IT is the role and responsibility of parents to facilitate desirable personalities in their babies. Indeed, parents want their kids to grow into responsible, well mannered persons. Apparently, this is the epitome of child rearing. It is during the early days that a child learns proper behaviour as well as respect for themselves and others.…

Shampoo, sharp scissors, combs and hair brushes—all seemingly harmless things that – ‘ we use to enhance our beauty but which have the potential to put your 4-year-old into a fit of temper. Many of us recall going to the dreaded salon in our childhood, particularly if our hair was the ‘steel wool’ type. In…

In Kenya, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services are available in all public health facilities free of charge or at a minimal cost. Despite that, not all women receive the full benefit. A number of expectant women refuse to take the HIV test while others fail to return to the health…

BCG is a live vaccine against Tuberculosis (TB). BCG stands for Bacillus Calmette-Guerin. It was named after two doctors who developed and introduced the vaccine in the 1920s. To date it remains the only available vaccination against TB. It is given to infants to help prevent the more serious forms of TB. The BCG Tuberculosis…

Back in my childhood days when I was about 7, I remember seeing my 2-year-old cousin very weak and fragile after an entire night’s bout of diarrhoea. My mother fed her a salt and sugar solution, which I later learnt was for hydration. For a long time, I never witnessed any other incident of a…

This tasty treat is easy to make, and perfect any time of day. Ingredients 1/2 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1/4 cup milk 1 cup grated carrots 1 cup grated zucchini Vegetable oil Directions In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl,…

My mom pretended to prepare lunch in the kitchen. ‘What do you see in your future? Say five years from now?’ Laura, then my girlfriend, asked. ‘I haven’t planned that far ahead,’ I responded. ‘What about marriage?’ ‘What about it?’ ‘Don’t you want to get married and have kids?’ ‘I don’t want to have any…

Guidelines Rigid timings should not be set for feeding. As a general guideline, five minutes per breast per feed on the first day, 10 minutes on the second day and 15 minutes thereafter can be tried. Early initiation of breast- feeding is important. The baby should be put to the breast as soon as possible. In the…

There is something you must make part of your child’s diet because if you do not, he is likely to develop reddish hair, swollen joints, have an extended belly, poor attention span and be very edgy. It is called protein. » Proteins build up, maintain and replace tissue, cell walls, muscles, the internal organs, and…