Mid-Week Links While we all know that breastfeeding benefits baby and mother, it also has advantages for the greater community. It reduces infant health care costs because breastfed babies have fewer illnesses and hospitalisations. Employers, too, gain as parents of breastfed babies don’t need to take as much time off work to care... »
Last week, we spoke to Christine Choong, founder of Mamalink and mother to three children, two boys and a girl. All her children are now grown, two are married and her daughter is expecting her first baby. This week, Christine talks about breastfeeding and the... »
When Christine Choong delivered her first two babies about 30 years ago, she was confined to hospital beds, each time with drips to induce and accelerate labour. The drips, she recalls, were very painful. With her third baby, she went through most of the labour... »
Mid-Week Links ABC News’ Nightline earlier this month profiled an unschooling family from New Hampshire. The Martins (who appear in our blogroll as The Sparkling Martins) threw open their doors and showed the world how they unschool. While watching the... »
Wouldn’t it be nice if all babies came with an operating manual? That way—just as with electronic gadgets—we need not worry about whether or not we are doing the right thing for our babies, especially when faced with dissenting voices. Here are four books that come... »
Mid-Week Links For homeschoolers in Malaysia, a big question is which route to take to get a place in college or university. David Tan speaks with the CEO of Life College in Malaysia and explains the different options available to homeschoolers here. David also... »
When it comes to learning life lessons, nothing beats personal experience. Sometimes it is not enough to tell a child not to do something. Elaborate explanations don’t work and there are times when the wealth of our experience does not mean much to them. Sometimes, children... »
“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” It’s much the same way with babies and toddlers when it comes to sleeping through the night and going to the toilet. You just can’t force them. Still, there is no shortage... »
Mid-Week Links In my experience, people have generally been very supportive of breastfeeding in public here in Malaysia. Still we’ve heard stories from different parts of the world of mums being harassed when breastfeeding their babies in public places. Here is a collection... »
Children are very much digital natives who tend to gravitate towards the computer and all things digital. What better way, then, to sneak in some learning than on the computer. There are many good software available that entertain and teach at the same time. Here... »
Mid-Week Links Last month we broached the subject of why it’s not a good idea to hit your child. This week, Time Magazine reports on a new study that provides the strongest evidence yet that children’s short-term response to spanking may make them... »
Did you give your child a hug today just because…? Did you take the time to understand his need to go on the computer for another hour? Did you listen and look her in the eye when she was talking to you? Did you... »
One day when Sophie and her mummy were having tea in their kitchen, there was a knock on the door. It was a big, furry, stripy tiger that happened to be famished. So Sophie’s mummy invited him to tea and he ended up eating everything... »
Mid-Week Links Childcare expert Penelope Leach says that recent brain research proves that babies who are left to cry for prolonged periods are at risk of suffering damage to their developing brains, which reduces their capacity to learn. Young babies do not have the mental... »
Too many parents still believe in corporal punishment as an effective way to ensure that their children are well-behaved and disciplined. Even though it is now illegal to hit children in 25 countries, the debate continues to rage, among parents, over whether or not... »
