhood and toddlerhood are critical periods in shaping and influencing your child’s eating habits and taste preferences? Upon introducing solids, it’s important to offer a wide variety of textures and flavors. When it comes to food choices, quality matters most! After all, they have tiny tummies that can only hold so much at one time. Because of this, it’s especially important to offer foods that are rich in nutrients, without any undesirable extras, like added sugar or salt. Some foods naturally contain sugar, such as fruit, some vegetables and dairy products. Added sugar can be in obvious sources like desserts and sugary beverages. But added sugar can also sneak into less obvious sources including flavored yogurts, breakfast foods like cereals and waffles, and even condiments like spaghetti sauce and ketchup. While we want to include good-for-you sources of natural sugars (think fruits, vegetables and yogurts with no added sugar) in our baby or toddler’s diet, we do want to keep out the not so good-for you added sugars. Keeping the added sugars in your child’s diet to a minimum is important in helping reduce the risk of various health conditions. Unhealthy weight gain, tooth decay, and attention/behavioral issues have all been associated with excessive intake of added sugars. Because research shows diets with fewer added sugars are better for our health, there are new laws governing the inclusion of these on our food labels. Moving forward, the government will be requiring food manufacturers to include the amount (in grams) of added sugars on the Nutrition Facts Panel. This will give us a much better idea of what is actually in our foods, in terms of naturally occurring versus added sugar. Here are some other ways to limit your child’s intake of added sugars: Offer mostly whole foods. Serving foods in their natural state, such as fruits and veggies, allows you to know exactly what you are feeding your baby or tot. Processed foods like crackers and other packaged goods can be not- so- obvious harbors for added sugars, check labels and offer no added sugar versions. Be mindful of “kid-friendly” foods. Specific foods aimed towards kids, like yogurts and cereal bars, can still contain too much added sugar. Look for and choose products that don’t include any of these sugars. Be a food label decoder. In addition to seeing the word “sugar” on food labels and ingredients lists, other words can indicate the presence of a sugar that is not naturally occurring in the product. Examples of these include: honey, agave, fructose, dextrose, corn syrup, and molasses. Becoming familiar with the many names of sugar will help you better understand what is in specific products. Meal plan. Preparing meals at home gives you more control over what goes into the foods you make for you and your family. Avoid sugary drinks. Avoid offering your baby or toddler beverages that are high in sugar like fruit beverages, sodas and iced teas. Even though 100% fruit juices do not contain any added sugar, no fruit juice is recommended for infants younger than 12 months. For toddlers 1- 3 years of age the intake for fruit juice should be limited. Limiting your child’s exposure to added sugars will help contribute to a healthy start! We love… Super Smart Pouches:  Retail Selling Price: R42,50 Nourish your growing tot with this tasty blend of organic bananas, beets, and strawberries. To help support brain health, each pouch contains 20mg of DHA and 100mg of choline making this pouch perfect for wholesome, on-the-go eating! Stockists:  Happy Family Organics products are available at Baby City, Babies R Us, Wellness Warehouse, Clicks, Spar, Pick n Pay, Baby Boom, Dis-Chem, Medicare Pharmacies, Takealot, Babies Africa, Faithful To Nature.

February 12, 2021
Catrobatkidz

The Benefits of Enrolling Your Child in Catrobatkidz

As parents, you have lots of options when it comes to choosing extra-mural activities for your children. At first glance, they all seem to offer the same benefits, such as developing strong, healthy bodies, improving co-ordination and providing children with an outlet for all their energy.  Children benefit from physical activity in many ways – a topic we explored in our previous blog, but that doesn’t mean that all extra-murals are equally good.  There are a few reasons why the Catrobatkidz programme stands out as it offers some benefits you probably haven’t thought of. Here are just a few of the advantages of enrolling your child in Catrobatkidz: Discipline & Confidence Our trained coaches show the children in their care how to follow the rules and behave properly. This way, they learn patience, discipline and how to get along with their peers. Along with discipline comes confidence. A child who knows how to behave around others will naturally be more confident. This confidence goes hand-in-hand with self-esteem. At Catrobatkidz, we’ve seen shy children blossom into children who are confident, secure and open to trying new things, all thanks to our amazing coaches. Listening & Following Directions As much as Catrobatkidz is about movement and activity, we also teach children how to stop, listen and focus on instructions. The earlier children can learn this skill, the better as it’s one that will serve them both inside and outside of the classroom.  Body Awareness & Co-ordination If you’re not sure what body awareness is, it’s often described as having a sense of your own body – understanding where each part is located in space and how it feels. This knowledge helps us know how far to reach for a glass or how close to stand next to another person. At Catrobatkidz, we incorporate exercises and activities that help children develop body awareness and fine-tune their co-ordination. Why is this important? Children with a good body awareness and co-ordination are less likely to hurt themselves when running, climbing or performing other activities. Rhythm & Timing Music makes exercise fun and it helps young children develop two other important skills – rhythm and timing. Children respond to music from an early age. In fact, your probably remember how your little one would sway and clap their hands to a favourite song.  Despite their physical response to music, rhythm and timing play an important role in helping children develop emotionally and intellectually. Being ‘in tune’ with the people around you helps you feel connected to them and makes communication easier. We’ve seen the positive effects first hand, which is why music and activities promoting rhythm and timing form part of our programme. Proper Posture & Flexibility Evidence of bad posture is all around us. Everywhere you look, you seepeople hunching over desks, slouching in front of the TV and slumping over their cellphones. As they get older, this can lead to back pain, neck pain and other health issues.  That’s why it’s important that children learn to sit, stand and move with the right posture. At Catrobatkidz, we focus on developing the core muscles that children need to be able to maintain an upright posture and relaxed shoulders at all times. Flexibility is just as important when it comes to maintaining a healthy, pain-free body because a flexible body is less prone to injury. Although children are naturally more flexible than adults, without maintaining their muscles and joints, they’ll lose this flexibility as they grow up. By instilling a love of movement and exercise from an early age, Catrobatkidz is the ideal choice for parents who want their children to experience exercise as fun and not a chore. Every type of sport and exercise has its benefits but there are few that manage to combine, physical, mental and emotional advantages the way Catrobatkidz does. If you’re interested in learning more about the programmes we offer, get in touch or ask your child’s school to sign up for a FREE demo class. We love what we do and we’d love to share it with you.

February 8, 2021
Prima Baby

Chicco Polly Highchairs

Chicco, one of the world’s most beloved baby products labels, brings you indoor furniture for your baby with the utmost luxury and quality, that is affordable and most importantly, guaranteed for 12 months. Highchairs are an important part of your child’s life and will be there as they discover their new senses through food. The Polly Highchair is the perfect solution for your little one to go from bottle feeds to weaning with ease. Designed with an elegant finish, this highchair offers 3 reclining positions as well as 7 height adjustments for parents, making it a stand-alone chair with tray, or come down to meet the level of any table or chair the parent may want to use for feeding. With a clip-off, easy to clean and store tray, the Polly highchair can be folded up into a compact and discreet size that stores easily – not that you would want to hide these beauties away. With Italian quality, the Polly comes in two classy colours including Nottingham (dark beige) and Orion (deep black), both suitable for any household décor. Pick up a Polly highchair from a variety of baby retailers including Baby City, Baby Club at Clicks, Takealot, Loot.co.za, The Kid Zone, Babanino.com, Brand Hubb, Baby Boom, and selected Makro stores. 

February 2, 2021
Parenting Hub

Back to school fun with Play-Doh

The past year has challenged parents in many ways including finding endless at-home activities to keep kids entertained while ensuring they continue to learn and develop outside of a traditional classroom environment. Fostering creativity, being able to think out of the box, brainstorming, generating new ideas and improving on existing ones are important tools for young minds. Which is why Play-Doh continues to captivate the imaginations of children around the globe, providing them with the best in colourful, creatable, makeable adventures!  High quality Play-Doh compound is non-toxic and is made up predominantly of simple ingredients including water, salt and flour. As children’s safety is always Hasbro’s top priority, Play-Doh compound undergoes vigorous testing to ensure it meets (and exceeds) all applicable global safety standards and regulations. This is why, after more than 64 years, Play-Doh remains a loved and trusted brand for parents, caregivers and teachers worldwide! A classroom favourite, Play-Doh combines the fun with essential development and learning benefits (listed below). Providing ideal opportunities to practice and nurture kids critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration and creativity skills while exploring a range of topics and skills including language, math, science, social studies, and the arts.   Additionally engaging toddlers and young children (ages 2-6 years) with sensory, open-ended play activities can help them prepare for the big, elaborate world.  Combine the fun with essential development and learning benefits: Play-Doh encourages creativity and imagination by providingyour child with unlimited moulding possibilities and the freedom to explore. Creating different shapes or mixing different Play-Doh colours together to discover a new colour, can assist children in growing their curiosity, develop cognitive exploration and enhance their mathematical thinking. All the squishing, rolling, flattening and shaping helps to enhance fine motor skills by developing and strengthening hand muscles, which encourages pre-writing and other motor skills such as cutting with scissors, using tweezers, holding a pencil etc. The tactile, hands-on nature of Play-Doh compound can also help encourage development of hand-eye coordination.  Play-Doh offers kids a multi-sensory experience allowing them to learn about their world through touch, sight and smell. Sitting and squishing Play-Doh is also a very calming and soothing activity, which eases tension, releases extra energy as well as improves focus and concentration. Playing with Play-Doh in a small group and/or with adults presents opportunities for children to develop social skills such as collaborative problem solving, planning and playing as well as learning to effectively communicate ideas or discuss what they are making. Children can also learn to effectively engage in individual play sharpening their focus, patience and concentration skills.  Nominate a teacher for the #CansOfKindnessAward!    For many the past year has also renewed our appreciation for the incredible job that teachers do to keep kids inspired, motivated and encouraged while learning!  This is why Play-Doh is calling on the kids to nominate their favourite  Grade 0 or Grade 1 teacher for the #CansOfKindnessAward!   Stand the chance to win an exciting Play-Doh hamper, while the winning teacher will receive a year’s supply of Play-Doh for the classroom. All you have to do is post a video to FB @PlayDohSouthAfrica of your kid telling us about their incredible teacher and use #CansOfKindnessAward.  Entries close 26 February 2021. For more inspiration visit @PlayDohSouthAfrica on Facebook  Play-Doh is available from Toy Kingdom, Toys R Us, ToyZone, Takealot.com and other major retailers. PARENT GUIDE Some fun activities designed to ensure kids have fun while learning At its core, Play-Doh is creativity – providing endless interactive play options.  Guide your child to explore different shapes, forms and colours, which increases curiosity and knowledge while developing their fine motor skills and hand to eye coordination.  Play-Doh allows children the flexibility to experiment and develop their own stories and leads to innovative, imaginative thinking and increased confidence down the line.  Engaging in child-adult conversation, assists with communication and vocabulary growth – ask questions and allow your child to practice critical thinking and decision-making skills.  Repetition can be a great way to reinforce the skills you’ve explored. Have fun doing the activities multiple times and in different ways! All Set for some Play-Doh fun! Get creative with Sticky the Octopus! Gather the materials you’ll need:  4 Play-Doh colours  Red or pink   A light colour i.e. white or yellow  A darker colour i.e. blue Your favourite colour Toothpick/ fork/ beads Using your favourite colour roll out a round-shaped ball for the head Roll two small balls (in your lightest Play-Doh colour) for the eyes and place two smaller circles in a darker colour on top for the pupils. Add the eyes to head Curl eight ‘snake shapes’ in the same colour as your head for the tentacles Attach the tentacles to the bottom of the head Use your toothpick or fork to ‘scratch’ lines, circles or any pattern onto the tentacles as decoration Make 30 small balls in a contrasting colour and add them onto the tentacles and head If you’d like add beads as decoration – press these into the tentacles for added colour and texture (please note if adding beads to Octopus creation – the Play-Doh will not be able to be reused). Roll a short thin red/ pink piece of Play-Doh and complete your Octopus by adding a bright smile.  If you are feeling extra creative shape a top hat or a bow tie for your Octopus to wear or create a beach ball for your Octopus to ‘play’ with. Skills match: fine motor skills, creativity, collaboration, sensory play (Task source Una van Staden, Pikanini) Play-Doh Faces Fun Making Play-Doh faces is so much fun and a great way for kids to learn about their bodies more specifically the face while developing fine motor skills.  Before starting the activity discuss the different parts of the face and the shapes and size each aspect has in relation to each other i.e. eyes, ears, hair, nose, and mouth. Create a Face Mat – on a blank sheet of A4 paper draw a round circle for ahead with shoulders

February 2, 2021
Catrobatkidz

Midline Crossing

Crossing the midline is very important to a child’s learning development. It’s a key element to helping children flourish and learn in the classroom as they get older. Our ability to reach over our midline with our arms and legs to perform tasks on the opposite side of our body plays a huge role in our day-to-day functioning. Brain Development Helping your child cross the midline as they grow is very important for their brain’s development. Midline crossing activities are often tied to higher learning skills such as speech, language, handwriting, reading, tracking objects, math sequencing, sensory integration, body awareness and other important skills for critical thinking. It’s also important for helping children retain information, improves attention and focus and allows them to listen to the teacher as they give directions (auditory processing). Crossing the midline helps the right and left sides of the brain work together. If we only work one side of the brain, the other side may become weaker, which could cause gaps in learning. Learning tools that come naturally for some children (organizing thoughts on paper, executive functioning, writing, comprehension and sitting still in a chair) may not come so easily to others who can’t cross their midline. When a child crosses their midline, new connections are made between the right side and the left side of the brain, and both sides are then working together, rather than independently of each other.  It integrates the two sides of the brain, and organizes the brain for better concentration and problem solving.  This is needed for reading and writing, as well as sports activities and other daily skills. What is Midline Crossing? Crossing midline simply means that a child reaches across their body with either hand or foot. Think of it as if there is an imaginary vertical line down the center of the body. Crossing the midline would mean having the ability to reach over this imaginary line with an arm or leg, and perform a task on the opposite side of the body. The ability to cross midline develops as bilateral coordination skills develop.  The child learns to coordinate their stronger hand (used for specialized skill) with their helper hand (the hand that they use to assist the dominant hand). Crossing the midline is a developmental ability that is important for so many gross motor tasks.  When a child has difficulty with crossing their midline, they will demonstrate difficulty with fine motor skills, too. Signs a Child can’t Cross their Midline 1. Appears ambidextrous. Children who have difficulty crossing the midline may use their right hand to perform tasks on the right side of their body, and their left hand to perform tasks on the left side of their body. They may seem ambidextrous, but what’s actually happening is that they aren’t properly developing the fine motor skills in their dominant hand. Instead, they are essentially developing average skills in both hands which can have significant implications in the long-run. 2. Has poor handwriting and often changes hands repeatedly while writing, drawing, colouring, etc. Handwriting may be more challenging, and their school work may be sloppy and messy. 3. Has difficulty performing basic life skills, like brushing teeth and hair, doing up buttons, zipping up zippers, putting on socks and shoes, etc. 4. Demonstrates poor gross motor skills. A child who can’t cross the midline will likely struggle with gross motor activities. For example, they may struggle to kick a ball with two feet instead of fine-tuning this skill with only their dominant foot. 5. Appears uncoordinated and struggles with more complex gross motor activities that require greater coordination, like jumping with a skip rope or doing jumping jacks. 6. Has difficulty with reading. Kids who can’t cross the midline may find it more difficult to visually track something from left to right, which can result in delayed reading skills. For more information, and videos for activities to do at home with your child to improve midline crossing, check out Catrobatkidz ON TV

January 19, 2021
Parenting Hub

Playschool startup achieves government accreditation on top of international funding

Play Sense becomes one of the first programmes of its kind in SA to be registered by the Department of Social Development as demand booms for innovative online and home-based schools The South African edutech startup Play Sense, which recently raised more than R8-million in international investment from an Africa-focused, gender-lensed venture capital fund, has now also become one of the first registered play-focused preschool franchises in the country. The digitally-enabled micro-playschool programme is a first for South Africa and enables teachers to set up their own playschools at home under the Play Sense banner, with its award-winning imaginative play-centred curriculum for preschoolers as its primary drawcard. It has now become one of the first programmes of its kind to be accredited by the Department of Social Development as a registered early childhood development (ECD) programme in terms of the Children’s Act. The business was founded by early childhood expert and author Meg Faure, who also founded the well-known Baby Sense brand, and fellow occupational therapist and educator Lara Schoenfeld, who also founded the successful Nanny ‘n Me franchise. Faure is CEO and Melissa Cumming, previously the MD of ecommerce business Bloomable, is COO.  “Our evidence-based curriculum follows the Vygotskian theory of development which says that guided imagination-based play is the best way to equip kids with the core capacities they need to thrive in a changing world, including self-regulation, executive function, creativity, collaboration and learning readiness,” said Faure.  “Our accreditation by the department is an important validation of the quality of both our educational programme and the innovative business model that underpins it. We’re excited about expanding the programme across South Africa this year and globally in the near future – and in the process bringing the ECD space into the sharing economy as a solution to some of the most pressing challenges faced by children, parents and teachers in the world today. This kind of schooling really is the way of the future.” The Play Sense team raised R8.25-million in early-stage funding from USA-based Enygma Ventures in April. The private investment fund focuses on investing in women-led social impact businesses in Southern Africa. The Africa Trust Group is its local implementation partner.  The Play Sense franchise model was founded to provide high quality, cost-effective ECD business opportunities for teachers and qualified caregivers who want to run world-class preschools from homes. The model is designed for groups of up to six children between the ages of two to four to come together to play and learn in a safe home-based environment for three to five days of the week.  The franchise stable currently accommodates more than 30 groups in the Western Cape, Gauteng, KZN and online, but it is gearing to scale to 200 in-home groups and 15 online groups, as well as to have its global expansion playbook bedded down by the end of 2021. The startup successfully pivoted at the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis in South Africa to offer parents and teachers an online learning environment as well. It was this online move that ensured its funding from Enygma, whose investors wanted to see Play Sense scale and roll out its new tech platform in response to the boom in demand for online, independent home-based schools during the pandemic, and empower women entrepreneurs in the process. With the online model, the teacher undergoes the same training but can run an online school for up to 12 families who check in virtually twice a day while teaching their own children at home.  “All our teachers are trained in both online and in-home education so that they can adapt as situations change. We just don’t know what 2021 holds, so we have to be flexible,” said Faure. “What makes Play Sense unique is that it is such a cost-effective and scalable model for highly progressive preschool education – something that the market has been asking for and that will empower lots of women who are passionate about ECD to become entrepreneurs who make an impact in their communities. They can now set up schools that offer exceptional education to learners, without the high overheads of a school building because they can use their existing and under-utilised assets, their homes, instead. The fact that they work with a fully developed curriculum and fully equipped starter kit also saves them time and money, and ensures that a specific standard of education can be upheld,” said Faure.  The Play Sense curriculum is aligned with UNICEF’s National Curriculum Framework (NCF), Early Learning Developmental Areas (ELDAS), National Early Learning Development Standards (NELDs) and Operational Norms and Standards for preschool education. 

January 15, 2021
Clamber Club

Its PLAY time!

We hear time and again how critical play is for the healthy development of our children. Play enables children to learn through their senses, to develop their motor skills and to activate their imaginations. This tree analogy helps us to recognise the importance of play, and the difference we can make to our children’s well-being when we are responsive, nurturing parents.

January 14, 2021
Catrobatkidz

The Importance of Catrobatkidz – ages 2 to 6

Infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers grow quickly, both physically and cognitively. During these childhood years they develop the physical skills needed for their adult lives. Physical development experiences and activities are one of the prime areas of learning and development, influencing changes in the child’s brain and gross and fine motor skills. Therefore, it is very important that children are given the opportunities to be active and interactive to develop their co-ordination, control and movement.  Catrobatkidz programme is jammed packed full of all the essential building blocks covering all the important physical skill areas that children need to master.  Physical changes Children begin to lose their baby fat, or chubbiness, from around three years old. Toddlers soon acquire the leaner, more athletic look associated with childhood. Brain development The brain is comprised of two halves, the right and left cerebral hemispheres. Specifically, language, writing, logic, and mathematical skills seem to be located in the left hemisphere, while creativity, fantasy, artistic, and musical skills seem to be located in the right hemisphere. Although the hemispheres may have separate functions, these brain masses almost always coordinate their functions and work together. Motor skills Motor skills are physical abilities or capacities. Gross motor skills, which include running, jumping, hopping, turning, skipping, throwing, balancing, and dancing, involve the use of large bodily movements. Fine motor skills, which include drawing, writing, and tying shoelaces, involve the use of small bodily movements. Both gross and fine motor skills develop and are refined during early childhood.  How Children Learn 1. Observe the behaviour in others. 2. Form a mental image of the behaviour. 3. Imitate the behaviour. 4. Practice the behaviour. 5. Be motivated to repeat the behaviour. The Catrobatkidz programme is designed to teach children physical skills and improve brain integration while having fun. Where do you Want Your Catrobatkidz? ON TV @School @Home There is really nothing else quite like Catrobatkidz, please let your child exercise, learn, laugh and grow in self-confidence with us.

January 12, 2021
Parenting Hub

GIVE THE GIFT OF STORIES THIS FESTIVE SEASON WITH NAL’IBALI

“Reading and sharing stories with children is one of the most powerful gifts you can give them. Not only does it help to develop children’s literacy skills, but it also fires up those parts of the brain concerned with imagination, emotion and movement. Ultimately, it helps to create the neural circuits that enable sophisticated thinking and reasoning, helping children to do well at school.” – Yandiswa Xhakaza, Nal’ibali CEO. This festive season, Nal’ibali, the national reading-for-enjoyment campaign, has teamed up with CNA stores to bring the much-loved children stories they are well-known for to the retail market in a limited-edition box set. This exciting set features four volumes, each containing five stories like Sisanda’s Gift by Gcina Mhlophe and The Farmer and his Family by Shasha Seakamela. It will be available in all 11 official languages of South Africa for the low price of R90,95 per set in select CNA stores from December. Nal’ibali believes in the power of stories to not only entertain but to stir up dreams and hope for children. Every child deserves the chance to have regular access to inspiring stories. When children are regularly exposed to great and well-told stories in languages they understand, they are motivated to learn to read and write themselves. And children who regularly read for pleasure perform better in the classroom, across all subjects, regardless of their socio-economic standing. Unfortunately, many children miss out on this opportunity to fall in love with books and reading. Inaccessibility, affordability and availability of books and stories are the key barriers. Nal’ibali strives to overcome these through the provision of free stories on wide-reaching platforms like radio and its popular bilingual newspaper supplement which it distributes to its network of reading club and literacy partners nationwide and the public through its partnership with popular newspapers.  This partnership with CNA stores will enable Nal’ibali to continue providing access to free stories for fun reading, as all the proceeds from the purchases will go back into the organisation to create more much-needed multilingual children’s stories.  “We are inviting caregivers to support us on this venture by giving the gift of stories this festive season, through purchasing the limited-edition box set. On the one hand, families will be able to enjoy affordable stories from well-sourced South African authors and illustrators. While at the same time children across the country will have the opportunity to access free stories through the money raised from the proceeds,” says Yandiswa Xhakaza, Nal’ibali CEO. For more information about the Nal’ibali campaign and its limited-edition book boxset, or to see a list of participating CNA stores, visit www.nalibali.org. 

December 11, 2020
Parenting Hub

Money-free and off-screen; Play Sense is taking families on a Playcation

Parents have had a rough year. National lockdown left moms and dads without the support of childcare or play schools, leaving parents to find ways to keep their toddlers stimulated and learning. Now with holidays fast approaching and localised lockdown on the cards for a number of regions throughout the country, families are once again advised to practice more rigorous physical distancing.  We’ll be on the look-out for great ideas to keep our children engaged that enable us to also relax and have some fun, especially when it comes to our busy toddlers.   Early Childhood Development innovator, Meg Faure, who is a best-selling author and co-founder of Play Sense, reminds us parents that play is the intense work that toddlers do.  “It’s through their daily play that they are moving forward to tick those developmental milestones such as the gross and fine motor skills, and attaining language, while also making progress in developing vital ‘super sensory’ capacities such as creativity and imagination, problem-solving, emotional intelligence and collaboration, amongst others,” she says.   Activities and games that ignite these ‘super senses’ are deeply absorbing for 2 to 4-year olds, and Meg recommends four fun, money-free ways that parents can keep their little ones not just occupied over the holidays, but actively developing and learning in the best ways: Get outdoors into nature – the summer holiday is the ideal time for being outdoors and physically active every day.  Playing in gardens, walking on beaches, in mountains and forests, at your child’s comfortable pace, allows plenty of stimulating time to stop, look, discover and explore Build and construct activities – from playing with blocks to putting up tents and creating forts, these sorts of projects engage little ones in solving problems and collaborating in a team or partnership Make believe games – a box of pretend play items such as feeding bottles, spoons and sippy cups, as well as clothing items such as hats and socks or old handbags, phones and glasses can be a treasure trove that enables your child to test out their understanding of roles, interactions and life through play Join the four-week online Play Sense Playcation – access a wide range of easy-to-use, fun activities across four different themes.  Registration is free and the program, which runs from 10 December 2020 to 11 January 2021, has been developed by occupational therapists to nurture essential skills in 2 to 4-year olds.  You’ll be part of a holiday community with opportunities to upload videos of your activities to the website and chances to win prizes Head of Curriculum and co-founder of Play Sense, Lara Schoenfeld, says: “We know parents have had a hard year trying to work and keep their little ones busy, this is a way to spend quality time with your toddler where all the ideas and planning is done for you.  Children learn best through play and our Playcation gives moms and dads the reassurance that while it’s lots of fun, it’s also stimulating your little one’s development. We’re excited to offer this Playcation as much needed support for parents at the end of a challenging year.”      Interested parents are invited to sign up for the Playcation here: www.playsense.org/playcation Registration is free and closes on 22 December. 

December 10, 2020
Parenting Hub

South African skincare brand for little humans | Nunuki

With the holidays around the corner and many of us planning to spend more time outdoors, South African skincare brand, Nunuki® for little humans, is a must. The Nunuki® skincare range is made up of six skincare products formulated specially for babies and children in South Africa’s climate, dermatologically tested and approved, and CANSA endorsed. From Lello’s Protecting SPF30 Sunscreen that protects against the harsh South African sun to Maxi’s Pesky Bug Cream with Citronella and Lemongrass to safely keep the mozzies at bay while hydrating and moisturising young skin, the Nunuki range is made with love, and backed by science. Get your Lello’s Protecting Sunscreen 30SPF 150ml and Maxi’s Pesky Bug Cream 150ml as a summer bundle for just R190 online atNunuki®

December 9, 2020
Parenting Hub

Early Childhood Development: Building Blocks for Lifelong Learning

South Africa has the goal of universal access to a full range of early childhood development (ECD) services in ten years’ time. To meet this target, we will need more than 100 000 additional early learning teachers and 40 000 new venues for three- to five -year-olds alone, say education experts. South African children are surviving rather than thriving, it was agreed at the recent Trialogue Business in Society Virtual Conference. ‘Breaking Barriers to Quality Education’ was a key theme, with these sessions presented in partnership with Old Mutual on 13 October. Panellists Nicole Biondi (Strategic Head of marketing and communications at Innovation Edge), Justine Jowell (Programme Design Lead at SmartStart) and Megan Blair (CEO Earlybird Educare@Work) discussed how to accelerate access to, and drive the enrichment of, ECD.   Moderated by Kanyisa Diamond, senior project manager at the Old Mutual Foundation, the session unpacked different early learning models. Participants considered which ECD interventions are most effective, and what needs to be done differently to achieve the goal of the National Development Plan (NDP):  universal access to a full range of ECD services for all children aged 0-8 by 2030. The South African Early Childhood Review 2019 shows that we have made some progress in terms of ECD. Maternal and child mortality rates are on a downward trend, but we still struggle with nutrition (27% of children under five suffer from stunting), support for primary caregivers, and the stimulation of early learning. Models for social impact Justine Jowell of SmartStart said systems intervention is needed to close the provisioning gap. Some 1.2 million children aged three to four years are not attending an early learning programme, 900 000 of them from poor households.  “To achieve universal access to quality early learning for all three- to five -year-olds, we need more than 100 000 additional early learning practitioners and 40 000 new venues. To reach these high numbers of excluded children, system capacity must be expanded. This needs to happen fast to bring children in sooner.” SmartStart is an example of a national early learning delivery platform that operates under a social franchise model. SmartStart currently includes 13 organisations (independent, locally based NPOs) across nine provinces in the country that form part of the SmartStart delivery platform (as franchisors), enabling SmartStart’s rapid acceleration of reach of new children in a locally relevant and responsive way. This model helps to create direct employment and support microenterprise development, especially for women. In the five years since set-up, this model has allowed SmartStart to reach more than 75 000 children, with nearly 4 000 active early learning social enterprises (franchisees) supported to run quality early learning programmes.  Earlybird, a social enterprise, provides on-site educare services to companies that want to attract and retain top talent, particularly women. “There is a good deal of evidence that employer-sponsored educare improves productivity, reducing single-day leave-taking and enabling greater female labour force participation and progression,” said Blair. A portion of net income from the for-profit side of the business cross-subsidises the non-profit side, which funds young black women to set up Blue Door Educare Centres as entrepreneurs. These high-quality educare centres serve low-income environments and also partner with social housing developers, with a goal to bring quality learning to all young children. Innovation Edge, an innovation catalyst and social impact investor, believes in supporting early learning programmes and ensuring that caregivers get support to equip children for lifelong success. In one of their projects, they work with design and manufacturing company Barrows to print and distribute early learning materials to under-resourced communities, using blank production space available on existing client print runs. The posters and flash cards they create at minimal cost are distributed at their nine business hubs in each province of the country – and they provide more than 50 000 pieces of educational material to children in under-resourced areas each month.  They have also partnered with Out There Media on the 3 Little Minutes mobile SMS campaign, which provides caregivers with data-free access to roughly three minutes of songs and stories located on a mobi-site. The campaign is delivered via the Mobucks™ platform, which links the mobile operator with businesses wanting to advertise to specific audience (thus content is sponsored). “The pilot was in English, but the next stage will include more languages,” said Biondi. “Content on the system is provided by Book Dash and Nal’ibali, and they do have content in various South African languages, in the form of songs and stories.”  Biondi said that Innovation Edge is working with government on compiling data sets of national early child assessments to understand how literate, numerate and school-ready children may be. “We really want to get South Africa excited about how children enter school, because if we can shift the way they enter schools we can surely shift the way they are leaving school.” Effective interventions A snap poll during the session asked delegates which ECD interventions they think are the most effective. The majority (62%) said training teachers works best, followed by providing nutrition (12%) and providing equipment (12%). A further 6% listed helping with registration and 6% said building infrastructure was most effective. Blair pointed out that preventing exposure to violence is also an important factor, as toxic stress has a huge effect on development. Assuming nutrition and infrastructure are in place, training is the most effective way to improve child outcomes, she said.  “There is broad agreement that in-service training is crucial – just-in-time pedagogical support – that involves meeting a teacher on a weekly or monthly basis and finding out what they are battling with.” She said this type of intervention is exponentially more effective than pre-service training. Biondi suggested that companies think about subsidising their employees’ children so they can receive quality educare, as well as considering parental leave. “Don’t just support external ECD providers. Look inside as well as outside,” she recommended.

December 9, 2020
Parenting Hub

Tips for keeping kids’ skin healthy and happy this summer

For little ones, summer spells loads of fun outdoors, but it also means being exposed to the sun’s harmful rays and other negative factors that warmer weather welcomes. We’ve come up with a few ways you can keep your little humans safe and healthy this summer:  Load up on child-friendly sunscreen Apply a child appropriate sunscreen generously all over his/her body and remember to re-apply every two hours as well as after hopping out of the pool. For babies younger than six months, you can dab a tiny bit onto exposed skin. Look for sunscreens with a UVA symbol on the packaging, like Nunuki Lello’s Protecting SPF30 Sunscreen that specially formulated for young skin and endorsed by CANSA. Get into the right gear Did you know that melanin (the pigment in our skin that gives us our unique colour and helps to protect us from the sun) only starts to develop in our skin from the age of six months? Wide-brim hats that shade the face and the back of their necks, swimsuits and light shirts with long sleeves, and long pants or leggings. Choose light cotton fabrics to avoid overheating and perspiration that could cause heat rashes. Keep the mozzies and miggies at bay The sun isn’t the only bad guy to worry about, as insects also come out to play more when the weather gets a little warmer. Apply a thick layer of insect repellent cream to your little one’s skin in the daytime, and more to exposed areas at bedtime. Maxi’s Mosquito & Bug Repellent from the Nunuki range has a special blend of citronella oil and lemongrass that will help keep mosquitoes and other bugs away, as well as avocado and grape seed oil for soft, moisturised skin.  If your little one does get bitten, here are some remedies to reduce swelling and itching: Place a washcloth with ice blocks inside of it on the bite for 10-15 minutes. Apply used green tea bags from the fridge and dab it over the bite (coldness soothes, and green tea has natural healing effect on insect bites). Slice a lemon and rub on the affected area. Dissolve a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in water to make a paste and apply to affected areas (the alkaline neutralises the pH levels of the affected area and helps in relieving itchiness. Leave it on for 10-20 minutes and then wash with lukewarm water. Keep your little one’s skin healthy and bite-free by keeping these tips in mind as we head into the summer holidays. Find out more about the Nunuki range of skincare products specially designed for babies and children, which are all dermatologically tested and approved, CANSA endorsed, and Proudly South African, at www.nunuki.co.za.

December 7, 2020
JOMAR Baby

Refreshing, clean beauty-inspired skincare sets the pace for little ones

Modern, ingredient-conscious moms only want the best for their little ones when it comes to skincare. Products that contain natural ingredients that aren’t harmful to sensitive skin are at the top of the list – especially those that are geared towards clean beauty principles. One such brand that recently launched a unique 10 product range specially formulated to treat the body from head to toe is JOMAR, a clean beauty brand with over 22 years’ experience in the skincare industry. Using clever combinations of active ingredients sourced from nature in its products is what truly sets the brand apart from other baby and toddler products on the market. Free from synthetic perfumes, colourants, parabens, lead, petroleum and sulphates, all products contain only plant derived ingredients that are designed to provide your baby with the best care products on the market. Parents will find everything they need for their little ones in the JOMAR range, including bum products and body washes, as well as signature products such as a Calming Rescue Gel, Decongesting Bath Oil, Conditioning Scalp Oil and Repairing Balm-Oil, just to name a few. Thanks to careful development, these products are proven to be effective and help parents to treat conditions such as dry to sensitive skin, eczema and cradle cap – common baby and toddler ailments that can be alleviated using products with the right ingredients.  JOMAR’s main ingredients include essential oils, antioxidants, botanical oils and butters and natural moisturisers. Essential oils are known especially for their healing, protecting, soothing and nourishing properties, which is great for babies’ skin. Devoted to being kind to the environment, JOMAR’s products are not tested on animals, are vegan-friendly and bio-degradable. With fresh, natural fragrances and beautiful packaging, each product is a joy from purchase to use, but most importantly, it provides the best skincare for babies and toddlers.  The JOMAR range for babies and toddlers can now be shopped conveniently online at https://jomarbaby.com/. Be sure to follow the JOMAR social channels on Facebook and Instagram for weekly inspiration and tips for parents.

November 30, 2020
JOMAR Baby

Skincare Expert Jomar Launches Premium, Clean Beauty-Inspired Skincare Range for Little One’s

JOMAR, a brand-new natural skincare range backed by passion and extensive research, has just launched its exciting baby and toddler skincare range. Inspired by modern, ingredient-conscious moms, the range includes 10 unique products that are specially formulated to treat delicate skin from head to toe. With over 22 years’ experience in the skincare industry, JOMAR’s dedication to promote clean beauty and to use active, natural ingredients in its products is what truly sets the brand apart from other baby and toddler products on the market. Although the products only contain ingredients sourced from nature it by no means compromise on the aesthetic experience. The objective of each formula is to soothe, protect, nourish and normalise skin. Founder Felicia Kotze explains: “When it comes to the skincare of our little ones, we only want the best! That is why JOMAR’sproducts are 99 – 100% natural and free from synthetic perfumes, colourants, parabens, lead, petroleum and sulphates. We believe in the importance of clean beauty – not just for ourselves but for our little ones too! “This is why you will never find ‘empty ingredients in our products – only active ingredients that are designed to provide your baby with the best care products on the market!” Parents will find everything they need for their little ones in the JOMAR range, including bum products and body washes, as well as signature products such as a Calming Rescue Gel, Decongesting Bath Oil, Conditioning Scalp Oil and Repairing Balm-Oil, just to name a few. “Thanks to careful development, our products are proven to be effective and help parents to treat conditions such as dry to sensitive skin, eczema and cradle cap – common baby and toddler ailments that can be alleviated using products with the right ingredients. Therefore our main ingredients include essential oils, antioxidants,  vitamins, botanical oils and butters and natural moisturisers. Essential oils are known especially for their healing, protecting, soothing and nourishing properties, which is great for babies’ skin!” adds Kotze. Devoted to being kind to the environment, JOMAR’s products are not tested on animals, are vegan-friendly and bio-degradable. With fresh, natural fragrances and beautiful packaging, each product is a joy from purchase to use, but most importantly, it provides the best skincare for babies and toddlers.  The luxurious JOMAR range for babies and toddlers can now be shopped conveniently online at https://jomarbaby.com/. Be sure to follow the JOMAR social channels on Facebook and Instagram for weekly inspiration and tips for parents.

November 27, 2020
Parenting Hub

New look and updates for award-winning Thule Urban Glide 2 stroller

With a modern design and slim profile the Thule Urban Glide 2 Jogging stroller is the perfect stroller for running and everyday use.   The new updated versions of this popular and award-winning three-wheel stroller are now available and include a  ‘black-on-black’ colour edition (black fabric combined with a black frame for a sleek look) as well as new colour canopies in Majorca Blue and Cypress Green. New features also include a hand brake that provides deceleration, an automatic lock for folding, an extendable sunshade with UPF 50+ protection and extra ventilation, reflective rims for improved visibility and new car seat adapters for a customised fit. Featuring a sleek design and a slim profile, the Thule Urban Glide 2 is an all-round sport stroller that is perfect for everyday life and jogging. It folds easily with a one-handed motion and the air-filled tires and suspension, ensure a smooth ride that handles rough terrain like a pro. Lock the front wheel for added stability during a jog or hike, or leave it swiveling for better maneuverability while walking.  Julia Downey, brand manager for the Thule Active with Kids category offers these tips to consider when buying a pram: Think about your lifestyle and what type of pram will suit this best. If you are very active and want to bring baby along while you exercise, or simply if your family loves to fill your day with outings and activities, make sure that you buy an all-terrain pram, which is sturdy with good suspension.  Understand the dimensions of how big the pram is when it is folded and unfolded. Make sure that it will fit into your boot and double check that you can fold and unfold it easily (preferably one handed) when you have a baby and a nappy bag that you are carrying too.   Always check with the capacity of the pram is. Check that baby is comfortable, particularly if you are buying a pram for a newborn.This means opting for a pram that is well-cushioned with lots of padding, preferably with a reclining seat and sun canopy so that baby can sleep anywhere if needed. Find out if there is extra storage such as hidden pouches. This will limit the amount of stuff that you need to take with you, particularly if you are exercising with your baby. At minimum, a pram should have space for essentials such as keys, phone, a clean nappy and baby bottle.   Look at it as an investment, especially if you plan on having more than one child. A good pram will not only last through your baby’s first few years, but onto your next baby too. From there, it could be passed down to younger cousins.  Also check what the warranty on the stroller.

November 27, 2020
Characterful

Embracing colour

Colour makes up the beauty of our world, but why is colouring in so good for children? We’ve taken a look at some of the reasons why embracing colour and art is just so good for your little ones.  An understanding of the world Children are born in a greyscale world, seeing colour only as their eyes develop. At the age of 18 months, a child starts to identify colours. At two years and older, they start to name them.  We don’t always see how much we link colour to the world around us. Knowing that the sky is blue and the grass is green may seem obvious to us, but to a child learning everything from the start, these are crucial discoveries. Colouring in helps your child to link colours to the world around them, and their understanding and mental growth will grow and grow.  Developing their creative identity  By colouring in, children develop their hand strength and motor skills, including colouring in between the lines. Their focus and ability will continue to grow and strengthen too.  We’re most interested in helping your child develop their individuality. Through using colours to bring pages before them to life, their self-expression will burst into life! You will see them understand colour, size and shapes like never before – and they’ll be having fun the whole time too.  Taking time for them  In today’s world, we have a greater understanding of stress and how it can affect our healthy minds and bodies. Taking time for yourself is a vital skill that can be learnt from a very young age. And while your child might not want to meditate or self-reflect, colouring in has been proven as a great way to reflect, relax and de-stress.  By focusing on the task of colouring, using one pencil at a time, they will find this time away from their busy lives to be healthy and healing, making sure they’re in the best place to tackle their adventures ahead.  Hanging out with all the family  Colouring in also helps you create quiet time with all the family together. You can sit with your child as they colour in their adventures, or get on with your own relaxation while still being together. It creates a great opportunity for social time without requiring high energy playtime, and you get to watch your child discover the thrill of creativity.  Just be ready to be the proudest parent as your child rushes to show you their work, full of pride – whether it’s a modernist masterpiece, or a cheerful scribble!  At Characterful, we believe in the power of colour to inspire our readers’ imagination. Pick up any of our books and you’ll step into a world of vibrant backdrops, exciting characters and an immersive atmosphere.  And now we want your children to have the chance to colour in our books too, by releasing a colouring in version of our epic story The Door in the Garden Wall. Thanks to our personalisation, your child will now be both the hero of the story and the illustrator. 

November 25, 2020
Prima Baby

Chicco Baby Senses Elliot Camping Lover and Baby Senses Roger Tennis Lover

The Baby Senses range from Chicco is the primary toy range that encourages babies from as young as 3 months old to use and develop their senses. As babies grow, they can enjoy the more advanced, electronic toys in the Baby Senses range that require batteries and make use of sonic and visual sensory engagement. Baby Senses Elliot Camping Lover is a lantern-shaped electronic toy that allows children to step into the shoes of an explorer. With electronic lights and sounds, Elliot Camping Lover helps develop and perfect those first motor skills with manual activities. Includes melodies and a rotating compass. Perfect for kids from 6 months old. Baby Senses Roger Tennis Lover is an electronic toy named after tennis legend Roger Federer, in the shape of a tennis racket. Lights and melodies and manual activities keep children engaged as they naturally develop motor skills. Suitable from 6 months old. Items available online at Takealot.com, Loot.co.za, Online Home Store, Baby Boom, Babanino.co.za and TheKidZone.co.za

November 23, 2020
JOMAR Baby

5 Care ingredients that are perfect for your baby’s skin

Your little one’s delicate skin needs a lot of pampering when it comes to body care products. More sensitive, porous, dryer and more vulnerable to infections than adult skin, your baby’s skin needs body creams and washes that are safe and kind to their soft skin. As parents, we understand all too well how important it is to only use skincare products with the right ingredients. We carefully consider every ingredient that goes into the products we might purchase to care for our babies skin. High on our agenda are ingredients that gently cleanse, soothe, nourish and protect the delicate skin of our little ones, each product is suitable for all skin conditions, even for sensitive or irritated skin.   So, which ingredients should we be looking for? The answer is simple: ingredients that include moisturising complexes, vitamins, antioxidants, essential oils, botanical oils and butters, all sourced from nature!  We chatted to the team at JOMAR, a natural skincare range for moms, babies and toddlers, about five favourite care ingredients that are perfect for babies’ skin. Have a look below: 1. Coconut oil  Used for anything from substituting traditional cooking oil to hair and skincare, coconut oil has been a favourite staple in many people’s pantries. However, as an ingredient in body care products for babies, it provides so many benefits that your baby will love. Coconut oil is packed with vitamins and healthy fats, not to mention anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and moisturising benefits.   It is also gentle on baby’s skin and safe to use as is or in a product formulation to treat common baby skin conditions such as dry skin, skin irritations, eczema and cradle cap. 2. Marula oil Sourced from the famous Marula tree that is inherent to Southern Africa, Marula oil is an amazing ingredient in body care products. This popular ingredient has been used for centuries to treat or alleviate several health conditions.  As a baby body care product, its high Vitamin E content, antioxidants and essential fatty acids help to gently soften your little ones’ skin and lock in natural moisture.  3. Shea butter It’s no secret: your baby’s skin loves Shea butter with its anti-inflammatory and healing properties! Its high concentrations of fatty acids and vitamins nourish and soften baby’s skin, keeps moisture in and ensures that less water is lost by helping to form a barrier on the skin’s surface.   4. Rooibos A true South African favourite, rooibos as a skincare ingredient for your baby is filled with antioxidants and repairs your little one’s skin as it soothes. Conditions such as eczema, allergies and dryness benefit from rooibos’ vitamin D and zinc ingredients that promote healthy skin. 5. Lavender oil Certainly one of the most calming scents that babies and moms love, lavender is a beautiful skincare product. It can help to relax a fussy baby and even encourage sleep. Lavender can also be used to treat insect bites, skin rashes and alleviate the symptoms of colic. Baby-friendly from start to finish With these 5 key ingredients in mind, you will be able to provide your baby with the best skincare. Together with these recommendations, choose products that are free from harmful chemicals, parabens, lead, petrolatum and sulphates. Your baby will love the care these products provide, from morning to bath time! To find out more about JOMAR’s baby friendly-range, visit their website here.

November 20, 2020
Characterful

ABCs and… Me?

The ABCs are the start of learning our language, and the way we communicate and speak with each other. Teaching our children how to use these letters can seem difficult, and for them it can be a daunting task.  The key when teaching ABCs to your child is to use their curiosity as a building block for learning it. Start small with identifying the first letter of their name: “A is for Andy”. This brings in a level of excitement and your child will love pointing out the letters of friends and family names too.  Using tools such as the first letter of loved ones’ names, letter toys such as letter crayons, letter magnets, and letter building blocks, all help keep the alphabet at the forefront of your child’s mind. The building block of language The ABCs are the first thing we learn when discovering how to read and write, and each letter corresponds to multiple sounds whether it’s the ‘p’ in ‘hop’ or ‘peer’, or the ‘c’ in ‘silence’ or ‘cackle’.  It can be overwhelming when learning how to use these tricky, vital blocks of sound, and we know that children learn phonetically at first.  Phonetic language, or phonics, is the sound of language, the ‘ah’, ‘puh’’, ‘kuh’ sounds that can then become known as ‘a’ ‘p’ ‘k’. This is really useful when getting your children to become familiar with letters.  Start their love of language today  With a real love of language, your child will be able to discover books, poems and more that all stem back to the written word.  The door to all of this culture, learning and art starts with a simple A B C. With easy tools, like ABC books, letter toys and crafts, you’ll be able to help them start out on a journey that they will be grateful for their entire life.  At Characterful, we love helping children take on and master challenges. Our stories focus on adventures, with personalised characters putting your child at the heart of the tale, and helping them to make the decisions and overcome the difficulties themselves.  That’s why we’ve brought out our own ABC book.  Like all our stories, ABC and ME is personalised. Your child travels through the alphabet, encountering giraffes and pirates, mermaids, zebras and best of all, themselves! Each page is beautifully illustrated, while there are easy rhymes to help your child read it flowingly, and enjoy the adventures on each page.  When reading our ABC book to your child, we recommend getting them to sound out the word with you, playing around with it and having fun! You can read them the fun rhyme to help them see the sound of the letters in action. Children’s brains are constantly learning and expanding, more so than at any other time, and by reading them stories, you will be helping their brain’s ability to think, understand and grow. 

November 19, 2020
Play Sense

Playing for the future

Meg Faure, best-selling author & co-founder of Play Sense   We are living in a time when everything we’ve come to accept as normal is being turned upside down. The same is true for education – especially when we think about how to best equip our children for the future.  We’ve all heard about artificial intelligence and machine learning and how computers are much better at processing and organizing information than we are. Automation and digitization have changed the way we live and work. To the point that many of the jobs available today will be fulfilled by machines in the (not-so-distant) future.  Future-proofing your child  So, how do we ready our little ones for the future? Their future. Over the last decade we’ve seen pockets of schools, teachers and parents break away from traditional education, to something that engages the whole child in learning. Whether that be through smaller groups of children, teacher-child ratios of less than ten, different teaching methodologies or any combination thereof.  Research and experience have proven that enriched experiences are the architect of little one’s minds. When a child is using their imagination, they are developing soft skills like collaboration, creativity, problem solving and self-regulation. And contrary to what our education system would have us believe – these are the skills that contribute to your child’s lifelong success.  Google it  More than a decade ago now, Google conducted recruitment research called Project Oxygen. The goal was to define the top 8 criteria candidates needed to succeed at Google. Given that Google is a data and technology business, you would think that STEM skills would be top of the list. But guess what? STEM skills were at the bottom of the list of essential skills – the rest were all soft skills.  Soft skills are those strengths that are intangible, hard to measure but also invaluable when it comes to achieving lifelong success and happiness. There is no better time to start fostering soft skills in children than when they are toddlers.  Children are in their most exciting development phase between 2 and 4 years old and the best thing we as parents can offer them is the opportunity to learn essential skills through play, guided by a nurturing teacher, in small groups and within a home environment. Toddlers thrive when these factors combine and it’s the basis of our ethos at Play Sense.  Child’s play  At 2 years old, little ones are not ready for unfamiliar surroundings, big groups of children and an overt focus on rushing through fine motor and cognitive development. It’s only through play that little ones learn – and soft skills form the foundation for their education journey, well into adulthood. Play Sense’s research-based program has been created by early years experts to prioritise the development of soft skills (and the overlap with Google’s findings is incredible!). But what skills does your child need to flourish?   Collaboration – the ability to understand one’s own mind, the mind of another and make connections with other human beings is critical in the workplace and beyond. For a two-year-old, this is best fostered in small group settings. When leaving home for the first time, your child should experience socialization in a protected and nurturing environment. This cements the foundation for a collaborative mindset.  Creativity – the ability to create something out of nothing, to envisage a product and plan the steps to get there is the cornerstone of a creative mindset. We develop creativity in children through simple toys, free play, and imaginary play – allowing little ones to discover and refine their inherent creativity.   Self-Regulation – the ability to manage strong emotions, create a balanced response to changes in the world and to moderate one’s own behaviour is a vital part of learning and success. The only way a young child learns self-regulation of strong feelings and overwhelming behaviours is in the context of loving, empathic relationships. As parents and teachers, we need to be co-regulators – facilitating the development of self-regulation.  Executive function – the CEO of the brain – executive function plans the way to achieve something, weighing up all resources at one’s disposal. Executive function activates the plan, reassesses as one goes along, and changes direction should the need arise. This mental flexibility and ability to see the bigger picture as well as the finer details is a critical soft skill. It is wonderfully developed as little ones embark on free play and imaginary games.   Super Senses – the motivation, will and drive to learn, be challenged and the spark to engage are what we call the Super Senses – unquantifiable soft skills that drive a child to master their world and develop a lifelong love for learning. Every education opportunity should nurture this magic quality. In the young child, play is the secret to igniting this fire.  At Play Sense, we believe in the power of play to develop these and other core capacities. We witness the benefits of play every day along with hundreds of families around the world. And the resounding message is this – don’t overschedule your child with extramural activities, avoid the urge to be ‘busy’. Make play a priority in your home – it holds the key to a wealth of skills and abilities that your toddler needs to realise success and fulfillment in a world of the that most of us can hardly imagine. 

November 18, 2020
Parenting Hub

Could your child have Type 2 diabetes?

It’s a question no parent wants to ask. But as with so many things in life, knowledge really is power. We’ve outlined all you need to know about the risk factors for Type 2 diabetes so you know what to look for. The difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes First of all, it’s important to understand the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes used to be called ‘juvenile diabetes’ because it was most often diagnosed in children. It’s an auto-immune condition, unrelated to lifestyle or diet. If your child has Type 1 diabetes, you’ll know very quickly because they will get very sick. They’ll lose weight, eat a lot, constantly be thirsty and need to pee a lot – often at night. They’ll also be exhausted. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, develops slowly. Until recently, it was mostly seen in older people – one of the risk factors is being over 45 years old. But it is being diagnosed in children more and more. This is largely because our kids aren’t as active as they used to be – one of the main risk factors is a lack of physical activity. Another is being overweight or obese, particularly around the tummy area, and having a family history of diabetes.  What to do if your family is at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes If this is ringing a bell, there are a few simple things you can do. The easiest way to remember them is to think EEL: Eat healthy Exercise Lose weight if necessary Eating healthy means cutting out junk food, sweets and treats, juice and fizzy drinks. Also cut out refined carbs, which means white bread, white rice, pasta – all the white foods. Eat lots of green vegetables (half a plate with each meal), good quality protein and some wholegrain carbs. It might feel like a big adjustment, but your whole family will feel better if you can start eating healthier. Exercise doesn’t have to mean joining a gym. It can be as simple as a 30-minute walk, most days of the week. Or some stretching or yoga at home, or a game of soccer with the neighbourhood kids. It’s so important for kids to be physically active. Losing weight is important if your child is overweight or obese, but that doesn’t mean putting them on a diet. If they’re getting active and eating healthy, drinking lots of water and staying away from junk food, weight loss will be a natural result. If you’re not sure whether or not you’re at risk of Type 2 diabetes, check out our fun 1-minute diabetes risk test on www.sweetlife.org.za. We also have all the information you need on how to reverse Type 2 diabetes, and advice and tips on how to manage diabetes if you’re living with it. The most important thing to remember is that you’re not alone in this! There is a whole community of Diabetic South Africans, all living our best lives. Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes Very hungry Very thirsty Needing to pee a lot, especially at night Sudden weight loss Exhaustion Risk factors for Type 2 diabetes 45 years old (or older) OR Overweight or obese AND Physically inactive (not much exercise) High blood pressure Family history of diabetes High cholesterol Heart disease history High-risk ethnic group (Asian Indian, Coloured) Diabetes during pregnancy or a baby over 4kg PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) If this sounds like you, it’s important to go for a diabetes screening. There are free screenings at Clicks Clinics and many independent pharmacies during November (National Diabetes Month).  Bridget McNulty is a Type 1 diabetic and the co-founder of Sweet Life Diabetes Community, SA’s largest online diabetes community. Find out more about how to live well with diabetes at www.sweetlife.org.za 

November 16, 2020
Prima Baby

Chicco Baby Senses Candy Cupcake and Baby Senses Ciro Pizza Lover

The Baby Senses range from Chicco is the primary toy range that encourages babies from as young as 3 months old to use and develop their senses. As babies grow, they can enjoy the more advanced, electronic toys in the Baby Senses range that require batteries and make use of sonic and visual sensory engagement. Baby Senses Candy Cupcake is a fun electronic toy to get baby engaging and using motor skills from about 6 months of age. Using lights and music, this pink, cupcake-shaped toy has small challenges and attractions to keep your little one entertained. Baby Senses Ciro Pizza Lover is a true Italian toy that is named after the pizza-capital of Napoletana. A fun pizza-cutter shaped toy that doubles up as a rattle, your baby can turn him on to active lights and music as they learn to engage with sound. Items available online at Takealot.com, Loot.co.za, Online Home Store, Baby Boom, Babanino.co.za and TheKidZone.co.za

November 16, 2020
Vital Baby

Vital Baby’s Guide To Travelling With Your Baby

Keep things simple… The car is probably the most frequent form of transport with a baby and the secret of successful travelling children is careful planning. Young children are surprisingly adaptable so providing you take the essentials, such as food, nappies and a favourite toy or two, your child should be quite happy.  Preparation  Prepare a survival kit for the journey before you set off and keep it where it is easily accessible.  The kit should include spare nappies, a change of clothes, baby wipes, changing equipment and a mat or towel.  If you are bottle feeding or giving solids, you will also need to include some feeds plus some feeding equipment.  With its large storage capacity the Vital Baby NOURISH snack on the go (R119,99) is the baby and toddler snack-time must-have for independent feeding, or as a baby-led weaning accessory.  Ideal for when out on family trips, or at home for less food mess and less stress!  Try to make the journey as relaxed as possible by checking the route before you set out and allow extra time to get there.  If you are going on a long journey, consider travelling at night.  If you are going by other transport, find out what facilities are available for babies and older children before you set off. For example, car seats and restraints  From birth, your child should travel in an approved safety restraint suitable for his age and weight.  Restraints must be fixed and used properly to obtain maximum protection for your child in the event of an accident.  Keeping the children amused  A good selection of toys, especially for an older baby, is essential to keep him amused on the journey.  Choose toys that have been specially designed for use in the car or ones that have suction pads that will stick on the window or the back of the front seat.  Story tapes are also a good idea, especially for long journeys.  Journeys by public transport  You will need to be selective about what you take with you, as you will probably have luggage as well as your baby.  Your survival kit should be packed into an easy to carry holdall.  If possible, take a lightweight, folding pushchair.  Put your baby in a baby carrier, either strapped on your front if he is still very young, or on your back if he is old enough to sit up on his own.  When booking a seat on a train, coach or plane, always mention the fact that you are travelling with a young child and ask for the most convenient seating accommodation available.  Some airlines have sky cots and others will allow you to take a buggy onto the plane as hand luggage.  Sun sense  Whichever method of transport you use, always shield your child from the sun and make sure that any exposed skin is protected by a high-factor sunscreen.  Keep your baby as comfortable as possible by putting him in clothes that are loose and easy to change. • A number of layers of fairly thin clothing are best, as this will allow you to add or take away a layer depending on the temperature.  Cars can get very hot in the summer, with the temperature creeping up considerably, so keep a constant check on your child while travelling.  Take plenty of water with you on hot days.

November 13, 2020
JOMAR Baby

Why moms and their little ones need clean beauty skincare products

Clean beauty has been getting a lot of positive buzz online – and for good reason! Those that invest in products designed with clean beauty principles in mind, reap the benefits of ultimate wellbeing – and this includes moms that chose clean beauty for themselves and their little ones! So, how does it work? In a nutshell, the clean beauty philosophy allows us to be mindful about our health and our impact on the environment. It ensures that ingredients are responsibly chosen, based on their safety and efficiency, as well as their environmental impact.   Although there are diverse opinions when it comes to clean beauty products, it is important to remember why this movement started. We caught up with JOMAR, a natural, clean beauty skincare brand for moms and babies, who shared their insights on this topic. 1. Daily exposure means we need to consider what we and our little ones need to be protected from Food, skincare and medication expose us to numerous chemicals each day, which means we are exposed to a phenomenon known as toxic load. That means even ingredients that are deemed safe may become harmful or cause sensitization if use exceeds recommended exposure limits.  When choosing clean beauty products for ourselves and our little ones, we are choosing natural, plant-derived ingredients that reduce the risk of toxic load. These ingredients contain fewer chemical by-products known to cause skin reactions.  2. Pure ingredients are gentler and more nourishing Certain traditional skincare brands often have the same product ingredients to ensure each batch looks and smells the same. Unfortunately, this refining process can introduce harmful by-products or can damage naturally beneficial components – something that moms definitely not want when it comes to their and their babies’ skincare!  However, natural ingredients undergo less refining and trade consistency in colour and smell to preserve product integrity. This means vitamins and antioxidants remain intact for a longer period. Moms and babies can enjoy products with ingredients in their purest form, knowing they are reaping all the benefits of clean beauty!  3. Clean beauty inspires moms to follow a conscious living approach for them and their little ones Conscious living is all about making better choices for your health, society and the environment. When moms choose a more purposeful lifestyle, they will choose natural products that allow them to align their purchasing habits with their personal values – ensuring they provide the best skincare for their family.  Skincare products with natural ingredients require less processing during manufacturing, which means energy consumption is reduced and fewer (if any!) harmful by-products are present. By-products and synthetic ingredients are found in nature due to build-up and contaminated water and soil over time, however, clean beauty can help conscious living moms to minimise their impact on the environment.  When moms choose clean beauty products for their families as part of their conscious living attitude, they also support local farmers and sustainable growing and harvesting practices that promote the cultivation of indigenous plant species. It is clear: Clean beauty products are the only option when choosing skincare products for mothers and little ones!  To find out more about JOMAR’s clean beauty approach, be sure to visit their website here.

November 13, 2020
Missing Children South Africa

Do NOT Wait 24 Hours before reporting your child missing

Parents must NOT wait for 24 hours to report a child that has gone missing. This is a myth, and if a child is reported missing immediately, our chances of recovering that child in the first ‘golden 2 – 3 hours’ is far more successful. There is no waiting period to report a person as missing. Go to your local SAPS (South African Police Station) and insist that they open up a ‘Missing Child’ case. It is very important to get the case number, as well as the Warrant Officer who will be dealing with the case. Then get hold of Missing Children South Africa immediately, so that we can create a ‘Missing’ flyer, and post it across our social media platforms. Teach your children these important numbers: SAPS|POLICE: 10111  MISSING CHILDREN SOUTH AFRICA: 072 647 7464 CELL PHONE HELP: 112 SAPS CRIMESTOP: 086 001 0111 CHILDLINE SOUTH AFRICA: 080 005 5555 GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE: 080 042 8428 HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE: 080 022 2777 Our website www.missingchildren.org.za acts as an emergency report facility, as well as being MCSA’s platform for informational and educational material with regards to Child Safety.  The service MCSA offers to the community and government is invaluable and as you can imagine we certainly have our work cut out for us. We provide our services free of charge to anyone who needs us. Sadly we don’t necessarily enjoy the same privilege for our needs and our financial requirements quite often outweigh our resources! We rely solely on the goodwill of individuals and corporations for financial support – funding remains MCSA’s biggest challenge. You can assist us now by clicking here https://missingchildren.org.za/donate/ and donating – this will be deeply appreciated and is much needed. Education plays an incredibly vital role in the life of Missing Children South Africa, and all funds received is utilised to further MCSA’s educational program; ‘Tips for Children’ and ‘Tips for Parents’ which promotes Child Safety. The education is targeted to all the vulnerable and orphaned children, and also children with disabilities. The education is also shared with parents, guardians and the families who take care of these children. The education focuses on not only the dangers, but also the solutions with regards to what to do to keep children safe, and especially what not do.    What To Do When A Child Goes Missing Try not to panic and DO NOT WAIT 24 hours to report your missing child. Get a responsible person to stay at your house while you’re at the police station or searching for your child. This person can take messages if someone calls about the child’s disappearance or if the child returns home. Go to your nearest police station and take a recent photograph of your child with you.  Make sure that the photograph is of good quality so that your child will be easily identifiable. Give a good description of what your child was wearing, their last whereabouts and any information that may help the police. Complete a SAPS 55 (A) form which safeguards the police against false or hoax reports. This form also gives the Police permission to distribute the photos and information of the missing child. Make sure the police give you a reference number and a contact name and number of the SAPS officer(s) assigned to the investigation. Click on our Report Now button, and complete the form: https://missingchildren.org.za/report/. Remember that if your child returns home, you should go to the Police station to report that your child is safe and let MSCA know that your child has returned home safely. Missing Children South Africa’s social media platforms are: FB: https://www.facebook.com/MissingChildrenSouthAfrica/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/072MISSING Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missingchildrensa/

November 12, 2020
Characterful

Playing and fun: the most important parts of child development

We know that children all develop in their own way and at their own pace, and that it’s important not to rush them on their journey. In allowing them to grow at their pace, you help build confidence in who they are. It is important to provide an environment that supports a child’s development in a way that they respond well to. Fun facts!  At Characterful, we are passionate about keeping learning fun, and rooted in great stories. We’ve gathered some fun facts on child development, some of which might surprise you!  Take a look… Ouch! It doesn’t just sound like it – a three year old boy’s voice is louder than 200 adults in a restaurant. Read out loud: if you read aloud to your child, it will help stimulate their brain development, especially in their early years. They’ll also learn to speak faster if you respond to their gurgles and noises more than 80% of the time.  Learn another language: your child’s brain will develop more if they learn another language. You can help them learn it by letting them watch international television programmes like Dora the Explorer with smaller words from another language.  Not ignoring you: babies and toddlers have a hard time separating background noises from voices – sometimes they actually can’t hear you when you’re calling their name! Colour blind: Babies are born colour blind, seeing only black, white and grey. As the months go by, your baby will start to develop their colour vision. They also learn what’s important to look at by watching your gaze.  And – most importantly in our view…Playtime is everything! By playing, children learn heaps of useful information, including how to socialise, how to regulate their own behaviour, and how to imagine!  Having fun while learning  To aid in your child’s development, [Characterful] released an activity book with a child’s own character throughout. Your child will be challenged with everything from adding up groups of dinosaurs, to tracing the alphabet at the insistence of a unicorn!  They’ll colour in pictures of the famous South African wildlife, while spotting differences between pirates and spaceships, completing dot to dots to find a mermaid’s best friend, and even helping knights find their way back to their castles through deadly mazes!  Our activities are designed to test and strengthen your little one’s grasp of maths, logic, language, problem solving and instruction taking. And most importantly – they’re fun!  When a child is learning and having fun at the same time, they’ll begin to realise that these challenges – although difficult – can be enjoyable in the future too. You’ll be helping them grow a love of learning and puzzles, that will help them develop even further, ready for the challenges ahead. 

November 12, 2020
Prima Baby

Chicco Baby Senses Bath Toys selection

The Baby Senses range from Chicco is the primary toy range that encourages babies from as young as 3 months old to use and develop their senses. Baby Senses now introduce their new bath time range of toys to keep little ones engaged and having fun during the important bonding time of bathing. Baby Senses Swimming Frog and Baby Senses Swimming Penguin are two gorgeous bath time companions that work with a mechanical win-up system. Wind them up and watch them swim the length of the bath, creating much laughter and fun for your little one. Also from the range is the Baby Senses Sprinkler Whale. Again, a mechanic wind-up toy, the whale blows water the bath water from his spout as he bobs about in the bath, creating a fun atmosphere that will keep encouraging babies to look forward to bath time. Items available online at Takealot.com, Loot.co.za, Online Home Store, Baby Boom, Babanino.co.za and TheKidZone.co.za

November 9, 2020
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