Family Tips

New researches have shown that juices can cause teeth demineralization in children faster than soda drinks. Experts of children’s stomatology have studied the most popular drinks and found out, that grapefruit, orange and apple juices are more dangerous than various colas.

Enamel demineralization is directly connected with titrated acidity of drinks. Erosion of enamel also depends on temperature of drinks. As any other chemical reactions, this process will be sped up at the increased temperature. Therefore cold drinks damage enamel less.
Authors of the research assumed that in Europe people are more subject to enamel erosion rather than in the USA, because in America drinks are always served with ice. And though the American teenagers drink more soda water, they have fewer problems with teeth demineralization.

Researchers recommend patients with erosion drinking through straws, also using fluorid conditioners and gels.

So, everything is Ok with friends. Now you should learn, whether the same with adults.

- All system of parental rules (and interdictions!) should be precise and clear for the child. Identical offences entail identical punishments and on the contrary – progress of the kid is never unnoticed.
- Respect personal space of the child. Some families, for example, practice knocking at the door - but, at least, try not to interrupt suddenly children’s games and work.
- Listen and hear! Listen, and then briefly retell history, having finished “Have I correctly understood you?” The kid will understand that you have really listened to him or her.
- Let the child make a choice always whenever possible: juice, sweets, clothes, books and toys.
- Consult with the kid! But only when you can really follow to his or her advice. Otherwise it will be hypocrisy.
- Respect child’s opinion.
- Never punish the kid without understanding the situations and determination of real guilt degree.
- Learn to distinguish, when you kid lies, and when … dreams. The lie, as a rule, has rather pragmatic character and is said with the purpose to avoid punishment or to receive something. Fancies are something opposite. As a rule, they are “indistinct” and colorful.

The easiest way to explain the notion of “self-esteem” is to respect the child. It is bad, when the kid becomes an object for malicious jokes of other children.
Therefore careful mum should try to prepare the child for live in collective.

- Explain to the kid that all children, let say, in a kindergarten group, are different. It is impossible to make friends with everyone.
- Children’s collective do not love greedy persons. Therefore teach the child to share! It can’t be done quickly, therefore use each opportunity: encourage his or her generosity, pay attention to kind deeds of cartoons’ heroes and feelings of other people.
- If you feel, that the child covers something, and, most likely, this “something” is the conflict with the other kid, you should know about the situation. Probably, you will have to talk to the teacher or other parents, but it is better to spend some hours at once, than to solve later chronic problems.
- Teach the child … to tell “no!” Explain, that other people, and children as well, have no right to impose their will. Perhaps, it makes sense to think over some answers beforehand. “I won’t do it, because I do not want”.

Self-esteem is the best that adults can present to the child. How to explain the kid, what is this and how to learn to respect him- or herself?

Harmonize self-estimation

It is very important for the kid, not less than for the adult person, that self-estimation was adequate, that is allowed to plan effectively the activity, comparing with the opportunities and requirements of outward things.

Certainly, kid’s self-estimation can vary influenced by different circumstances. But parents can help the child to form an adequate self-estimation:

- Sincere acceptance of the kid with all his or her features and habits
- Attention to feelings of the child and to events, important for him or her
- Generosity for the deserved praises

Strong stress experienced by future mother during the early pregnancy, raises risk of schizophrenia in the child, informs edition Archives of General Psychiatry.

Scientists from University of Aarhus used the data of about 1,38 million deliveries, fixed in the Danish national register in the period from 1973 to 1995. Using the data of the register, head of the research Preben Bo Mortensen and his colleagues have specified almost 22 thousand women, who have experienced death of the spouse or other close relative, and 14 thousand future mothers, whose close relatives were diagnosed cancer heart attack or an insult. Then scientists have tracked destiny of these women’s children.

It was found out, that children of these women 67 % more often fell ill with schizophrenia. Death of the relative at the late pregnancy, as well as the news about illness of the close person, did not influence risk of schizophrenia, informed researchers.

In the researchers’ opinion, hormones, generated by an organism of a future mother in reply to stress, can influence fetus’ brain developing.

Baby lotions, shampoos and powders can lead to high levels of chemicals in an organism potentially dangerous to health. American researchers have found out that using of this products twice increased phthalate content in children’s urine, informs magazine Pediatrics.

Phthalates have hormone-like action, suppressing production of a man’s hormone testosterone. The previous researches have shown that these substances prevent normal development of genitals and can cause disorders of reproductive function both in boys, and girls.

Cosmetics’ manufacturers usually do not specify phthalate content on labels. Meanwhile, the given researches testify, that baby cosmetics quite often contains various phthalates, which can get in an organism of the child through the skin, informed head of the research Sheela Sathyanarayana.
In the report scientists recommended parents to limit use of baby lotions and powders to medical indications.

There is no explanation of this phenomenon at the moment: there are no obvious reasons for such baby-boom in the USA. In the neighboring Canada, also receiving many immigrants, the average woman gives birth to 1.5 children for all life. The American demographers also cannot tell, whether this baby-boom of 2006 will be the beginning of a new demographic tendency, or it is just a casual local “anomaly”.

Anyway, from the middle 70th, when birth rate in the USA, as well as in all West European countries, has reached the bottom point - 1.7 children for one woman - here, unlike Europe, began counter movement, and by the end of the XX century this parameter has grown up to 2.0. But higher than this level, birth rate has not risen for more than 40 years.

Let’s note that in Israel there is also increase of birth rate, and demographers are inclined to interpret it as a post-war baby-boom: the number of pregnant women has significantly increased after The Second Lebanese war.

In the USA, unlike other developed countries, baby-boom is evident: 4.3 million babies were born in 2006 - as much, as during the last post-war “baby-boom”, in 1961.

For the next 45 years there was not born so many children in the country, informs АР.

In 2006 the average of children for one American woman has reached 2.1 - the “gold” parameter needed and the sufficient for reproduction of population at the given level. It sharply distinguishes USA from all West-European countries were fertility rates make from 1.3 (Italy) up to 1.9 (France), and the population gradually grows old.

The quarter of the babies were born in Spanish-speaking families of the natives of Latin America, who has higher birth rate, than on the average in the country. However demographers cannot explain baby-boom only with contribution of Spanish sector: “baby-boom” is observed in all ethnic communities, all colors of skin and all age groups. White American women, black Americans, Alaska aboriginals have given birth to more babies – the only exception are immigrants from the countries of Asia.

WHO has determined new standards of kids’ weight and growth.

Until recently normal weight parameters of one-year-old child was within 10,2-12,93 kg; according to the new norms kids should weigh from 9,53 kg to 11,79 kg. Why?

The matter is that norms-criteria existing up to this day have been made more 20 years ago and were based mainly on the data of artificial fed children. Such children, as it is known, grow and put on weight faster. Then it has pushed experts to recommend raised standards of weight. That, in opinion of the World Health Organization, gave rise to unreasonable recommendations on supplementary feeding and overfeeding, which led to adiposity.

New tables are based on the results of measuring and weighing of 8440 breast-fed children from 6 countries of the world. Such children put on weight more slowly. The data received by scientists have shown, that former standards of weight have been too high.

45 percent of the time in front of a computer or any digital device American children in the age from 2 till 14 years spend for computer games, writes The New York Times referring to research of NPD Group. 31 percent take listening to the music. Only 17 percent of the time take TVshow and films.
Most often, 7,1 times a month, children download videoclips, is said in a press release of NPD Group. Musical video is downloaded 5,7 times a month, just music - 4,2 times, games - 3,1 times.

84 percent of children play games on a computer, game devices, digital audio-players or mobile phones. Over a half of the questioned listens to music on one of these devices, and one third views video or photos.

Children spend monthly from 6 up to 12 dollars for a digital content and from 13 up to 18 dollars on physical one.

The data on habits of children have been collected during online - survey of mothers.