Category Archives: Kids and Teenagers

jumbodium’s Kids and Teenagers section deals with parenting tips on school going kids and teenagers.

Childhood Obesity :Causes Signs & Prevention

Childhood obesity has reached pandemic status in the entire world. In India, approximately 30 million people are obese and the number is increasing at alarming rate. So is increasing the rate of childhood obesity in India and needs proper attention to help you battle the ailment in a more precise way. This illness has become so common among small children that, now it has turned into a significant concern for the doctors and child specialists.

So let us understand first :

What is childhood obesity?

What is the difference between overweight and obesity?

What causes it?

What are the signs of childhood obesity?

What is obesity?

Every individual must have his/her weight proportionate to height. There are some children and teenagers who seem to gain extra weight and store fat in their body. At the point when the measure of fat surpasses the typical levels, a child is said to be an obese.

Difference between overweight and obesity.

In simple words, a BMI(Body Mass Index) of 30 or more is classified as obese and 25-29.9 is overweight. BMI is a number calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by his or her height in meters squared.

You can calculate your or your child’s BMI here.

Causes of childhood obesity.

Ideally there are following factors of childhood obesity:

1. Genetic factors

Child of an obese parent may be obese as obesity may tend to run in the family.

2. Dietary habits

Simply speaking, it’s the imbalance in the eating habits ranging from overfeeding in early days of a kid, consumption of junk food and eating without hunger.

3. Lack of physical activity

With advancement in technology, more and more kids are interested in playing video games and not on the fields. This lack of physical activity stands out as a reason of overweight.

4. Medical Conditions, Medications and Stress

There are some medical conditions like hormone imbalance which cause obesity. Then there are some medications which cause overweight. It has also been noticed that stress which may be caused due to pressure of exams, family problems, or any other issues can also cause obesity in children.

Signs of obesity in your child

As parents we should become cautious when our child is:

· Becoming Overweight – An important parenting advice is that not every child who is gaining weight becomes an obese. Different kids could have different growth rates, and depending on the family health background and daily activities. Your child’s BMI reading can indicate if he is just overweight or turning obese.

· Facing Health related issues – A noteworthy parenting tip to find out if your kid is obese or not, is to look for signs of health issues. For example, a rise or a drop in blood pressure, abnormal eating habits, mental problems like depression, stress, etc. All these reasons may act as initial signs and symptoms of obesity.

· Leading an Unhealthy lifestyle – One of the best tips to battle childhood obesity is to take care of the unhealthy lifestyle of your child. It’s a major sign in most of the obese that they lead an unsystematic life.

So, How to prevent obesity in children?

Healthy lifestyle– The simplest of tips to fight childhood obesity is to lead a happy and healthy life. More often it is seen due to overwork pressure, mental anxieties, family problems; a child starts suffering from stress and may start suffering from insomnia and mood swings. A stress-free yet disciplined life of parents inculcates the same in children. Unwanted pressure and expectation of parents wanting their child to score highest in exams or rank first in any extra-curricular activities, every time, stresses a child and may make him prone to obesity.

Food habits-A vital parenting advice for parents is to have strict food rule in their house. Make your child eat right food that’s rich in fibre, fruits and vegetables. A balanced-diet is always recommended. Cut out the oil portion and replace them with baked alternatives instead of spicy stuffs. Indulge your child into healthy diet plan like avoiding pre-prepared food, food with added sugar and junk food. Do not force feed your child by asking him clean the plate always or by offering him desserts as a reward for completing his meals. Remember, this way you are inviting childhood obesity.

Regular exercise– One of the best tips to cure obesity is by doing exercise on a regular basis. Any sort of physical activity, walking, cycling, jogging or even using the stairs or washing the floor, is also one kind of exercise, the motive is to burn your fat. One of the most beneficial parenting tips includes finding fun alternatives such as dancing or swimming or hiking, etc to make it a part of life. By regularly exercising children will burn the extra calories in their bodies. As parents, you should promote and facilitate physical activities, if required, be a participant with your child.

Fixed regime for watching TV or playing video games– Watching TV and playing video games kills physical movement in children making them prone to childhood obesity if continued for long hours. Parents should make sure their child follows a strict routine and should not spend most of their spare time watching television or playing video games.

8 Tips to develop Reading Habits in your child

Looking for ways to imbibe reading habits in your kid? Well, a large portion of folks battle with this circumstance. Inculcating the quality of reading in your child is really a great attribute which can be exceptionally helpful for their future. As studies say that youngsters with more prominent reading skills really tend to become great academicians in nearing years.

Here are few ways we can develop reading habits in our children

Start soon

Don’t wait till your child grows up or a certain age, start reading aloud, as studies say that reading out loud to your child can make him learn the habit more quickly. Reading out loud from children’s books to kids should become a part of your daily routine. Youngsters listen and attempt to emulate or embrace the propensities elders are doing. Thus, reading aloud in front of them can easily install the love for reading in them pronounce the words clearly and make him listen to what you are saying.

Don’t pressurize

Remember till the time reading is fun for your kid, they will enjoy it. Indeed, you ought to sway him to take reading habits without anyone else’s input and not by any power. Additionally, don’t put much weight on his reading aptitudes, frequently even a smart child has a tendency to learn perusing a bit later, it doesn’t imply that the child is not clever. Provide for him sufficient time to get his own particular aptitudes at his specific time.

Don’t stop reading

Your child will learn the habit of reading from you. Thus never let your reading habit of yourself go. If you start losing interest they will also do the same. Read to them now and then, at whatever point you get some recreation time. They will get all the enthusiasm from you so keep on the reading habits for long as long as your child will let you read out.

Find out their interest

It is frequently watched that diverse kid has different tastes. Some may like Cinderella stories; some smart child may discover an enthusiasm toward superhero stories. Thus find a book which catches his interest most. This will help him grow his reading habits more quickly. Exhausting stuffs which don’t energize them at all can accumulate an abhorrence in reading. Thus, once you discover your child is not finding any interest in the topic you have chosen changing it immediately.

Reading environment

To ensure your child pick up reading habits one must ensure that the house of the child has a reading environment. Buy newspapers daily, subscribe to magazines, even read online news, this will urge youthful ones to take up reading.

Limit technology

Don’t make your children dependent on television or video games. Often mothers give a bowl of food to their child and make them sit in front of the television supposing the cartoon will keep them entertained and they will finish the food without any tantrums. The main disadvantage of this system is that the child will continuously stare at the screen of television which might affect his eyes, it is also likely that he might end up eating some other thing as his concentration is not on his food, in addition doctors says that it might affect the concentration levels of the child as well.

Special reading sessions

To install reading habits in your youngster make sure you read out more often to him. Not just bedtime stories, perform the task during meals, leisure times, in the afternoon, while going for a walk in the car, anytime is the best time to read to your child. The more you do it yourself, the better.

Improve reading skills

There are many ways to improve reading habits in kids. Buy colorful books which attract kids. Don’t just read children’s books without expressions. Try to enact the words of a poem or story, show them pictures, etc.

Thus, you can see that helping a child develop reading habits is not a huge task as it seems. Only with a little patience and trust upon your child can make them adopt reading very soon.

5 ways to ascertain the best school for your kid

Like many parents, are you too in a fix ascertaining the best school for your kid? Well, there are few things which you should consider first before selecting a school for your kid. The most important phase of a person’s life is his childhood, and schooling is an intricate part of it. A person’s character and personality buildup depends upon schooling; in short, school is regarded as the second home for every child.

School admissions are a general concern among parents, but first you must see what suits your kids best. Along with that one must take into consideration some points which are as follows:

Overall development

Every child is unique in his own way. Hence their needs and aspirations are different from each other. Parents must understand their attributes, likes and dislikes. Like, for example, if your child loves to play, then a school with lots of extra curricular activities will attract him more than an usual school. Find out what type of environment suits your kid most and what exactly will make him happy and encourage him to go to school every day.

School’s goodwill

It is important to see whether the institution is well reputed or not. Goodwill always comes with good behavior, a school has to work hard to establish a goodwill in their locality or in a wider area. Thus, look for such schools which have a strong goodwill as that proves their credibility and good quality of education which helps them to remain established for longer.

Administrative body

An educational institution always holds good reputation because of their administrative bodies. Execution of new techniques, incorporating methods for the well being of students, an amiable panel of officials, good rapport with students as well as parents. All these points help to build a good administrative body which works as the main pillar of the institution. A supportive panel of body will definitely be helpful in the long run of a school.

Board

It is your take to choose the board. Some choose state boards, some like English mediums boards like ICSE or CBSE. It is very crucial to choose the main board because the future of a student will depend on the board. Different boards have different approach towards educational system, hence choose wisely.

Public or private

Many parents remain confused while choosing the type of school. Public schools are comparatively less pricey, while private schools are hard to maintain for middle class people. Although some wish to educate their children in English medium private schools because they provide various facilities that helps in the overall development of a student. But think before taking a decision whether you could continue to pay for the expenses for a long time or not.

Facilities

Learn about the various school facilities that are available. For example, choose a school with a vast library, good infrastructure, trained teachers, big playground, school transport, school environment, extracurricular activities, participation in social and cultural events, etc.

Budget

Often the dream of parents for enrolling their child into a good reputed English medium school is shattered due to huge fees of the schools. It is not possible for a simple middle class family to bear the huge expenses for their child’s education. It is a common myth that a school with a huge infrastructure and charging high fees is the only best school around. Thus, look out for schools that suits your budget.

Parent’s duty

Compare the data you have collected from various schools and find out which institution fits your criteria.
The most important thing is your child’s development; select a school which offers safe and secure environment for your child’s growth.
Visit the schools; talk to the teachers as well as to the parents of existing students to find out more about the school.

Best School

A best school will be considered best for your kid only when it helps him become a good person with adequate knowledge. Being a parent you too have responsibilities, check out regularly on the school’s activities and best would be to become an active member of the school, be present at meetings, parent teacher meets, pay regular visits and participate in school activities.

7 ways to develop parent-teen relationship

Is perfecting the parent-teen relationship posing a trouble for you as a parent? Building a perfect bond with your teenage kid is not an easy task. As because the adolescent period is said to be the age of transformation. They become grown ups and develop their own point of view regarding various aspects. To fit into their world, one needs to establish a smooth understanding between the both.

This is a phase where parents seem to take away attention from their teenage children. Which lets them create their own world and build a mountain of distance in the parent-teen relationship. This point is very crucial as, because this is the time to choose the right company. A slight negligence of the parent could lead their children adopt bad habits and direct them to a wrong direction.

Here are few ways to work out the tender parent-teen relationship

Let us see what are they:

Spend adequate time

To make sure the bridge between parent-teen relationship doesn’t break, one must spend quality time with their children. Time is the most precious gift one can give to their child. Being with your kid allows them to feel more cared and loved. Go out for dinners, or casual lunch, do the shopping together, spend a nice vacation together, all these remedies help to build a secure and trustful relation between the two of you.

Share experiences

Teenagers are more mature and sensitive. To understand them more closely you need to be on their good books. Be their friend and share your childhood experiences with them. Let yourself free in front of them. Bring out the humor within you. A teenager doesn’t take bad remarks or frequent scoldings very nicely, thus handling them in calm manner would definitely be an advantage in maintaining a good parent-teen relationship.

Be a good listener

While entering the adolescent period, a lot of things happen in their life. Like for example, they become friends with many people, they go to school, tuition, may be an active member of any sports club. So many incidents take place on a daily basis. All these happenings must be listened with a true ear. To gain support in the parent-teen relationship lend your interest to your children and understand what is going on in their life.

Make them aware

This is also the period when many teenagers experience new things in life. For example, they involve in new peer groups, join different groups, etc. It may have adverse effects on them. If the company is not good, and involved in undesirable activities, your child may get adapted to those habits. Being a parent, it’s very important in the parent-teen relationship to make them understand and draw the thin line between what’s good and what’s not. The ability to filter out the good from the bad will help your child lead a happy and safe life.

Believe in them

The best way to secure a positive parent-teen relationship is to be more supportive and encouraging. Believe in your child and let them sketch their own dreams. Do not impose your aspirations on them. Find out what your child likes and encourage them to pursue those dreams. What teenagers want most is support and guidance from elders and peers. Thus being a parent, you should understand their dreams and encourage them to move towards the direction of achieving them.

Get involved in their life

For a better parent-teen relationship, you must have knowledge of what is happening in your child’s life. Go to their school, meet their friends, learn about their daily whereabouts. A simple question like “how was your day today” can give way to a sense of togetherness in your child.

Set a rule

Allowing some liberty to your kids are useful in building self confidence and personality. But there are some disadvantages as well. Every good thing in this world has some good rules to follow. And certainly to establish a fine parent-teen relationship one must consider drawing some rules for your kids too.

Thus mastering the art of knitting a happy parent-teen relationship can be fulfilled by following the above rules. Although keep in mind that no set rules can guarantee positive outcomes. Until and unless you put in your own efforts towards fabricating a profound relation, nothing could really work.

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