What to do Most toxic plants in Kenya are datura (Jimson Weed), cassava and mushrooms, according to the Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board. Datura, also known as Trumpet, is a weed with sharp seedpods and trumpet-shaped large flowers. It has Atropine, which causes damage to body organs. According to Oxford journals, accidental poisoning is prevalent among young children as they have limited knowledge of the danger…

How to cope with the ‘minority rulers’ I tell you, there is nothing in the world like coming home in the evening to the embrace of a baby,’ says Steve Omwanda, an IT specialist and father of four. ‘Holding that baby close to you can cure a man of all ills!’ Babies are those little, wingless angels who, when placed…

Deny children time to play You wake him up every week day at 5a.m. to prepare for school. By school I mean that expensive academy you send your kids to be grilled and filled with unnecessary facts and skills too weighty for their age without giving them time to be creative and explore. So, the child comes home in the evening burnt out, only…

When my nephew recently began to crawl, I was super excited; first of all because it was an important milestone in his life, but also because it meant I didn’t have to carry him around all over the place. Of course from previous experience with his sister, I know that crawling is not as slow in children as it is in…

You get a nag to check on your little one in the dead of the night. You stealthily open the door to his room and your fear stares you in the face. His bed is empty. Your heart’s thud moves to your head because the washroom lights are off and so are those of the other rooms. Then just before…

Tips to help your child have control over them You may be familiar with Kenya’s 8-4-4 education system that left many of us keen on following instructions without questioning and cramming with an obsession and later doing courses the universities picked for us and finally tumbling into the field — where you have some time to start thinking, so what do I…

‘Will you open the door for him?’ I ask Megan who is curled up on her favourite couch. ‘I do not think I can do that. How do I tell him that I am sick? What if he turns and runs away? I am so afraid. I cannot handle another setback. I think it was a bad idea to call him. You…

What is talent? To understand the term talent, I quote from the book ”Excellence” by American social reformer John W Gardener: ‘There are those who perform great deeds and those that make it possible for others to perform great deeds. There are pathfinders and path preservers. There are those who nurture and those who inspire.…

Dirt, germs and children go hand in hand. This is because children touch almost everything they set their eyes on. And after doing this, they will most likely put their hands in the mouth. It therefore makes it very difficult to separate the three or better still prevent children from coming into contact with dirt. However, encouraging them to wash their…

Causes and how to handle them It may sound funny. It did to me when I first heard of it. The truth is some people are allergic to peanuts. Their bodies react, sometimes violently, to peanuts or anything that has peanuts as an ingredient; for instance peanut butter or chocolate. It is difficult to avoid peanuts because unlike,…