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Baby Yoga and Me
Having carried a sizable bump around for a very long, very hot summer, I really wasn’t in the mood for a work out. As Gwyneth Paltrow and all of my other coat-hanger thin celebrity peers snaked their way, all skin and bone about the tabloids, I...
Basic guide to choosing toys for babies
Basic guide to choosing toys for babies A baby’s only activities until the age of two months are sleeping and eating. He is not interested in anything else. After two months, the baby starts being more curious about the world around him. At first,...
Creating A Baby Belly Mold Part 2 of 2
Welcome Back to Creating a Baby Belly Mold Step Four: Now comes the fun part. You want to have a couple of bowls of water handy. Change the water if it starts to get "creamy". Instructions for the plaster depends on the kind you...
So, Boomers are Turning 60. What's All the Hype?
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The Personality of a Scorpio Baby
Your Scorpio Baby.. October 23 - November 21 Young Scorpios have strong personalities. They know what they want and will go out and get it. Very loving and loyal to family and friends, Scorpios can, however, be wary of strangers. Your child may...
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Overextended Infants
Brainy Baby. Bilingual Baby. Baby Babble Speech Development. Baby Bumblebee Smart Baby Series. So Smart. And let’s not forget Baby Einstein.
Not familiar with all of these? Neither was I until curiosity drove me to look into the vast array of educational media for infants and toddlers. I was quite astounded by the sheer number of these products. And they are products -- please do not overlook that point. They are designed to prey on parents who have, through various crafty marketing campaigns, been made to feel that their infant will fall dangerously behind the rest of the babies in playgroup if he or she is not subjected to a heavy dose of videos, flashcards, CDs, and books.
What can babies learn from these products? Check web sites like www.babyclassroom.com to find out. The Brainy Baby Left Brain VHS series focuses on “such cognitive skills as logic, patterns, letters & numbers, sequencing, analyzing details, and more.” The Bee Smart Baby Vocabulary Builder claims that there are (unnamed) studies proving that teaching an infant sign language may raise IQ scores significantly. And if sign language isn’t enough, you can use that series to introduce your 4-month old to Spanish, German, French, and Japanese. Many of these products indicate that they are useful for children who are late talkers or have a speech delay, and for those children these media may indeed be very helpful. But the underlying message in the vast majority of these materials
All Routine PSA Tests For Prostate Cancer Should End, Task Force Says
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says the testing doesn't save enough lives to justify the risk of unnecessary surgery and radiation. But one testing supporter says, "If all PSA screening were to stop, there would be thousands of men who would unnecessarily suffer and die from prostate cancer."
Controversial Head Of Nuclear Commission Resigns
Gregory Jaczko, the controversial head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is resigning his post. During his tenure he frequently clashed with fellow commissioners and was called a bully. But in announcing his resignation, he didn't mention the internal strife.
is that you should buy them to make your child smarter; to make your child talk and read at the earliest age possible.
We hear a lot in the media about overextended children who are faced with pressures to be involved in sports and other pursuits, and to do homework, and to get good marks. I see from these products that this push to engage children in some sort of activity, to make them excel and stand out, begins at a startlingly young age. It is only natural for parents to want the best for their children. There is nothing wrong with some educational media and toys. And, in my opinion, a child can never have enough books. But I have to wonder if we have lost sight of the simplest method of developing language in children – face to face interaction . Isn’t it obvious? The best way to teach your child to communicate is to communicate with your child. You do not need a video, CD, or flashcard as an intermediary. Touch your child, talk to your child, let your child see your face and your mouth moving.
Next time you think about picking up a Baby Shakespeare or Bath Math video, think twice. Why not go home and read some nursery rhymes to your child or play a counting game with his fingers and toes? I guarantee a much more rewarding experience for you both.
About the Author
©Crystal Smith. Crystal is a technical writer and novice freelance writer. Her new web site is under construction but she can be reached at goatfish1968@hotmail.com.
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