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Can You Teach Babies to Talk?

Can You Teach Babies to Talk?

Babies understand what you're saying long before they can clearly speak. Many babies learning to talk use only one or two words at first, even when they understand 25 or more.

You can help your baby learn to talk if you:

• Watch. Your baby may reach both arms up to say she wants to be picked up, hand you a toy to say she wants to play, or push food off her plate to say she's had enough. Smile, make eye contact, and respond to encourage these early, nonverbal attempts at baby talk.
• Listen. Pay attention to your baby's cooing and babbling, and coo and babble those same sounds right back to your baby. Babies try to imitate sounds their parents are making and to vary pitch and tone to match the language heard around them. So be patient and give your baby lots of time to "talk" to you.
• Praise. Smile and applaud even the smallest or most confusing attempts at baby talk. Babies learn the power of speech by the reactions of adults around them.
• Imitate. Babies love to hear their parents' voices. And when parents talk to them it helps speech develop. The more you talk their "baby talk" with them, using short, simple but correct words, such as "dog" when your baby says "daw," the more babies will keep trying to talk.
• Elaborate. If your baby points to the table and makes noise, don't just give him more noodles. Instead, point to the noodles and say, "Do you want some more noodles? These noodles taste good with cheese, don't they?"
• Narrate. Talk about what you're doing as you wash, dress, feed, and change your baby -- "Let's put on these blue socks now" or "I'm cutting up your chicken for you" -- so your baby connects your speech to these objects and experiences.
• Hang in there. Even when you don't understand what your baby is saying, keep trying. Gently repeat back what you think is being said, and ask if that's right. Keep offering your loving attention so your baby feels rewarded for trying to talk.
• Let your child lead. During playtime, follow your child's attention and interests to show that communication is a two-way game of talking and listening, leading, and following.
• Play. Encourage children to play, pretend, and imagine out loud to develop verbal skills as they become toddlers.
• Read aloud. Lifelong readers come from young children who have plenty of fun, relaxing experiences of being read to out loud.

If You're Concerned About a Speech Delay

Watch for any sign of a major speech delay in your baby, and talk with your doctor if you sense there's a problem. A speech delay can happen for a number of reasons, but the earlier a speech problem in babies is diagnosed, the more time you'll have to correct it and help your child reach his or her full potential before school age. After consulting with your pediatrician, here are things to do to help with delayed speech:

• Have a hearing test done. As many as three out of 1,000 newborns havehearing loss, which can cause delayed speech development. Be sure to have your infant screened for hearing loss before leaving the hospital right after birth -- or by 1 month old at the latest. Give your baby a full hearing exam by 3 months of age if he or she doesn't pass the initial hearing screening.
• See a speech-language pathologist. A speech therapist can diagnose and treat specific speech, language, or voice disorders that delay speech. Treatment may include giving parents tips and games to improve speech problems in babies and improve a child's language skills.
• Consider developmental screening. Up to 17% of children in the U.S. have a developmental or behavioral disability such as autism, intellectual disability (also called mental retardation), or ADHD. Ask your baby's doctor about screening for these developmental problems, which can cause speech delays.

What's the first step for babies learning to talk? Encourage your baby's first words with your frequent cooing, babbling, talking, and singing. Keep responding positively and showing you care. When it comes to baby talk, that's the best building block.

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/baby-talk-your-babys-first-words?page=2

South Africa, the world’s rape capital

Let’s heed Principal and Vice-Chancellor Prof Mandla Makhanya’s call to think about what each of us can do about this scourge that confronts our wonderful country. As the VC said: “Surely, we cannot be proud when the rest of the world views us only through this lens because this is what they are reading about in the news.” Let’s join this national initiative and wear black tomorrow to create more awareness and show our support.

On Valentine’s Day, when the world celebrates the positive aspects of sexual love, it is beyond disturbing to realise that, by the time you have read this article, at least two women will have been raped in South Africa. That is because, on average, a woman is raped every four minutes in the country.

In fact, various media reports last year stated that Interpol named South Africa as the world’s rape capital, and said women were more likely to be raped than educated. A 2009 Medical Research Council study found that one in four South African men admitted to raping a woman.

Despite these frightening statistics, experts said while rape in South Africa is common, it barely makes the news. The last massive public outcry was about a year ago, when a 17-year-old mentally disabled girl from Soweto was gang raped by young men who videotaped her and offered her 25 cents to keep quiet.

However, the recent death of 17-year-old Anene Booysen, who was gang raped, mutilated and left for dead, has stirred the wrath of South Africans frustrated by a national epidemic of sexual violence.

Yale World Fellow, Sisonke Msimang from Sonke Gender Justice Network expressed the emotions many South Africans feel:  “I will cry, as I have been already this morning. And maybe, I will begin to feel my way out of the lurching, heavy knowing after I have spoken with others. With the mothers and the sisters, the brothers and fathers – those like me, who have girls … Anene was raped and mutilated because she was a girl. It was her vagina and her breasts that they wanted to destroy. It was her walk and her talk. It was her girl-ness. These parts of her were broken and sliced and pulled apart, not by monsters, but by friends. Each of her ten fingers were broken.”

Academics speak out

Academics have also added their voice to the chorus of outcries, addressing various topics related to rape and violence against women in South Africa.

Unisa Principal and Vice-Chancellor Prof Mandla Makhanya said he felt absolute disdain and contempt for the scourge of rape and harassment to which the women and children of South Africa are exposed. He said surely South Africans cannot be proud when the rest of the world views us only through this lens because this is what they are reading about in the news.

Addressing Unisa staff he said: “The latest very cruel and deplorable case of a young 17-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in Bredasdorp enticed me to emphasise to all of you that we need to take a stand against this unacceptable behaviour. We all need to pause and consciously reflect on the values of respect for life, and the dignity of each fellow human. We are all part of civil society and rape and violence affects every one of us, no one is exempt. We cannot sit back and wait for others to set the foundation for change – that role belongs to all of us.”

Addressing the problem

Gender unit director at the Medical Research Council Prof Rachel Jewkes said rape is about a culture where young men feel they have a right to a woman’s body. She said almost half of the gang rapes in South Africa were prearranged, the victim was also mutilated and the attack was “virtually always an act of revenge by a man who knows her”.

Eusebius McKaiser, an associate at the Wits Centre for Ethics, and a talk show host on Talk Radio 702 said Booysen’s case has shattered the silence around the country’s rape crisis, which seldom gets the national attention it deserves.

He believes that South Africa needs to address the factors that partly explain why rape is so prevalent; “after all, no one is born a rapist”. Factors, he said, stem from not dealing with the violence during apartheid which became normative and has remained that way, inequality in a deeply divided society, the lack of better and healthier male role models for boys and young men, and the weakness of the country’s criminal justice system, with low conviction rates for sexual violence.

Christo Cilliers, a health expert in Unisa’s Communications Science Department, said, “unfortunately”, boys learn their first modes of behaviour at home. “We all know that gender (masculinity) is constructed – so boys learn how to act, and re-act towards women from what they learn at home.  Men in general and fathers, specifically, should be aware that their sons learn from them.”

He also said it was important for South African police to be trained as experts in dealing with rape and sexual violence.  “Police members dealing with rapes should be trained as counsellors in trauma and rape counselling.”

Advocating for special courts

The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac) advocated for special courts for rape victims to be established immediately, and said that the high prevalence of rape and other forms of sexual violence raise fundamental questions about the Criminal Justice System. The council’s spokesperson, Nomboniso Gasa, said: “We need to look at the establishment of special courts to deal with sexual violence, to deal with domestic and family violence … The Government must think very hard.”

Professor Amanda Gouws from the University of Stellenbosch agreed that a sexual offences court was needed to tackle the rape epidemic in South Africa.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Justice Navi Pillay urged for a more comprehensive approach to tackling the problem. “There is a need for very strong signals to be sent to all rapists that sexual violence is absolutely unacceptable and that they will have to face the consequences of their terrible acts. The entrenched culture of sexual violence which prevails in South Africa must end.”

She said while there were legal frameworks and some initiatives, much more needed to be done. “I am deeply disturbed by the fact that arrest and conviction rates of rape perpetrators remain extremely low. This is not only a shocking denial of justice for the thousands of victims, but also a factor that has contributed to the normalisation of rape and violence against women in South African society.”

Pillay added: “Violence against women is not only a human rights violation, it is also a brutal manifestation of wider discrimination against women, which is to be understood against the background of subordination of women within the patriarchal system that still exists in South Africa … South Africa’s Constitutional Court has emphasised that there is an obligation on the State to protect women against violence.”

Additional reading:

Read End culture of rape in 2013 by Lauren Wolfe, an award-winning journalist and the director of Women Under Siege.

Read Here’s what we can do about rape by Yusuf Abramjee, Prime Media’s head of news and LeadSA chairperson.

*Compiled by Rivonia Naidu-Hoffmeester and Rajiv Kamal

http://www.unisa.ac.za/news/index.php/2013/02/south-africa-the-worlds-rape-capital/

New Toys 2013

10 Months Baby Crying With Emotion When Mother Sings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o-VplYrqBs

Judge's prayer

Judge's prayer Some of you may be wondering what Judge Roy Moore has been doing since he was removed from the bench for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from his courtroom wall. Please read the poem he wrote. It's below his picture. The following is a poem written by Judge Roy Moore from Alabama . Judge Moore was sued by the ACLU for displaying the Ten Commandments in his courtroom foyer. He has been stripped of his judgeship and now they are trying to strip his right to practice law in Alabama ! The judge's poem sums it up quite well. America the beautiful, or so you used to be. Land of the Pilgrims' pride; I'm glad they'll never see. Babies piled in dumpsters, Abortion on demand, Oh, sweet land of liberty; your house is on the sand. Our children wander aimlessly poisoned by cocaine choosing to indulge their lusts, when God has said abstain From sea to shining sea, our Nation turns away From the teaching of God's love and a need to always pray We've kept God in our temples, how callous we have grown. When earth is but His footstool, and Heaven is His throne. We've voted in a government that's rotting at the core, Appointing Godless Judges who throw reason out the door, Too soft to place a killer in a well-deserved tomb, But brave enough to kill a baby before he leaves the womb. You think that God's not angry, that our land's a moral slum ? How much longer will He wait before His judgment comes ? How are we to face our God, from Whom we cannot hide ? What then is left for us to do, but stem this evil tide ? If we who are His children, will humbly turn and pray; Seek His holy face and mend our evil way: Then God will hear from Heaven; and forgive us of our sins, He'll heal our sickly land and those who live within.... But, America the Beautiful, If you don't - then you will see, A sad but Holy God withdraw His hand from Thee. ~~Judge Roy Moore~~ This says it all. May we all forward this message and offer our prayers for Judge Moore to be blessed and for America to wake up and realize what we need to do to keep OUR America the Beautiful. Pass this on and let's lift Judge Moore up in Prayer. He has stood firm and needs our support. IN GOD WE TRUST!

The Harmful Chemicals in Disposable Diapers

The Harmful Chemicals in Disposable DiapersYour baby will be wearing diapers 24 hours per day for about the first 2 ¾-3 years of his life. The type of diaper you choose will determine what, if any, harmful chemicals your baby is exposed to through skin absorption and breathing. Disposable diapers contain toxic chemicals, drying agents, dyes and fragrances.

This article will cover dioxin and sodium polyacrylate. I believe that the health effects of these two chemicals are enough for any parent in considering their choices of what type of diaper to use on their delicate baby’s bottom.

I have used reputable sources in my research. These sources include government websites and medical and science journals such as: the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the American Journal of Epidemiology, the Archives of Environmental Health, the Archives of Disease in Childhood, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, the National Center for Biotechnology Information and material data safety sheets for each chemical.

Dioxins and sodium polyacrylate, two of the chemicals found in disposable diapers, have eitherbeen linked to or have caused the following toxic responses: cancer, reproductive & infertility problems, asthma & respiratory distress, hormonal problems, developmental & cognitive problems, suppressed immune system, diabetes, endometriosis, allergic reactions, chemical burns, Chloracne, and Toxic Shock Syndrome (in the use of tampons).

There have also been reports (on sites all over the internet) that diapers may contain many other chemicals. I haven’t taken the time to research and confirm that these chemicals are indeed present in disposable diapers. I will leave the option of researching these chemicals up to you, the reader. If you do investigate whether or not these chemicals are in disposable diapers I would appreciate you sharing your source and findings by leaving a comment below. Some of these chemicals include:

• Tributyltin – This is toxic to humans and environment, is a persistent organic pollutant, causes irreversible damage to aquatic life, and is linked to obesity in humans (triggers genes that cause the growth of fat cells).
• Xylene – This is toxic to the respiratory and central nervous systems. Breathing
  high concentrations in an enclosed space can cause irregular heartbeats which can cause death.
• Ethylbenzene – This chemical is listed as possibly cancer-causing. It is mutagenic (capable of causing mutation). The substance may be toxic to the central nervous system. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage. It may cause central nervous system depression, is an aspiration hazard if swallowed and can enter the lungs and cause damage. It causes eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritation.
• Styrene- This substance is cancer-causing and is toxic to the nervous system and upper respiratory tract. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage. It is very hazardous to the eyes.
• Propylene – This chemical is an anesthetic at high concentrations. Inhalation may cause central nervous system depression producing dizziness, drowsiness, headache and similar narcotic symptoms. Extremely high concentrations can cause asphyxiation and death by displacing oxygen from the breathing atmosphere.
• Toluene – The substance may be toxic to blood, kidneys, the nervous system, liver, brain, and central nervous system (CNS). Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage.
• http://awesomebeginnings4children.com/the-harmful-chemicals-in-disposable-diapers/

Dioxins

Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin. Dioxin is an extremely toxic, cancer-causing chemical that is found in disposable diapers as a result (by product) of the chlorine bleaching process.

According to the Environmental Health Perspectives: There is “No Evidence of Dioxin Cancer Threshold” and “the range is consistent with a threshold of zero” – meaning there is no evidence of an acceptable or safe level of exposure to dioxin. Dioxin is cumulative and slow to disintegrate.

Of all the dioxins and furans, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is the most toxic.

Dioxins induce a wide spectrum of toxic responses in experimental animals including reproductive (infertility or decreased ability to reproduce), endocrine (changes in hormonal systems), developmental (developmental delays and changes in the development of the fetus), and immunologic toxicities (suppressed immune system) as well as carcinogenicity (the ability or tendency to produce cancer).

Associations between TCDD exposure and non-cancer health effects such as diabetes and developmental (cognitive) delays have also been reported.

Evidence suggests that increased exposures to dioxins are associated with increased incidence ofendometriosis in humans.

High doses of dioxins cause a skin disease called Chloracne.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Dioxin Reassessment in draft form in 2000, which concluded that dioxin should be classified as a known human carcinogen.

The American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 154, Issue 5, Pp. 451-458, states that theInternational Agency for Research on Cancer recently concluded that 2,3,7,8 TCDD is ahuman carcinogen. This data supports recent conclusions by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Sodium Polyacrylate

Sodium polyacrylate is a super absorbent polymer (SAP) that can absorb 300 times its weight in tap water. It is the “diaper gel” found in wet diapers. It can absorb 800 times its weight in distilled water because of the lack of minerals. This super absorbent polymer is added to diapers in its granular powder form and turns into a gel-like substance once the diaper becomes wet.

Health Effects:

Workers working with this chemical are supplied with material data safety sheets specifying the first aid for exposure. You can find many sources of these sheets on the internet by doing a search for: “sodium polyacrylate material data safety sheet”. The first aid for each exposure is listed below. This is for ONE EXPOSURE. Babies that wear disposable diapers are exposed to this chemical 24 hours per day for about 3 years. No “first aid” is given to them for each exposure or for their LONG-TERM exposure.

Skin:

Sodium polyacrylate is a skin irritant. It is a drying agent responsible for absorbing moisture in the diaper. It also absorbs (leaches) oils and moisture from a baby’s skin, causing abrasion irritation and drying of the skin. Exposure to the dust may aggravate existing skin conditions due to the drying effect.
First Aid: Wash the skin with soap and water.

Respiratory:

The respirable dust is a potential respiratory tract irritant. This chemical has a recommended eight-hour exposure limit of 0.05 mg/m³. Exposure to respirable dust may cause respiratory tract and lung irritation and may aggravate existing respiratory conditions.
First Aid: Remove to fresh air. If not breathing give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult give oxygen. Contact a physician.

Eyes:

Dust may cause burning, drying, itching, and other discomfort, resulting in reddening of the eyes.
First Aid: Flush thoroughly with large amounts of water for at least fifteen minutes. If irritation persists consult a physician.

A Study by Anderson Laboratories, Inc.

National Center for Biotechnology Information – US National Library of Medicine – National Institutes of Health – a PubMed.gov Publication

A study published in 1999 by Anderson Laboratories, Inc. found that lab mice that were exposed to various brands of disposable diapers experienced asthma-like symptoms, as well as eye, nose and throat irritation. The results demonstrated that some types of disposable diapers emit chemicals that are toxic to the respiratory tract and that disposable diapers should be considered as one of the factors that might cause or exacerbate asthmatic conditions. Exposure to cloth diapers did not cause these symptoms.

- Gel-free Safe Baby Diapers Without the Dangerous Chemicals -

Organic Cotton (unbleached and dye-free) Cloth Diapers

• This diaper is unbleached.
• 100% organic cotton grown without the use of harmful chemicals that have an adverse effect on your baby and on the environment.
• Free of dyes and fragrances.
• Free of sodium polyacrylate/super absorbent polymer. This diaper uses absorbent cotton layers, an absorbent liner and a breathable diaper cover. Used together, they offer a highly-absorbent, leak-free diaper system without the need for harmful chemicals.

Bamboo (unbleached and dye-free) Cloth Diapers

• Made with organically grown bamboo
• Free of dyes and fragrances
• The bamboo yarn has been tested free of harmful substances according to Oeko Tex Standard 100 for baby articles.
• Free of sodium polyacrylate/super absorbent polymer. This diaper uses absorbent cotton layers, an absorbent liner and a breathable diaper cover. Used together, they offer a highly-absorbent, leak-free diaper system without the need for harmful chemicals. Bamboo is very absorbent.

Bamboo is hypoallergenic, naturally organic, breathable, antimicrobial, antibacterial, less bulky and softer and more absorbent than cotton. Read more about The Benefits of Bamboo Cloth Diapers

Unbleached (dye-free) Cotton Cloth Diapers

• This diaper is unbleached.
• Free of dyes and fragrances.
• Free of sodium polyacrylate/super absorbent polymer. This diaper uses absorbent cotton layers, an absorbent liner and a breathable diaper cover. Used together, they offer a highly-absorbent, leak-free diaper system without the need for harmful chemicals.