How to teach a 2-year-old independence

2 years old children often try to demonstrate their self-reliance. Sometimes it may look quite funny, for example when a toddler is trying to dress himself, but it may also sometimes drive parents crazy when their child is stubborn and for example doesn’t want to eat and throws the food all over the kitchen. Parents may even feel hopeless when their baby doesn’t want to listen to them. So how to teach a toddler independence without going crazy?

First of all, parents should remember that it’s a good sign when their child tries to be independent.  It means that their baby develops properly, is curious, trust its own strength, feels support from his parents but also wants to show them that he’s big and able to do some things on its own.

However such a small child doesn’t understand yet that there are some restrictions and rules, that some things are urgent and need to be done quickly and other things need to be done more precisely than the baby can do. Hence there are some misunderstandings, which sometimes can be fun but also a little annoying for parents. Here are some tips how to support child’s natural self-reliance and develop his independence.

1. Dressing

Parents should be patient and set some rules, that of course will be modified, along with child’s new skills. For example, at the beginning child can open and close the Velcro on his shoes, put short or cap, but mother is the can that zips his jacket.

Before you start to dress your child (and argue about what he should wear today), you should make a deal: he can put socks on his feet, but you help him with the sneakers. Thanks to that, child will feel he also has control over dressing and will know what are his duties.

Parents can also let the toddler choose what he wants to wear, but not let him choose from two options, not from all clothes in the wardrobe! Let the child decide whether he want to wear blue or brown trousers or whether he prefers sweater with a dog or car.

Remember that child does everything slower and doesn’t feel the need to hurry. So if you want to let your child to dress himself for a stroll, you should start the preparation earlier to give your child enough time. Thanks to that you also won’t get nervous you will be late somewhere. Besides, you can also fool around a little bit and should your child that dressing can be also fun.

1. Bathing

If your child is trying to show you his independence, you can use it during teaching him hygiene rules. To make it more attractive for the baby, you can buy a soap in the shape of his favorite animal or a soap that has colorful pictures on the package. You can also let your child to take his favorite toy to the bath tub (of course make sure this toy is suitable for playing in water). You can also buy a colorful towel with your child’s favorite animal, car or character from a movie.

1. Eating

Parents should let their kids to eat independently, even if they eat using their hands! Even few months old babies can eat alone. After a while you can give you child a spoon or a fork – of course plastic ones and suitable for babies. You can also let your child choose what he want to eat – just give him two options, not ten! Thanks to that your child will develop his own food preferences and appropriate eating habits. Moreover, eating independently is also a great opportunity to practice coordination and movement precision.

1. Imitating parents behavior

The child want to imitate his parents behavior but he’s small which often is an obstacle. Look around your house and think how you can facilitate his daily routine tasks, how to make his everyday activities more easy. Put a stable step stool so he could switch the light on and off. The child step stool will be also useful in bathroom – next to the sink, toilet and bathtub. You can also use one in the kitchen, so your child could help you to prepare meals. Install a hanger for child’s jacket so he could reach it.

1. Compromises

Before you encourage your child to perform daily activities on his own (like dressing, brushing teeth, bathing or eating), set the rules: what the child does on his own, and how you can help him.

For example, teaching child to brush teeth daily, can be a great challenge for parents patience. The child can protest and refuse to brush his teeth. There are few ways how to deal with such a situation. Mom can brush the baby’s teeth, and baby can brush mom’s teeth. You can also tell a story about a crocodile that brushes bird’s teeth and make funny faces. Funny child songs can be also very helpful during brushing lessons.

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zooey Barnett is mom of three and blogger on Little Baby Gear where she recommends the best baby products like strollers, baby swings and educational toys. On her blog you can find articles about parenting and reviews of many different types of strollers, for example: travel systems and lightweight strollers.

Sheep Can Recognize Human Faces?

Facial recognition is a complex task which requires as many as 200 neurons in the brain’s temporal lobe, called “face patches,” to fire up simultaneously within milliseconds. Hence the skill has always been believed to be the realm of “intelligent” animals such as humans, monkeys, apes, dogs, and horses. Now, British scientists have found that the unassuming cud-chewing sheep also possess this skill.

Jennifer Morton, a neurobiologist at the University of Cambridge who led the study, says the team picked sheep because the social animals communicate with each other in a number of ways, one of which they suspected was by facial recognition. The four randomly selected celebrities to test the farm animal’s identification prowess were — “Harry Potter” actress Emma Watson, American actor Jake Gyllenhaal, British television journalist Fiona Bruce, and former US President Barack Obama. The researchers picked famous personalities for their experiment because it was easy to find photos taken at different angles.

The eight sheep, selected from the university's flock, were trained for the task with the help of two computer screens. One projected a celebrity photo, while the other showcased a black screen or a random object. Each time the sheep chose the correct image by breaking the infrared beam with its nose, it received a food pellet. Wrong identification resulted in a loud buzzer and no treat.

Photo Credit: University of Cambridge

Once the animals were familiar with the four celebrities, they were put to the test. This time, both screens featured photos, one of the star and the other of a random person. The researchers found that the sheep were right 75 percent of the time. Though impressive, it was not enough to conclude if the animals actually recognized the faces or just had good memories. To ensure it was the former, the sheep were exposed to the four celebrities again. This time, the photos, taken from a different angle, showed their faces tilted. Though the success rate was a slightly lower 66 percent, it was enough to prove the sheep’s facial recognition abilities.

For the final trial, the researchers projected a photo of the animals’ handler, who they see for at least two hours a day, alongside one of a random person. Sure enough, most of the sheep picked the handler. One appeared a little confused and went back and forth between the two, before finally settling for the right image. Their ability to identify a 2D photo of a 3D human with no previous training was ultimate proof that sheep have facial recognition capabilities.

Brad Duchaine, a Dartmouth brain scientist, is not surprised at the study’s results which were published in the Royal Society Open Science on November 8. The expert says, “My guess is that the ability of sheep to recognize human faces is a by-product of selection to discriminatebetween different sheep faces. Either the human face is similar enough to the sheep face that [it] activates the sheep face-processing system, or human-face recognition relies on more general-purpose recognition systems.”

Photo Credit: University of Cambridge

While knowing that sheep don’t just blindly follow people is enlightening, there is a more important purpose for Morton’s study. The researcher hopes that understanding how the sheep’s brain works will give her insight into Huntington’s disease. People suffering from this rare, but incurable, affliction also have a hard time recognizing faces. She next plans to study and treat a flock of sheep from Australia that has been genetically modified to carry the gene for Huntington’s disease. The researcher believes that if we find a cure for the sheep, we will one day be able to do the same for humans. The big question now is — can humans discriminatebetween sheep faces?

Resources: royalsocietypublishing.org, BBC.co.uk,motherboard.vice.com

Unique Edition Of Fahrenheit 451 Can Only Be Read By Applying Heat To Its Pages

French visual communication firm Super Terrain, has thought of a shrewd method to catch the embodiment of Ray Bradbury's smash hit novel, Fahrenheit 451. The organization's as of late discharged extraordinary version duplicate must be perused by applying warmth to the darkened pages.

The model, uncovered in October 2017, was intended to grandstand an exceptional, charcoal-based warmth enacted ink which ends up noticeably obvious when warm, and blurs away once the pages chill off. The innovation is the brainchild of specialists at the Netherlands-based Jan van Eyck Academie, which is notable for its investigations in materials and media.

For those new to the tragic book, Fahrenheit 451 recounts the narrative of a future America in which perusing is prohibited, and books banned, to smother contradicting thoughts. Firefighters, appointed to kill any books found, are told to set them ablaze during the evening, for greatest impact. The title is a reference to the rough temperature at which books consume.

This isn't the first run through fashioners have thought of interesting versions of the novel. In 1953, the year Fahrenheit 451 was first discharged, its distributer, Ballantine Books, made two hundred duplicates bound in heat proof asbestos. The constrained version books are still very pined for by authorities and offer for as much as $20,000 each.

In 2013, Elizabeth Perez screen-printed the book's spine with coordinate striking paper, flagging it could be singed, if wanted. The visual craftsman says her Fahrenheit 451 book configuration turned out to be "madly well known" inside a brief span, and she was immersed with demands from fans looking for a duplicate. Shockingly, Perez just made the one idea duplicate. Nonetheless, fanatics of Super Terrain's warmth initiated book may have better good fortune, given that the makers have guaranteed to make progressively and discharge them available to be purchased in 2018 – So stay tuned!

Assets: Gizmondo.com,Interestingengineering.com,eliperez.com,instagram.com

jellyfis - Why We Sleep

The reason creatures "squander" so much time dozing has dependably been fairly a puzzle to researchers. The prevalent view is that resting frees cerebrum cells of poisons, solidifies new recollections, and readies the brain for another day of learning. Nonetheless, another investigation by inquire about understudies at the California Institute of Technology has uncovered it's not only animals with brains that rest - even the brainless jellyfish require their zzz's!

Ravi Nath, Michael Abrams, and Claire Bedbrook started by populating a home aquarium with 23 examples of the Cassiopea jellyfish. The to a great extent stable animals spend their lives on the seabed, or sticking to different surfaces, with their stinging appendages confronting upwards to get any clueless prey that swims past.

The analysts, who utilized cameras to record the development of the jellyfish for six days and evenings, watched that the creatures were 30 percent less dynamic during the evening. They throbbed less much of the time, as well as experienced times of between 10 to 20 seconds of no development by any stretch of the imagination.

In any case, to find out that the thick creatures, which have occupied Earth for more than 650 million years, were dozing and not just resting, they needed to test for three necessities. The jellyfish ought to be muddled when aggravated tenderly amid their sleep, wind up plainly dynamic when stirred vivaciously, lastly, as most creatures, be not able capacity ordinarily without sufficient rest.

The group started by tenderly moving the napping jellyfish from their favored resting spot at the base of the tank to the surface. They watched it required some investment before the creatures swam back to their unique resting region, demonstrating they were muddled. Conversely, when the activity was rehashed 30 seconds after the fact, the now completely stirred creatures in a split second came back to the base, building up the second necessity of rest. To test how the animals respond to absence of rest, the understudies kept the jellyfish conscious the whole night by shooting them with planes of water at regular intervals, sufficiently sure, they were less dynamic the next day. A similar conduct was not watched when the creatures were exasperates with the planes amid the day.

While the examination is amazing, not every person is persuaded that it demonstrates the jellyfish were resting. Anders Garm, a neuroscientist at the University of Copenhagen, says, "I would waver to call it rest until the point that you really take a gander at what occurs in the sensory system." He accepts there might be different variables, for example, light, that could be causing the change in throbbing movement. Cheryl Van Buskirk, a geneticist who considers rest at the California State University in Northridge, deviates, saying, "These information firmly contend for the presence of rest in Cassiopea." She conjectures, "It [sleep] might be a characteristic necessity of volatile cells."

The analysts, who distributed their discoveries in the diary Current Biology on October 7, next arrangement to test if people and jellyfish share comparative rest qualities. A preparatory trial, done by presenting jellyfish to a rest instigating drug utilized by people, seemed to take a shot at the creatures also. Notwithstanding, additionally inquire about should be done to affirm the hypothesis.

On the off chance that the group can demonstrate unequivocally that the crude jellyfish, which have been untouched by development, need to rest, it might set up that dozing fills a need significantly more mind boggling than presently accepted. Abrams thinks by concentrate the jellyfish, "We may have the capacity to get at those center, principal parts of why something rests."

New hope for parents struggling to settle crying newborns

Probiotic could halve crying time for breastfed babies with colic, study finds

Researchers in Melbourne are giving some hope to parents of newborns suffering from colic, with a new study finding a certain probiotic could reduce symptoms in some babies.

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) led the international study in collaboration with 11 other global institutions, which found the probiotic, known as Lactobacillus reuteri, could potentially reduce crying in babies less than three months old, who are breastfed. 

By the third week of treatment crying could potentially be reduced by 50 per cent, according to the research. 

The study also found that the probiotic group was two times more likely to halve crying than the placebo group. 

Lead author and paediatrician Dr Valerie Sung said while the results were promising they should not be considered as an “automatic cure” for the condition, which affects about one in five families. 

“Ultimately the effectiveness of this treatment will need to be assessed on a case by case basis,” Dr Sung said. 

“It is also important to remember that each probiotic strain works differently.”

The exact cause of colic is largely unexplained and until now there has been no effective treatment for the condition which is attributed to babies who cry or fuss for prolonged periods and cannot be settled, several days a week. 

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics collected data from trials in Italy, Poland, Canada and Australia.

The Australian trial led by Dr Sung was the only trial which included both breastfed and formula-fed babies which showed the probiotic to be ineffective. However, when combined with the other trials L reuteri was shown to be effective for exclusively breastfed babies, according to MCRI. 

Dr Sung said the effect of the probiotic on formula-fed babies could not yet be determined because of lack of studies. 

Colic can be distressing for parents as well as babies and has been linked to maternal depression, Shaken Baby Syndrome and early breastfeeding cessation. 

345 infants with colic were involved in the trials.

Aussie flu Ireland: HSE confirm first deaths as doctors warn children are most at risk

Aussie flu has hit Ireland and the HSE have confirmed it has claimed its first victims.

The strain of the disease - also known as H3N2 - has already killed 300 in Australia

The HSE revealed on Sunday that "less than 10 people" have already died from the so-called 'Aussie flu' outbreak .

And doctors are now warning that children - particularly those aged between five and 14 - could be most at risk.

Across the whole of Ireland, where Aussie flu first appeared earlier this year, the strain has led to 73 hospitalisations so far this winter - with 19 of those in the last week of December.

Kevin Kelleher of the HSE told Independent.ie: "There have been a few deaths already... under 10 people have died so far this year.

"I don't give specific numbers when it's less than 10 because people could be identified.

"There are deaths every year that happen directly as a result of the flu, which account for about 18 to 20 fatalities.

"On average, there are about 400 to 600 deaths a year which are associated with the flu indirectly.

"For example, these are people who may have died because of the heart disease, linked to the flu."

He warned influenza B - of which 'Aussie flu' is one strain - particularly affects children aged between five and 14.

Last week, Conor McGregor revealed that he and his family have been struck down by the highly contagious Aussie flu.

The MMA fighter took to Instagram to share a candid post in which he revealed his New Year's Eve party had been cancelled as he was sick in bed.

He also added that some members of his family had been hospitalised after catching the flu which is caused by the H3N2 virus.

The Notorious shared a photo of himself tucked up in bed with his adorable six-month-old son Conor Junior sitting next to him.

He wrote: "Well, that was a wild New Year's Eve. Half the family hit with the Australian flu virus and some even left in hospital with it. I've never even been to Australia wtf.

"One of the most intense few days I've gone through. Big New Year's Eve party cancelled at the last minute and I am left shaking in bed the past two days".

Reflecting on the past year, Conor added: "I'll leave that with the rest of the bad behind me in 2017 and take with me the many great experiences I've had this year!

"None greater than the birth of my son Conor Jr. and the continued support of my family, my friends and my dedicated staff through thick and thin".

This comes as the number of patients on trolleys in Irish hospitals hit a record high on Tuesday, with a staggering 656 people waiting for a bed.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of most flu, including H3N2, are similar, but different strains can be more severe or contagious than others.

Symptoms can include a sudden fever, aches, exhaustion, a dry chesty cough, headaches, sore throat s, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and trouble sleeping, the Liverpool Echo reports.

Children can also get ear pain.

What is the difference between flu and a cold?

The symptoms may be similar to a common cold, but flu tends to be more severe.

Flu tends to come on in a few hours, makes you feel exhausted and affects more than the nose and throat alone.

It can also lead to much more serious complications like pneumonia.

How can you protect yourself?

Flu is spread by germs from coughs and sneezes, which can live on hands and surfaces for 24 hours.

The flu vaccine is the best protection we have, though flu strains change so it needs to be done every year.

Anyone can help prevent the virus from spreading by washing their hands regularly, covering their mouth and nose with tissues or a sleeve when they cough or sneeze, and cleaning surfaces they suspect are infected.

How can you treat flu?

Flu usually clears up by itself after around a week, but there are ways you can recover more quickly.

Rest, sleep, keeping warm, taking paracetamol or ibuprofen and drinking lots of water are all recommended.

You can seek advice most easily from a pharmacist, and are encouraged not to call 999 or go to A&E unless you develop sudden chest pain, have trouble breathing or start coughing blood.

Patients are advised to only go to their GP if their symptoms fail to improve after seven days, they are a child, over-65, pregnant or have a long-term medical condition or weakened immune system.

Limit children's snacks to 100 calories, health body says

Half of the sugar young children in England consume comes from unhealthy snacks and sweet drinks, figures show.

On average, primary school children have at least three sugary snacks a day, Public Health England found.

This means they can easily consume three times more sugar than the recommended maximum.

PHE has launched a campaign to encourage parents to look for healthier snacks of no more than 100 calories - and to limit them to two a day.

The eight-week Change4Life campaign will offer money-off vouchers towards items including malt loaf, lower-sugar yoghurt and drinks with no added sugar in some supermarkets.

• How much sugar is hidden in your food?
• Sugar targets set for cakes and chocolate
• Sugar warning over fruit snacks

Children between the ages of four and 10 consumed 51.2% of their sugar from unhealthy snacks, including biscuits, cakes, pastries, buns, sweets, juice and fizzy drinks, PHE's National Diet and Nutritional Survey found.

Each year children consume, on average, some 400 biscuits, 120 cakes, buns and pastries, 100 portions of sweets, 70 chocolate bars and ice creams and 150 juice drink pouches and cans of fizzy drink, the data shows.

Too much sugar can cause tooth decay and obesity.

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Calories in snacks

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionManufacturers are being challenged to cut sugar by 20% in their products by 2020

• An ice cream - about 175 calories
• A pack of crisps - 190 calories
• A chocolate bar - 200 calories
• A pastry - 270 calories

Source: Kantar research group

Snacks containing no more than 100 calories

• Soreen malt lunchbox loaves (apple, banana or original malt)
• Petits Filous fromage frais (strawberry and raspberry, strawberry, strawberry and apricot, strawberry and banana)
• Fruit Shoot hydro water in apple and blackcurrant flavour
• Fresh or tinned fruit salad
• Chopped vegetables and lower fat hummus
• Plain rice cakes or crackers with lower fat cheese
• Sugar-free jelly
• One crumpet
• One scotch pancake

Source: Public Health England

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The Change4Life campaign now wants parents to give their children a maximum of two snacks a day containing no more than 100 calories each, not including fruit and vegetables.

The campaign will offer parents special offers on a range of healthier snacks - ones with 100 calories or fewer - at selected supermarkets, Public Health England said.

Healthier suggested snacks include packs of chopped vegetables and fruit, malt loaf, sugar-free jelly, and plain rice crackers.

Public Health England said it had also improved its app that reveals the content of sugar, salt and saturated fat in food and drink.

Lunch box snacks

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, told the BBC she hoped the campaign would help to "empower" parents to make healthier snacking choices for their children.

"If you wander through a supermarket you see many more things being sold as snacks than ever before," she said.

"What has changed is kids' lunch boxes are getting full of snacking products. It leads to a lot of calories for lunch.

"Our research showed us that parents appreciated a rule of thumb. They were surprised how much sugar their children were consuming in snacks."

Justine Roberts, founder of Mumsnet, said: "The volume of sugar kids are getting from snacks and sugary drinks alone is pretty mind blowing, and it can often be difficult to distinguish which snacks are healthy and which aren't.

"This rule of thumb from Change4Life will help parents make healthier choices, which can only be a good thing."

Public Health England has previously called on businesses to cut sugar by 20% by 2020, and by 5% in 2017, but experts have questioned how the targets can be enforced.

A sugar tax on the UK soft drinks industry has already been announced and will come into force next April.

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