All Entries in the "Parenting Views" Category

Facing a Toy Dilemma

This week I have been closely paying attention to the news since this story about  ” Toy test reveals toxic results” was released.   It was shocking to know that many of the toys sold by the local toys shops are not up to mark and considered toxic.

Today another report was out which stated that upon a further and more comprehensive re-test mentioned that 82% of the toys failed the safety test

It really makes me question about the ethical standards of the toy manufacturers and distributors.  Just to squeeze out more profit from the buyer they disregard the potential harm and ill effects of  phthalates and lead on innocent kids.

There has been reports that phtalatescan damage the reproductive system — premature breast development in females and poor semen quality
in men have been linked with phthalates. It also can trigger asthma and allergies and impair the lungs and is linked with pre-term birth in humans.

It seems really scary reading all the facts of the harms that these chemicals can cause our kids.  The relevant authorities here  are also working at snail’s pace to regulate the industry and to insist on proper testing for all toy products being made. It’s anyone’s guess to how long one has to wait before everything is regulated.

Meanwhile as a parent I will be regularly checking the list of recalled items and unsafe toys as on the US list as they do have a rather comprehensive list available.

It is very important that kids are given age appropriate toys and are properly supervised during playtime as accidents and breakages may happen which may hurt the child.

I will also be discarding “suspected” toys from the boys toy chest and clearing up all the small and broken pieces before the baby arrives.

What are you doing to ensure that the toys that your children are playing with are safe?

Teaching Reading From Infancy

It is never too early to teach a child how to read. Based on  my personal experience it is not instantly known if your baby is able to grasp what is being taught.

Even though there may not be any visible outward signs that the child know what is being read to,  he/she is still unconsciously absorbing what is being taught.

Through early exposure it will help to build up a child’s interest in reading and learning. It also gives them the chance and opportunity to understand the world around them better.

To have the view that as a child he is too young to understand what is being taught is simply very naive.  No one is too young or too old to learn how to read. It does take time and repeated effort to teach a child how to read as it is not a task which can be completed within a day.

Constant practice and repetition is needed to teach a child how to recognize and associate words with  pictures/items around them.  Babies start to develop visual concepts and associations since the day they are born.

They are able to connect items with sounds and even smells. I.e: All babies are able to identify their mothers by hearing their voices and smelling their presence.

I have been exposing my kids to pictures/words since they were born and teaching them how to read.

At one year old they were able to correctly pick out the pictures when the item is being called out.

At two years old they could match the correct word to the item and recognize the letters of the alphabet.

At three years old they could read simple words and sentences from storybooks which did not have pictures attached to the page.

At four years old they are reading independently by themselves.

My six year old has now progressed to reading parts of the newspaper by himself and would actively enquire about the meaning of difficult words that he comes across.

He loves reading non-fiction science books and we bring him to the library very often to borrow books.

My 3.5yr old is getting better in his reading and is now able to recognize many different words like ” play, park, sandwich etc” He has also progressed and started learning spelling and is able to spell and write out his own name and his brother’s name.

I credit all this to early exposure to  learning how to read and being constantly exposure to the world of literacy.

With the pace the boys are developing I am reassured that they will not have major difficulties following lessons and understanding their teachers and peers when they enter elementary school in times to come.

Fire Prevention at Home

Last month we had a talk at work about the importance of fire safety.  Many a time we neglect making the proper provision in case of an emergency. Having a fire starting from an electrical spark  or an unattended stove is not something that at the back of your mind as compared to prevention of a break-in.

Many a times electrical fires start in the house due to plugging in too many electrical appliances into a power socket. If you are not using a safety tested cord attention there is a higher chance  of  the power socket being overloaded and the emitting of sparks which may start a fire.

Fire extinguishers are a necessary precautionary item in most workplaces.  It is surprising to know that most households do not own one. In the event of a fire happening in the home this device comes in handy for putting out small fires. It is the safest way of dousing a fire.  If the wrong method is used to put out the wrong type of fire and explosion may occur and the fire may increase in size.

Since there are many different types of fire it is important to know how identify and properly put out the various types of fires.

Based on the information given out at the talk, a  the dry chemical fire extinguisher is able to extinguish most types of fires that commonly occur in a household. We have purchased  two 1kg fire extinguishers for our house and am looking into installing smoke alarms in strategic places around the house.

What have you done about fire safety at home?

Setting a Chore List for Kids

Ryan will be entering primary school  soon and I have been  thinking of how to revamp and set him a more age appropriate chore list. Now that he is older he is capable of helping out more at home. I strongly feel that kids should be taught from young to help out with the household chores. This is to ensure that everyone is given their fair share of age -appropriate household chores so no one is being overstretched in the family.

Many household I know have domestic helpers to do the household chores. I feel that the children are not given the opportunity to learn if this occurs as many of them may start to develop an attitude that it is “expect” that others will pick up after them and they do not need to be responsible for their own actions within the house.  These little people will get too dependent on others and will be denied an opportunity to build up their own independence in the process.

I certainly do not wish to bring up spoilt brats who wouldn’t even lift their own fingers to pour themselves a glass or water or help to put away their own laundry. Therefore getting a domestic helper for our family is not an option which we will be considering.

Here is a list of chores which I have drawn up for Ryan.

Ryan has been doing most of these since he was 3 or 4 years old and I intend to step up the pace with him come July.

I’ve decided not to peg completing his daily chores to his weekly allowance but give additional cash to him if he does carry out the extra chores listed in the chart above. This will act as an added incentive for him if he does do any listed on the “extras”.

Do you have a Chore list for your children at home?