Teplok Online Magazine | There's Only Good News For You

Good News : Did you know how much Natural Parenting has benefits?

2009-08-29T02:52:00.010+08:00

Natural parenting has many benefits, not simply for the children, but for many areas of family life.

Natural parenting proponents advocate a simple, natural lifestyle for raising children. Natural parenting believes in natural childbirth, breastfeeding, close attachment parenting and bonding, stay-at-home parenting, co-sleeping, positive discipline, natural and organic foods, home schooling, natural health, and disallowing vaccinations, circumcisions and other intervention from medical and technological advances.

The Benefits of Natural Parenting
Research from natural parenting advocates suggests that children raised in an old-fashioned, more natural way produce healthier, more secure children with fewer problems.

* “We turned out OK.” Natural parenting advocates claim that children of past generations have been raised naturally and had far fewer medical and social problems, as compared to children today, who are raised in a world where technology intervenes at every turn. Natural parenting experts say the incidences of attention deficit disorders, mental illness, behavior problems, health problems and food reactions are far more prevalent today.
* More bang for the buck. Natural parenting and family living is far less expensive than trying to keep up with the plethora of toys, gadgets and gear that seem to crop up continuously. Parents of young children are bombarded by “must-haves,” which can be a strain on family finances.
* More secure children. Natural parenting proponents say they’ve debunked newer parenting theories suggesting that babies need to “cry it out” at night and that parents who pick up a baby every time he cries are “spoiling” him. Their research suggests that babies whose cries get an immediate response from parents grow up to be more secure, more confident and more independent.
* Health reasons. Most doctors would agree that breast milk is healthier for an infant than formula. Breastfeeding passes on immunities from the mother to baby and greatly reduces sickness in babies. Generally, a more natural lifestyle is healthier for a child, natural parenting proponents say. Returning to a more natural life eliminates some of the problems that have appeared since modern parenting practices, such as colic, rashes, sleep problems, attention deficit problems, diabetes, obesity, hyperactivity, and behavior issues.
* It’s simply more natural. Just as parents in the animal kingdom instinctively know how to raise their young, humans have natural instincts on how to give birth, treat childhood illnesses, feed and care for their children.

Criticisms of Natural Parenting
Critics of natural parenting claim there is no evidence that it is superior to more modern, mainstream parenting methods. Natural parenting means a lot of work for parents and the demands can be exhausting, critics say.

Natural parenting opponents condemn its refusal to take advantage of modern advances, particularly in the medical arena. By refusing to allow their children to be vaccinated against disease, natural parents are putting their children at risk, as well as public health, critics say. While there are perceived adverse effects of immunization, medical opinion is that the benefits of immunization greatly outweigh the risks. Some diseases have been cut to negligible rates and others eradicated altogether because of immunizations.

Co-sleeping, in which parents and children share a bed, can be dangerous for infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have both warned against co-sleeping, saying it increases a baby’s risk for suffocation and strangulation.

Source : http://www.life123.com/parenting/young-children/child-discipline/the-benefits-of-natural-parenting.shtml

Good News : The Family who Eats Together, Stays Together

2009-08-28T02:20:00.007+08:00

"Come and get it!" It may be dinnertime, but when was the last time your family sat down and enjoyed a mealtogether? With music lessons, ball practice, play rehearsal, and work schedules, it can be tough. Rounding up the troops for an evening meal can be almost impossible! However, research is beginning to show that eating as a family has great benefits for your children and teenagers. Here are 8 more reasons why you should try to sit down together 5-6 times a week, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Reason #1: Communication and Well-Being
Conversations during the meal provide opportunities for the family to bond, plan, connect, and learn from one another. It’s a chance to share information and news of the day, as well as give extra attention to your children and teens. Family meals foster warmth, security and love, as well as feelings of belonging. It can be a unifying experience for all.

Reason #2: Model Manners (and more)
Family mealtime is the perfect opportunity to display appropriate table manners, meal etiquette, and social skills. Keep the mood light, relaxed, and loving. Try not to instruct or criticize—lead by example.
Reason # 3: Expand Their World…One Food at a Time
Encourage your children to try new foods, without forcing, coercing, or bribing. Introduce a new food along with some of the stand-by favorites. Remember that it can take 8-10 exposures to a new food before it is accepted, so be patient. Trying a new food is like starting a new hobby. It expands your child’s knowledge, experience, and skill.
* Include foods from other cultures and countries.
* Select a new vegetable from a local farmer’s market.
* Have your child select a new recipe from a cookbook, web site, newspaper, magazine or check out the recipes on SparkPeople.

Reason #4: Nourish
Meals prepared and eaten at home are usually more nutritious and healthy. They contain more fruits, vegetables, and dairy products along with additional nutrients such as fiber, calcium, vitamins A and C, and folate. Home cooked meals are usually not fried or highly salted, plus soda and sweetened beverage consumption is usually lower at the dinner table.

Reason #5: Become Self-Sufficient
Children today are missing out on the importance of knowing how to plan and prepare meals. Basic cooking, baking, and food preparation are necessities for being self-sufficient. Involve your family in menu planning, grocery shopping, and food preparation. Preschoolers can tear lettuce, cut bananas, and set the table. Older children can pour milk, peel vegetables, and mix batter. Teenagers can dice, chop, bake, and grill. Working as a team puts the meal on the table faster, as well as makes everyone more responsible and accepting of the outcome. Improved eating habits come with "ownership" of a meal.

Reason #6: Prevent Destructive Behaviors
Research shows that frequent family dinners (five or more a week), are associated with lower rates of smoking, drinking, and illegal drug use in pre-teens and teenagers when compared to families that eat together two or fewer times per week. Even as older children’s schedules get more complicated, it is important to make an effort to eat meals together. Scheduling is a must.

Reason #7: Improve Grades
Children do better in school when they eat more meals with their parents and family. Teenagers who eat dinner four or more times per week with their families have higher academic performance compared with teenagers who eat with their families two or fewer times per week.

Reason # 8: Save Money
Meals purchased away from home cost two to four times more than meals prepared at home. At present time the restaurant industry’s share of the total food dollar is more than 46%. Due to scheduling, commitments, and activities, families eat out several times each week.

It is time to bring the "family" back to the dinner table. Sharing dinner together gives everyone a sense of identity. It can help ease day-to-day conflicts, as well as establish traditions and memories that can last a lifetime.

Good News : Breastfeeding in modern time? Its Benefits are more than just time!

2009-08-25T00:26:00.002+08:00

Breastfeeding is more than a lifestyle choice — it's an important health choice. Any amount of time that you can do it will help both you and your baby. There are many benefits of breast milk for mothers, babies, and others.

Benefits for Babies, Moms, and Families

Breastfeeding is normal and healthy for infants and moms.

Breast milk has disease-fighting cells called antibodies that help protect infants from germs, illness, and even SIDS. Infant formula cannot match the exact chemical makeup of human milk, especially the cells, hormones, and antibodies that fight disease.

Breast milk is different from infant formula. Colostrum, the thick yellow first breast milk that you make during pregnancy and just after birth, will give your baby the best start at life.
It is known as "liquid gold." It is very rich in nutrients and antibodies to protect your baby as he or she first enters the world. Although your baby only gets a small amount of colostrum at each feeding, it matches the amount his or her tiny stomach can hold. A newborn stomach is only the size of a large marble at first!

Your milk changes over time to meet your baby's needs. Your breast milk that begins to be made by the third to fifth day after birth has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein that is needed for a baby's growth. It will be a thinner type of milk, but just as full of all of the nutrients and antibodies for your baby.

For most babies, breast milk is easier to digest than formula. It takes time for their stomachs to adjust to digesting the proteins in formula because they are made from cow's milk.

Premature babies do better when breastfed compared to premature babies who are fed formula.

When you breastfeed, there are no bottles and nipples to sterilize. Unlike human milk straight from the breast, infant formula has a chance of being contaminated.

Breastfeeding makes your life easier. You do not have to purchase, measure, and mix formula. There are no bottles to warm in the middle of the night!

Breastfeeding can save you between $1,160 and $3,915 per year, depending on the brand of formula.

A mother can satisfy her baby's hunger right away with breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding requires a mother to take some quiet relaxed time for herself and her baby, helping them bond. Physical contact is important to newborns and can help them feel more secure, warm, and comforted. Breastfeeding mothers may have increased self-confidence and feelings of closeness and bonding with their infants.

Breastfeeding during an emergency can save lives.