My Child Magazine Issue 120 September 2021

MAGAZINE.COM.AU

ISSUE 120 - SEPTEMBER 2021

travel

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Bianca Medina ART DIRECTOR

Bianca Medina DEPUTY EDITOR

Feba Maryann CONTRIBUTORS

Sheree Hoddinett Amy Adeney Lance Green Liza John Tú Nguyễn Tatiana Twinslol Jagmeet Singh Valeria Boltneva Olof Nyman Tatiana Syrikova Kindel Media Daniel Reche Büşranur Aydın Natalie Yan Krukov Anete Lusina Mehmet Ali Gökçimen Sofi Anastasia Shuraeva CONTACT

My Child Magazine Newcastle NSW Australia +614 11 572 877 editorial@mychildmagazine.com.au

Contents 6

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5 Safe Vacation Ideas During Covid

Tips To Prevent Stretch Marks

Dad Read - Effects Of Emotionally

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44

Unavailable Dad

How To Plan A Road Trip During The

Get The Look Interiors

Pandemic

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90 How To Nurture Your Relationship During The Coronavirus Pandemic!

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Common Postpartum Problems

Is It Safe For Families To Travel Yet?

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Blogger -Doing It Completely Right Or All Wrong

Thumb Sucking In Babies

Travel Tips For Family With

- Ways To Stop It

Unvaccinated Children

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100 Fashion

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Toy Reviws

Book Reviews

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Slow Thread Feature

How To Gently Stop A Toddler From

Kid-Friendly Places In Australia During Pandemic

Hitting

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124 Recipes

10 Tips For Raising Multilingual Children

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MY CHILD DIRECTORY

DISCLAIMER: It My Child Magazine and mychildmagazine.com.au are wholly owned by My Child Magazine (ABN 79 167 787 662). No other parties or individuals have any financial interest in the company or in My Child or mychildmagazine.com.au. My Child contains general information only and does not purport to be a substitute for health and parenting advice. Readers are advised to seek a doctor for all medical and health matters. The publisher and authors do not accept any liability whatsoever in respect of an action taken by readers in reliance on the recommendations set out in this magazine. Reproduction of any material without written permission by the publisher is strictly forbidden. We cannot accept responsibility for material lost or damaged in the post or for any unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. All reasonable efforts have been made to trace copyright holders.

Bianca Medina editor-in-chief

Editor’s Letter

Hello My Child Mamma’s and Papa’s, Well, well, well, here we are in September! So much is happening and so many milestones are being reached, this year is flying by!

We are at that time of year when you have to start preparing for Christmas! I get in early so that I dont have to stress out in November and curse myself for not being more organised!

This year we are giving the gifts of experiences! Lockdown has really taught us that there is nothing like getting out in there in the real world and expericing all the wonderful things that lfe has to offer!

Well, until Next Issue,

Bianca oxo

editor’s picks

Incense Flue $29.95 milligram.com

Tribute Flat Mules In Smooth Leather $870 ysl.com

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask $28 adorebeauty.com.au

Turban Hair Towel Assorted Birds Designs $14.95 superpharmacy.com.au

Heirloom Set of 2 Antique-Style Candlesticks in Gold $49.99 myer.com.au

Large Resin Rock Cup $95 dinosaurdesigns.com.au

Inflatable Solar System Set $79 abacused.com.au

Sprinkler Pad & Splash Play Mat $39.99 amazon.com.au

Kogan Play+ Kids Smart Watch $29.99 kogan.com/au

5 SAFE VACATION IDEAS DURING COVID written by: Liza John

Considering the vaccination drives happening in full force, it might be safe to say that many of us are considering taking a vacation. While it is not safe enough to travel as we did in the times before COVID-19, taking a week or two to break the monotony of working from home might be a good idea. While taking a vacation, maintaining social distance and other safety practices are still critical.

As you decide to set off on a vacation now, unlike before, you cannot just pack a bag and show up. Be sure to check the COVID restrictions placed at your destination and en route. Especially if you are going cross-country, remember to keep the necessary documents with you.

And without a question, do not forget your mask and hand sanitiser. Here are five safe vacation ideas to take this season: 1. Camping Since staying at hotels or visiting amusement parks might be tricky now, one way to relax and refresh yourself is by camping. Many popular camping sites are now open to the public with stringent COVID protocol in place.

Vacationers can embrace nature after being cooped up at home for too long.

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Remember to sanitise high contact surfaces, like the communal washroom, before using them. With an outfitted tent that can be rented or purchased at a small price, you can have a great vacation without coming in contact with many people.

2. Road Trips Considering everything, road trips might be the best way to catch a break now. Unlike having to research the safety and hygiene of various hotels and popular vacation spots, all you have to do is pack your essentials, get in the car, and drive. Best of all, you can turn around and come back home immediately, if you start feeling unwell on the way.

Road trips are always tricky if you are travelling with children. Make sure that all passengers have their masks on and if you have stopped to get food or enjoy the landscape, follow safety guidelines without fail.

3. Getting an RV Everyone has imagined travelling in an RV, why not make it happen this season. Having everything with you on the wheels means that you don’t need to expose

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yourself to risks. You can also eliminate worrying about accommodation and extend your vacation as long as you need.

If you are renting your RV, make sure to clean the vehicle yourself before using it. Be armed with sanitary wipes anyway. Stock up on food, and you can have one of the best vacations you can have during such a time.

4. Backpacking As mentioned before, since going to previously popular vacation spots is the worst idea ever, looking for activities that have minimal contact with others is the best option. Backpacking is one such safe vacation idea. Pair backpacking with camping, and you have the most outdoorsy vacation ever.

Strap everything you will need on your back and get moving. That’s it. However, if you are new to this activity, do not try to tackle a backpacking course on your own. Chances are high that you will end up lost, injured, or both.

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5. Vacation Home Rentals If the ideas suggested above are not appealing to you, your next best option is looking for vacation home rentals near beaches, rivers, or reserves. Instead of branches of internationally renowned and equally popular hotels, home rentals mean that very few people have come in contact with the location. Boutique hotels and cabins are other options to check out.

Always look for rentals that have a lot of space, good ventilation, and are far from thickly populated areas.

Again, research the cleaning protocols that the owners have in place and carry out a sanitising process of your own.

Final Thoughts Everything has undergone a transformation since the pandemic. From work settings to vacationing, safety is the primary concern and following the COVID protocol is of the utmost importance. As you plan your vacation this year, keep your health in mind. While travelling with children or immunocompromised individuals, take necessary precautions. Get vaccinated, if you are not, before travelling. You can always have long drives within the city if your plan for vacation does not work out. Stay safe.

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HOW TO PLAN A ROAD TRIP DURING THE PANDEMIC Written By: Liza John

Many of us are eager for a change of scenery, and research shows that going on vacations are important for many reasons. Rest and time away helps in increase of resilience, which increases the ability to deal with the inevitable setbacks at work. It provides perspective that can help people see new solutions to difficulties, and it gives people a chance to pursue other life goals, like spending time with family and exploring the world.

Here are a few ways to plan a road trip during the pandemic: Plan Ahead Before you go on a road trip, plan things early. Now more than ever, preparation is key. Even if it is a familiar location, and you’ve done this trip multiple times, you need to take the research a step further.

You may run into some temporary closures. This gives you a clear idea about the entire trip which includes how many days you travel, where to stay, number of people taking part in the trip, places you will cover, expenses, etc.

Choose The Destination Before choosing the destination, you need to have an idea about how far it is. You also should enquire about the Covid restrictions in that area. Knowledge of the required necessities around the place will be helpful.

Get to know about the hotels to stay nearby.

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Do Not Let Covid Come With You If anyone in your group is tested positive for Covid, then don’t let them come with you. Even anyone in the group has symptoms related to Covid, do not take them with you. Before you start, get the Covid test done and make sure that everyone is Covid negative.

“Before you

go on a road trip, plan things early.

Now more than ever, preparation is key.”

Carry Necessary Covid Care Products Most of the time, one can get affected with Covid by inhaling viral particles or by coming into contact with the contaminated objects. To avoid this, one should always wear a mask when someone is around them, and we should always disinfect the areas which have a chance of contamination. Include masks, disinfecting wipes and hand sanitisers in your baggage.

Disinfect The Vehicle You Travel Mostly we hire a car to travel for a road trip. So, there is a chance SEPTEMBER 2021 | My Child Magazine Issue #120

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of the virus in it. To reduce the risk of Covid, we should disinfect the parts of the car which we touch frequently. These parts include door and window handles or buttons, light switches, seat adjuster controls, radio controls, the steering wheel, glove box button, gear/drive and handbrake levers, rear-view mirrors and mirror controls.

Maintain Social Distance When you go for a road trip, maintain social distance with the new people you come across. Most importantly, at service stations and while ordering food, maintain at least a social distance of 1.5 metres.

Sanitise Your Hands Frequently Most of the time, viruses enter into our body by the means of our hands. So, it is important to sanitise our hands regularly. Always wash or sanitise your hands after touching surfaces such as petrol pumps, door handles, bathroom taps, and before getting back in your car.

COVID Safe Accommodation Ask the accommodation provider about the necessary steps they have taken to prevent the spread of the virus. Make sure that your room is disinfected regularly.

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Use Disinfectant Wipes Always use disinfectant wipes in rented accommodation to clean high-touch surfaces such as door handles, light switches, cupboard handles, taps and toilet flush buttons. You can also wash dishes and cutlery through the dishwasher on a hot cycle. This is because the virus is able to cause infection on surfaces for many days.

Make Contactless Payments Pay with a card rather than cash to avoid touching money. Many people handle bills and coins in their hands for a long duration. Because of this, there is a chance of spreading the virus from one person to another person. Moreover, paying digitally helps in maintaining social distance efficiently.

Dining Many restaurants are open for dine-in service. But changes like limits on the number of guests allowed inside and extra space between tables are expected.

While it can be harder to find sit-down meals in some areas, takeout service is typically available instead.

Most of the restaurants are also moving tables outdoors to lower the risk of virus transmission.

By following these steps can help to keep your trip memorable. Stay safe – Stay happy!

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IS IT SAFE FOR FAMILIES TO TRAVEL YET? written by: Liza John

When was the last time you enjoyed a whole vacation with your family? Those memories have turned down to be long-lasting and long gone since the pandemic hit us.

At this point, all of us want to return to normalcy, and for some people this may include going on trips with their families.

Naturally, the question that first pops up in our heads is if it’s safe to travel or not.

Well in all honesty there is no straight answer, it is complicated and here’s why: Getting Vaccines Public health experts who had previously warned us about dangers revolving around travelling in the pandemic era have now changed their stances owing to the effectiveness of vaccines.

Now it is considered safe for fully vaccinated people to travel, while taking some necessary precautions. As for non-vaccinated individuals, it is best advised to avoid any nonessential travel.

A major risk still persists, the Covid vaccines are not available for children below 12. So, travelling with your family can put your children in danger, even if all the adults have been vaccinated.

Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a condition that has been unique to children during this pandemic and can have severe consequences on their health.

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If You Plan To Travel Not all trips are necessarily risky. For example, travelling by your private car to an Airbnb is safer than travelling by train or flight and staying at a crowded hotel. There are ways you can reduce the risks of travelling. Here are some ways, • Make sure everyone in your family is completely vaccinated.

• Travel by personal vehicles like car or bike rather than choosing public transportations like trains or buses.

• Check the Test Positivity Rate of the place you are planning to visit. Do enough research and find hours or timings when there are lesser people visiting the same place as you.

• Avoid crowds and stay at least six feet away from anyone who is not travelling with you.

Finding Accommodation Getting accommodation while travelling is another potential risk in this era. But the good news is that the pandemic has driven room prices down, so you don’t have to worry about burning a hole through your pocket.

You may be tempted to visit friends or family in the places you visit, but it is better to not visit them for the time being. Even if they invite you over, be open and turn them down.

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Avoid sharing spaces or bathroom facilities with many people who are not from your household. Rent a house or cabin with people from your household and stay together, rather than staying at shared hostels or apartments.

Dining While Travelling Here are some pointers to keep in mind if you are planning to have a dining experience outside.

• Dine at a restaurant where social distancing is possible and staff wear masks and are taking enough precautions. Maintain precautions while using drive-throughs, collecting a delivery or pick-up options, or while interacting with restaurant employees.

• Takeout’s are the real MVPs. Most restaurants now offer services like car dining or provide cutlery with takeout’s, so you can enjoy your meal without interacting with many people.

Carrying your own food might sound very burdensome, so you’ll definitely want to find other options, and takeout’s are hands down your best choice.

• That being said, the best possible option would be to carry your own food.

What You Gain We can enjoy the calm nature more with much more ease rather

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than the rush and will get to enjoy the clean air devoid of any pollution.

And of course, the means of transports have been much cheaper to many of the places when compared to times before COVID-19.

Regardless of how hard we try, we will overcome the pandemic era very soon and get out of our houses soon.

Stay Safe Here are some precautions that you must take in general, • • • •

Wear a mask properly, covering your nose and mouth wholly.

Sanitise your hands frequently.

Wash your hands using foam properly.

Try to maintain social distancing while you are in a crowded place.

Final Thoughts Covid-19 has messed with our health and peace of mind for the past year and subjected us to immense stress. But it is important to acknowledge that it is our own negligence that exacerbated the issue.

We understand that you might be dying to travel, but remember that the pandemic is still going on, and consider all the risks before you make a hasty decision. Stay safe!

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TRAVEL TIPS FOR FAMILY WITH UNVACCINATED CHILDREN

WRITEN BY: LIZA JOHN

If you want to travel and worry about your children, as they are not vaccinated, then here are some tips that will surely help you in taking precautions during travelling. Covid is a widely spread disease and can transmit from one person to another if precautions are not taken. As no vaccine has been authorised for the children, there is a probability that children may come into contact with the infectious virus SARS-COV-2.

As a parent, you might avoid travelling because your children are not vaccinated. But there is no need to avoid travelling just because your kids are not vaccinated. If you follow the above travel tips for families with unvaccinated children, it will be safe for your kids as well as your whole family.

• The most important tip or precaution to avoid the spread of Covid is wearing a mask. While travelling in public transportation where members other than your family are also travelling, make sure that your mask. You must cover your nose as well as your mouth with the mask because if anything remains uncovered, you might get infected with the Covid virus.

• Make sure that you will not travel in crowded transportation and maintain the distance of 6 feet or a length of at least two arms from another person.

• Last but not least is to wash your hands with either sanitiser or alcohol.

These three are the most important tips or precautions one should take if travelling in public transportation. However, there are other tips one should follow if travelling in private transportation and with unvaccinated kids.

People To Come In Contact While Travelling • It is safer if your family or your kids are in contact with your family members only.

• It is also safer if any of them comes into contact with people who are fully vaccinated, i.e., have completed two doses of any authorised vaccine.

• Make sure that you will not come into contact with unvaccinated people who do not belong to your family.

• Make sure you avoid crowding because crowded places are more susceptible to coronavirus.

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Tips To Follow While Travelling • If you are travelling in your private vehicles like a car or RV, then it is much safer as you do not come into contact with other people. But while travelling, you might stop a car or RV for either gas, food, or bathroom. In that break, you might get in contact with infected people or infected surfaces. So, make sure that you wash your hands with sanitiser after the break or wear your mask when stopping the vehicle for any purpose.

• If you are travelling in public transportation like a bus or train, it is necessary to wear a mask throughout the route and maintain a social distance of 6 feet/2 meters with another person that does not belong to your family. Make sure not to come into contact with people who are not vaccinated. If you are travelling by bus or train, choose a short trip with your family, so that you don’t come into contact with other people for a longer period.

• While travelling by aeroplane, it is safer as the virus does not spread in the air because of air circulation in the aeroplane.

But you might get in contact with infected surfaces during security check-ups and airport terminals. Also, try to avoid the flights which are crowded as more people, more chances to get infected with Covid.

Food • If you are sitting in a hotel, then it will be safer if you bring your food or drinks and if it is not possible for you, then make sure to wear a mask when you come into contact with a waiter or other staff of the hotel.

• Food delivery is a much safer option for eating food as they take all precautions while delivering the food.

• Try to avoid eating your food inside poorly ventilated hotels, where hotel staff do not wear a mask.

Camping • It will be safer to share a tent and have camping with people who are fully vaccinated or people only from your family.

• Avoid camping with people who are not vaccinated, also avoid camping if maintaining a 2-meter distance is not possible in the area.

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BOOK e

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s

by: Amy Adeney from Busy Bookworms

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T H ER E ’S A G H O ST IN T HIS H O USE

BY OLI VER JEFFERS A young girl lives in a haunted house , b ut has never seen a ghost. Are t he y whi t e with holes for eyes? Are they har d t o se e ?

She’d love to know! Step insi d e and t ur n the transparent pages to hel p he r on an entertaining ghost hunt, f rom b e hi nd t he sofa, right up to the attic.

Th is is a c a p t iv a t in g n ew p i c tu r e b o o k wit h a n in t era c t iv e elemen t , f r o m wo r l d ren own ed a rt ist Oliv er Jeffer s . Wi th l o ts of frien d ly gh ost su rp rises a nd i n c r ed i b l e mixed med ia illu st ra t ion s, t h is u n i q u e a n d fu n n y b ook will en t ert a in y o u n g r ea d er s a ged t h ree a n d u p .

A YE AR IN F LE U R VILLE

BY F ELI CI TA S A LA I n e a ch g a r d e n in Fleu r ville, s o m eone is te nding to t h e i r p r o d u c e. Ma r ia ’ s picking aspa r a g u s , R a m o n ’ s mu m is w atering the cuc u m b e r s , a n d a g ag g le o f ki ds are e at ing c h e r r i e s fr es h fr o m t h e t r ee and e ve n w e a r i n g s o m e as ea r r in g s ! Meet the ma ny p e op l e o f Fleu r ville, d elig h t i n their pro duc e , l e a r n t h eir r ec ip es , a nd f ind comf o r t i n t h e c yc le o f t h e s ea s o n s .

A Y e a r in F l e u r v i l l e is a cook book , a mini gu id e to g a rde n i n g , a n d a picture book roll ed in t o o n e , c e l e b r a ti n g t he joys of coming toget h er an d sha r i n g t h e r ich re w ards of our ga rd en s an d kit ch e n s . A s equel to the be s t sellin g Lun c h a t 1 0 P o megranate Stre et, this is a wonde rf u l ch o i ce for budding chefs a ged 5 an d u p.

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T H E STO R Y O F US

BY MI CHAEL WAGNER & BECK FE I N E R Every f amily has their stor i e s, and T he Story of Us makes it easy and f un t o share those stories with yo ur c hi l d r e n – to capture them in the book ’ s p age s, and to create a keepsake to trea sur e f or e v e r .

Whether the stories are f unny , sad , exciting, scary or even we i r d , shar i ng them with your children w i l l gi v e t he m a stronger sense of their p l ac e i n t he world, and the f eeling that t he y ’ r e p ar t of something big and impo r t ant – t he i r family.

St ories a re t h e glu e t h a t h olds u s to g eth er , a n d t h is p rec iou s, in sp irin g b o o k i s a n h eirloom in t h e ma kin g. A p er f ec t g i f t f o r rea d ers a ged 3 a n d u p .

SEASONS IN THE CITY

BY M E G A N MC K E A N Di d yo u k n o w t h at s p r in g t ime in T okyo is c he r r y b l o s s o m s eas o n ? Or t h at on the l ong e s t d a y of s u m m er in S t o c kh o lm the s un st a y s u p f or 18 h o u r s ? T h r o ughout h ist o ry p e o p l e h ave welc o med new s e a so n s w i t h i mp o r t an t r it u a ls . Plenty of t hes e t r a d i tio n s c o n t in u e t o d ay, as th e ch a n g e i n weat h er b r in g s d ifferent oc ca sio n s to c eleb r at e a n d ac t ivities to e njo y a l l y e ar r o u n d in ma n y of the wo rld’ s c i ti e s .

Fin d o u t w h a t d i fferent s e as ons look like in ci t ie s al l a r o u n d the world in this be aut ifu lly i llust ra te d b o o k ¬ – a great choice to sh a re wit h rea d e r s a n d travellers age d 5 an d u p .

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KIDFRIENDLY PLACES IN AUSTRALIA DURING PANDEMIC WRITTEN BY: Liza John

School trips and family vacations have not taken place in almost two years. While it is crucial to follow the protocols put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, it is undeniable that the pandemic has taken a toll on kids’ outdoor time.

Throwing a wrench in how young minds grow and view the world around them, the effects of the pandemic stretches across various aspects. As the intensity of the pandemic is subsiding, and with the vaccination drives happening, it might be safe to slowly venture back outside.

As you reintroduce your kids to the world outside, it is better to err on the side of caution. Taking your child to kid-friendly places first might be the best to avoid overwhelming them with stimulation.

Here are a few places that you should consider visiting with the young one.

Hiking On the Grampians If you are a sporty family looking to get your groove back post lockdown, going on a hiking trip might be the best option for you. Since most places are reopening with COVID guidelines in place, doing something that allows you to have fun and stay away from crowds, such as hiking, is exactly what you need.

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Have a family-friendly adventure on the sandstone ridges of the Grampians. Adding to the fun factor, you might even spot kangaroos and emus. Just three hours away from Melbourne, the Grampians have a panoramic view and a rich culture, along with top-class food and wine to make the location inviting to all.

Cultural Experience In Sydney This might have been a routine you went through before 2020, getting on a ferry from Circular Quay and spotting all the harbour’s landmarks.

While this may not be entirely possible until all the restrictions are lifted, you can still stroll through The Rocks and experience its historical significance.

Better yet, climb to the top of the Harbour Bridge and get a spectacular view of the city. As much as the trip can help you in understanding the Aboriginal culture, it can also give you a muchneeded break.

Child-Friendly Canberra If your child missed simply running around, Canberra is a location you should consider.

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also has enough museums and historical architecture to make up a city that stimulates a child.

From the Carillon Precinct to the Questacon science museum, the landmarks are COVID-Safe and delightful for everyone present. You can also rent hot-air balloons from establishments that strictly follow the COVID restrictions, and you can have a fun time in the air.

Snorkelling In Cairns No better place ever to finally reconnect with nature like World Heritage icons. Bring out your snorkelling equipment and head on out to dive into the Great Barrier Reef. Explore the reef as well as the Daintree Rainforest. The Daintree Discovery Centre has been cleared as COVID-safe.

Teach the kids the importance of preserving these sites for the future while taking them on an adventure. You can also make a road trip out of this with an itinerary that is flexible. Drive out and you can also spot crocodiles and cassowaries along the way.

Kangaroo Island The name is a dead giveaway. At Kangaroo Island, the visitors can meet with animals like kangaroos 36

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and sea lions. With easy access to nature and stunning scenery, it is without a doubt that the place is a favourite. Wildlife courses and cruises are what you should look for on Kangaroo Island. It had been proclaimed as COVID safe and in these times, the least you can do is to follow the protocol.

If you and yours prefer something calmer than nature courses, visit the lavender or honey farms on the island. These trips can soothe everyone’s overworked minds, and you can indulge in some local delicacies with your child.

Final Thoughts Stepping out into the world might have been scaring you a bit lately. Especially, taking your child out to public places can induce more worries. However, you cannot remain indoors forever. You and your child need to start living in and exploring the postcovid world.

If a trip out far makes you uncomfortable, start with a quick visit to the local park and slowly move upwards. Make sure that your family is vaccinated before embarking on any journey. Emphasise the use of hand sanitiser and mask to your child. Once you can stick with all the rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19, you can finally travel like before.

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TIPS TO PREVENT STRETCH MARKS Written by Liza John

Stretch marks are small scars located within the middle layer of your skin that are visible on the upper layer of skin. These are formed when there is rapid growth in weight and hormonal changes, and the skin is stretched beyond its ability to repair itself.

Your skin has an incredible ability to stretch and adapt, it’s thanks to collagen and elastin fibres. When your skin stretches rapidly or far, it may tear slightly. When this happens, your body will immediately start working to repair the new scars. Although it’s our body’s natural defence mechanisms, small scars can still be seen once everything is healed.

Rapid gaining of weight can cause stretch marks, which proves stretch marks aren’t only for pregnant women.

Here are a few steps to stop the stretch marks: Stay Hydrated Drinking a lot of water helps in maintaining soft skin. The tendency of causing stretch marks is more within the people with dry skin when put next with the people with soft skin. Intake of plenty of fluids plays a significant role in maintaining healthy skin.

Balance Your Weight As the major reason for stretch marks is 40

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rapid increase in weight, we must have a correct control on gaining or losing weight.

Regular exercise helps in maintaining your weight. Pregnant women should seek advice from their doctor about what proportion of weight to realise during pregnancy because underlying health conditions may affect the range.

Eat Healthy Food Eat the food which is nutritious. In some cases, stretch marks are caused thanks to the shortage of nutrients in your diet. So, ensure that your diet contains the food items which boost your skin health.

Get Fat-Soluble Vitamin Vitamin D is important for healthy skin.

Maintaining healthy levels of Viosterol may reduce your risk of stretch marks. The best way to get Calciferol is through exposure to the sun. The vitamin is additionally commonly added to bread, cereal, and dairy products like milk or yoghurt.

Include Ascorbic Acid Collagen may be a protein that helps keep your skin healthy and elastic in nature, ascorbic acid plays a serious role within the development of collagen. So, include water-soluble vitamins in your regular diet.

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Food items which are rich in vitamins are citrus fruits like oranges and lemons, guava, strawberries, kiwi, broccoli, potatoes and lots of more.

Eat Zinc Rich Foods Zinc is additionally a crucial nutrient which helps in maintaining healthy skin, although there’s little relation between stretch marks and zinc food, it helps plenty in reducing inflammation and plays a task within the wound healing process. The food items which are rich in zinc are meat, eggs, whole grains, legumes like chickpeas, beans and lentils, nuts, dairy and plenty of more.

Wear Sunscreen And Avoid Direct Sun The sun’s ultraviolet rays damage the skin’s collagen and elastin, which might make stretch marks more likely to make. People should be in shade, wear UV-protective clothes, and apply sunscreen when exposed to sun. It’s required to allow the sunscreen to get soaked up for half-hour before sun exposure, and to reapply it a minimum of every 2 hours while spending time within the sun.

Avoid Smoking Smoking reduces blood flow to the skin,

which deprives it of the oxygen it has to repair itself. In addition, smoking depletes nutrients within the body that the skin has to stay healthy. Smoking also releases damaging free radicals, which might break down the collagen and elastin fibres within the skin.

Treat Fresh Stretch Marks Once They Appear You may not totally prevent stretch marks on your skin. You can minimise their appearance, so that they are not predictable. Make an arrangement together with your doctor or a dermatologist to debate your options if you’ve got fresh stretch marks. Your doctor may help find the cause of your marks, and also suggests prevention tips and treatment that employ best on new stretch marks.

Final Thoughts Stretch marks are nothing to be ashamed of, while they have been shoved into a negative stereotype. If you have got stretch marks, know that it isn’t because you wish to slim down and do not shame yourself. The public get them, so you are not alone. Eat healthy, control your weight and check out to take care of a healthy lifestyle. If it bugs you an excessive amount of, give the local dermatologist a visit.

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Crochet Style Pattern Baby Blanket Wheat $46.95 elknursery.com

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Potted Faux Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant $179 templeandwebster.com.au

Trinity Chest of Drawers $999 loungelovers.com.au

Tom Ford Book $220 cravewares.com.au

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k i d s Photo: ellajames.co.uk

Garfield Custom Timber Bed Frame $1299 bedworks.com.au

Single Quilt Cover In Sage $220 ilovelinen.com.au

Dome Table Lamp - Mint $340 rjliving.com.au

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Wategos Beach I Photo Art Print $319 theprintemporium.com.au

Zermatt Shag Round Rug $498 aurugs.com

Modern Ripple Footed Planter Pot $179 templeandwebster.com.au

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COMMON POSTPARTUM PROBLEMS Written by Liza John

Women face many problems after the completion of 9 months of pregnancy. After the pregnancy, women are designated with a new role called mother and with the new role comes new responsibilities. But there are many challenges faced by women after pregnancy, not only because of child handling, but also because many serious changes happened in the body during pregnancy.

So let’s understand what serious physical and emotional problems may occur in the body after postpartum, so you will be better prepared for it.

Kidney Infection If after the postpartum, the bacteria spread in the kidney, the kidney infection may occur. The women may face an urgent need for urination, lower and back abdominal pain, high fever and an increase in urine frequency.

Postpartum Haemorrhage If the bleeding occurs during pregnancy, it is common that bleeding may occur in the phase of childbirth. But it can be a serious problem if bleeding occurs even after postpartum. The bleeding that occurs after postpartum or childbirth, is termed postpartum haemorrhage. Postpartum haemorrhage may occur because of multiple childbirths or long term labour, or because of 56

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uterine infection. It is the most common serious problem faced by women after postpartum.

C-Section Incision Infection One of the most serious problems associated with the period after postpartum is c-section incision infection. The common symptoms of c-section incision infection are swollen or red skin and resistant scratch. If you observe such symptoms in your body, immediately consult with your physician and take proper medications.

Uterine Infection In normal cases, during childbirth, the placenta gets separated from the uterine wall and gets excreted out from the vagina right after 20 minutes of delivering the child. If any piece of the placenta remains in the uterine, the infection may occur to the uterine.

There are many chances that infection may also spread from the uterine to the ammoniacal sac where the baby was kept in the body, and may also get infected. High heart rate, Fever, flu, increase in no. of white blood cells, swollen uterus and foul-smelling discharge are some of the most common symptoms associated with a uterine infection.

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Perineal Pain The area which is surrounded by the vagina and rectum is known as the perineal. The pain in the perineal region is one of the most common problems or challenges faced by women after child delivery. These perineal tissues may get swollen because of the stretching of the vagina and cervix during the child delivery. The tissue might also get sore after childbirth. Restriction in the Bowel movements, severe pain, bleeding is some common symptoms associated with perineal pain.

Swollen Breasts Right after 3 or 4 days after child delivery, the breasts of women start to get swollen. They become large, hard as well as sore. The bra that used to fit your breasts gets unfit. The breasts get swollen because they started producing milk for the baby. As the baby starts sucking the milk from the breasts, the breasts tend to remain swollen.

When the baby stops sucking the milk, you can apply some ice cubes to prevent the pain.

Lochia

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Lochia is one of the most common problems associated with postpartum. The heavy bleeding may occur in the vagina for nearly 3-4 weeks after the child delivery. Lochia refers to the discharge of the placenta as well as blood from the vagina. It is not a serious problem related to postpartum. You may see a red colour discharge for the first few days, then the colour gets turned into blue colour for the next few days, which again gets turned into yellow colour for the next few days.

Breast Infection Breast infection is scientifically termed mastitis.

In this infection, the smaller or entire part of the breast gets reddened or tender because of infection.

This infection may be caused because of cracked nipples, stress, fever, fatigue, chills, headache, vomiting or nausea.

Stretch Marks The striation that can be seen on, thighs, abdominal, breasts and hips are called stretch marks. During pregnancy, as the area described above gets swollen leaves stretch marks after the child delivery. These stretch marks are red.

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THUMB SUCKING IN BABIES - WAYS TO STOP IT Written by Liza John

It is quite common for the babies to suck their fingers and thumbs as they feel comfort in it.

Thumb sucking is one amongst the primary physical skills babies have. Even the Ultrasound images of babies sucking their thumbs within the womb are acquired. This means that they get habituated to suck their thumbs before birth. Babies have a natural sucking reflex, and this activity could be a normal way for your baby to appease herself.

The sucking reflex is an innate behaviour they have to suckle their milk and obtain nutrition. At that young age, it becomes a habit for them to selfsoothe. Some children use just one hand and few use both hands.

If your child habituates to suck the thumb, the habit may cause their mouth and lips similarly as teeth to alter their shape, creating front teeth that look pushed out and if this is stopped before the permanent teeth are available, the teeth may correct themselves.

If the baby still turns his/her thumb for comfort, no need to worry, as there are many ways to stop it.

Kids surrender this habit as they raise, and usually stop thumb sucking completely between the ages of two and four years.

Here are a few ways to stop your baby from thumb sucking: 62

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Identify Their Thumb Sucking Triggers The first step to stop thumb sucking is by determining what triggers your child to suck their fingers. If you’ll identify that, then you could help them adapt their behaviour with positive reinforcement.

Distractions Check out and find when your baby starts sucking on his thumb. This should allow you to identify the triggers for thumb sucking, like watching TV or being left alone in a room. You may distract your child using words or actions when you are in the room. Give him a toy that you just know would keep him engaged.

Diversion is another method to beat thumb sucking.

If you catch your child sucking their thumb, try diverting their attention with their favourite stuffed toy, something that involves their attention and hands, to get them to quit right then and there.

Be Positive Positive reinforcement is usually best. Appreciate her when she remembers not to suck her thumb.

Select a favourite book to read or an activity you can share. Offer them the things which they are keen on, once they remember not to suck the thumb.

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Talk About It Depending on her age, it might help your child to understand why stopping this habit is vital.

Try explaining to the child the defects of thumb sucking in the way they understand. Repeatedly talking about it changes their mindset.

Use Creative Reminders Make a special signal to help them to stop the behaviour if you find your child doing it publicly.

Tie a bandage over the finger, or else cover the hands by wearing socks over the hand to forestall thumb sucking at the hours of darkness.

Keep The Hands Busy By making themselves keep their hands busy in playing can reduce thumb sucking. You can’t keep them distracted 100% of the time, so this could add in conjunction with other methods. Arts and crafts, dancing, writing, sports, biking, fiddling with toys are all good methods of distraction.

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Bitter Medicine Apply some bitter eatable or an ointment which is safe to consume on your child’s thumb to wean him off from the habit of sucking thumb. But often using this method is not suggestible.

Mask Wearing Wearing a mask will not allow the baby to suck the thumb and one more benefit of our kids needing to wear a mask to protect them from coronavirus as they often move their hands towards mouth and nose. It creates a barrier to prevent them from putting the thumb in their mouths.

Covering Hands With Socks This is a short-term prevention. Babies don’t find the thumb when they try to suck because it is roofed by socks and that they lose concentration on the thumb.

Using Chewers Using chewers can help your baby stop thumb sucking. They may get the identical comfort as thumb sucking, after they use chewers.

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T O Y r e v i e w s

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Sui t a b l e fo r : 18+ m on th s E x plo r e 100-p l u s w o r d s a b o u t yo u r neighbourhood in the 1 0 0 Words Abou t Pl ac e s I G o bo o k . T ou c h t h e p ic t u r es t o lear n about objects and people in 1 2 locations. T ouc hi ng the wo r d s o n t h e p ag es p lays t h e words, exciting sound ef f ects and f un f ac t s. Pr e ss the lig h t -u p s tar b u t t o n t o h ear t h ree learning songs. Immerse your child i n b i l i ngual pla y b y s l i d i n g th e lan g u a g e s w it c h to hear the words, songs and instruct i ons i n b ot h E ng lis h a n d F r en c h . 100 W o r d s Ab out Places I Go is the latest in the collec t i on of 100 W o rds b o o k s f r o m Leap Fr o g . It fo llows the original Learning Friends 1 0 0 W or d s b ook a nd 1 0 0 An i m a ls b o t h En g lis h -Fr ench, all designed to make learning in tw o l anguage s fun a n d a c c e s s ib le.

Our V e r d i ct – K ids le arn really w e ll t h rou gh p la y , so wh a t b et t er wa y t o dev el o p th ei r la ng ua g e s k i l l s than w ith a toy incorp ora t in g t h eir world a rou n d t h em?! Th e p a r k , th e b e a c h a n d s ch ool all fe ature he avily in a lot of kid s liv es, so it ’s a grea t o p p o r tu n i ty for t h e m to ta ckle e as y language to u se wh ile t h ey ’re t h ere or t o rec ou n t t h ei r s to r y to so m e on e a f t e r t hey have be en. Tou c h a n d lea rn t oy s h a v e a ma gic a l wa y o f d r a g g i n g kids in to o . I d o n ’ t k now if it’ s becau se t h ey h a v e a n op p ort u n it y t o lea rn or th ey l i k e th e fa c t t h e y ca n cons tantly touch s omet h in g a n d t h ey ga in somet h in g f rom it a t th e s a me tim e . Ev e n w i t h my girls getting older, we st ill f in d b ooks like t h is a good lit tl e r em i n d er o f t hin g s w e h a ve alre ady le arnt and c a n refresh on . Alt h ou gh we h a v en ’t rea l l y g r a s p ed the le a r n i n g o f F re nch here, it’ s alwa y s a b on u s f or kid s t o lea rn a few d iffer en t wo r d s i n ano t h e r l a n g u a ge , you ne ve r k now wh en t h ey migh t a c t u a lly n eed t h em!

Ava i l a bl e fro m: l ea pfro g. co m . a u , Big W, g ood toy stor es & online r etai l e r s

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Our ver d i ct – My girls love to play sh op s a s mu c h a s t h ey en joy goin g t o t h e r ea l s h o p s and sp e n d i n g a ll of mummy’ s money ! Th ey of t en t a ke t u rn s of p la y in g sh o p k eep er a n d c ust o me r a n d the things they buy, it ’s a ll v ery en t ert a in in g list en in g in f r o m a n o th er ro o m . T h i s l i t tl e s e t up is perfe ct a n d it ’s a n in d irec t lea rn in g t ool (t h in k mo n ey , f o o d it e m s e tc) f o r k i ds who don’ t eve n rea lise it , win n in g a ll rou n d ! It ’s grea t t o wa tc h m y g i r l s e n g a g e i n i m a ginative and creative p la y a s t h ey c on t in u e t h eir lea rn in g w i th c o u n ti n g it e m s a n d a l s o the ir mone y. W ith a rea list ic workin g t ou c h sc reen , it t ru ly ma k es th em f e e l a s th o u g h they’ re doing the s h op p in g (if on ly !). Th e groc ery it ems a re r ea s o n a b l y re alisti c a n d th e re’ s s uch a varie ty for t h em t o h a v e fu n wit h . To ma ke it a l i ttl e m o r e re al, i t a l s o co mes w ith a s hopping b a sket a n d a reu sa b le sh op p in g b a g, w h i c h i s g r ea t t o se e i n k e e p i n g with today’ s s hopp in g h a b it s. I h a v e a lwa y s b een a b ig a d v o c a te f o r im a g in a ti v e a n d cre ative play e s pe ci a lly wh en it c omes t o ed u c a t ion t h rou gh to y s a n d th i s o n e c e r t a i n l y m a k e s it happe n.

Ava i l abl e fro m: l ea pfro g. co m . a u , Big W, g ood toy stor es & online r etai l e r s 70

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HOW TO GENTLY STOP A TODDLER FROM HITTING Written by Liza John

You might feel extremely embarrassed when you see your toddler start hitting another one at the park or when the caregiver at the daycare notifies you of this behaviour. Truth be told, you might have borne the brunt of your toddler’s emotions before. As you try to discourage your child from such behaviour, you need to understand a few things.

Children under the age of 3 practically have no impulse control, so actions like screaming in the car or hitting another person are not intended to make your life difficult. Such actions are a part of how they test the limits of acceptable behaviour. Most importantly, while toddlers hit others, they have not yet understood that it is physically hurtful. That said, here are a few ways to gently discourage your toddler from hitting: Discuss Feelings And Values This is something you can get started on before your toddler starts hitting behaviour. Since their brains are only developing, along with their communication skills, toddlers find it difficult to express their big feelings. The only way they can articulate their flood of emotions is by using their body. This is what comes out as the seemingly aggressive hitting. In fact, most of the time, toddlers hit others to show how happy or satisfied they are.

So make your toddlers understand how their hitting hurts others. Convince them that people don’t like being hit and show your child other ways to express emotions such as hugging or walking away depending on the situation.

Check-in With Their Status Sometimes, children’s emotions go all haywire because they are uncomfortable. If your toddler is hungry, needs a 74

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nap, or is in pain, they might resort to hitting. When this gets your attention, run through a mental checklist of what your toddler’s needs might be.

Another way to dissuade your child from hitting themselves or others is to teach them simple ways to communicate their needs. Once toddlers know to convey their necessities to a caregiver, their hitting behaviour drops.

Distract Them This might already be your go-to trick. When your toddler seems likely to make a scene, remove them from the environment that is causing them so much distress. A change of setting allows them to refocus and orient themselves. While you do this, remember not to use positive reinforcement to distract your child, this will only increase the undesirable behaviour.

Monitor The Media If you believe that the kind of aggressive behaviour your toddler displays cannot come from real-life models, you need to go through the media that the toddler consumes.

If they are exposed to overly aggressive behaviour, try to introduce more age-appropriate content in their entertainment.

Introduce them to media that is informative and engaging at the same time.

Reinforce Nonviolent Behaviour More than trying to actively stop a toddler’s aggressive behaviour, reward their non-aggressive behaviour. Once you reach your child’s acceptable ways to express their SEPTEMBER 2021 | My Child Magazine Issue #120

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emotions and carry themselves, give them positive reinforcements to promote the behaviour.

As your child sees that nonviolent behaviour earns them more benefits than the violent kind, they will slowly become more open to behaving well. Incorporating some light punishment, such as reduced screen time, for repeated undesirable behaviour along with this can also help.

Communicate Well As you understand that your child has not developed enough to communicate effectively, you need to put in the extra effort in your interactions. Losing your temper and yelling at your toddler is not going to be useful in redirecting their behaviour. Screaming and yelling will only scare your child and show them incorrect behaviour to model.

If you feel like you might lose control and yell or hit your child, take a moment to collect yourself and orient yourself before you do anything rash.

Final Words It can be mortifying to be that parent of that kid who hits everyone at the daycare. Before you feel like you are a poor parent due to the shaming that comes from parenting groups, understand that toddlers hitting is a part of their development. Your ability as a parent to understand why they engaged in this behaviour and resolving it is where you need to be appreciated. Always discuss things calmly with your toddler, and you will find that things go much easier that way.

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10 TIPS FOR RAISING MULTILINGUAL CHILDREN Written by Liza John

Raising a child is always confusing for any parent. Keeping track of their developmental milestones, ensuring good nutrition, and ultimately helping them become happy and secure adults.

Of this, a crucial milestone is language and speech development. If you’re planning on raising bilingual or multilingual children, then this task becomes a hundred times trickier. But don’t worry, we got you covered!

Raising multilingual children requires consistency and creativity. It is going to be an arduous process, but it’ll be worth it. Studies suggest that learning multiple languages bring tons of benefits including, increased multitasking skills, decreased risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

In this article, we’ve compiled 10 expert tips on what you can do to raise multilingual children.

1. Start From Birth Studies show that infants can pick up sounds that belong to various languages. As they grow older, this skill diminishes considerably. Therefore, it is essential to start exposing your child to multiple languages right from birth.

2. One Person, One Language Without a doubt, this is perhaps the best method to raise multilingual children. Each person speaks to the child in their native language and does not speak any other 80

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language. But the key to this method lies in adhering to it strictly.

Don’t worry about not speaking the language perfectly, just speak as well as you can. Stay consistent.

OPOL is a tried and tested approach towards raising multilingual kids, but it need not be the best approach for your family. Go with your gut feeling, more often than not, your gut instincts will work out well.

3. Don’t Stress Most parents, often, end up worrying too much about if they’re taking the right approach or how to respond to a particular situation. Honestly, it is not worth stressing over. Just take a deep breath and everything will fall into place.

If you’ve decided to go with a particular approach, stick to it. When we’re stressed, we often take advice from others or the internet. Without a doubt, you’ll receive plenty. But if you keep switching your approaches now and then, you’ll not get the results you expect.

4. Never The Same No two children are ever the same. No two families are the same. An approach that has worked for someone else need not work for you. You need to figure out what works the best for you.

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So, when someone tells you to do something that worked wonders for them, understand you may not get the same results. Before going with what they say, do a little research on what they say. Think about, if that approach would work in your family.

5. Correcting Your Child This is a problem that leaves most parents perplexed.

Some say constantly correcting or criticising children will lead to them developing communication insecurities.

But completely ignoring their mistakes would often lead to them not learning the language properly.

A good approach would be to not correct them directly when your child is talking, but rather correct them outside the conversation. This way you don’t ignore their mistakes, nor cause them to hold back their thoughts.

Postpone these corrections, if possible, keep a dedicated time for these.

6. Read A Lot The importance of reading cannot be emphasised enough. Make it a bedtime routine or just random reads throughout the day, read aloud to your child. Reading to them expands their vocabularies and exposes them to words they might otherwise not come across.

Stock up on books in different languages. Maybe have the same book but in different languages.

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7. Sing or Listen To Music Singing, or listening to music, does not mean your child will start talking fluently in that language. But it helps with keeping words in their minds and exposes them to new words.

It will also be a fun way for your kids to learn.

8. Bilingual Kindergartens Sending your child to a bilingual or multilingual kindergarten means they get to talk and mingle with similar same-age peers. It also provides them with an opportunity to improve their language skills.

9. Travel Going to places where everyone speaks a particular language that you want your child to learn can be extremely helpful. With the current restrictions, this may not be possible for everyone. But it is a great way to improve your child’s language skills.

10. Language Delays You must have often heard that multilingual children face language delays and start speaking later than monolingual children. However, research has suggested that this is just a common myth.

Multilingual children start speaking and develop their language skills around the same time as other children.

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EFFECTS OF EMOTIONALLY UNAVAILABLE DAD Written by Lance Green

Every kid’s dream is to be loved fully and completely by his or her hero, the father. Children don’t always understand that their father might not be able to or willing to love them unconditionally.

Many times, this is due to their own issues, such as addiction, unresolved issues with the mother, work pressure, trauma, and so on.

When children grow up to become adults, a wound is left when they were not given the love they wanted or deserved as a child. This wound becomes the title “having daddy issues”. With this, children are likely to grow up with insecurities, fears, lack of confidence and self-efficacy, emotional voids, and even mental state such as panic disorder, depression, or manic-depressive illness.

Here are a number of consequences of growing up with an emotionally unavailable dad.

Fear Of Attachment And Love Children who have grown up under an emotionally void parent will presumably evolve into a teenager and adult who struggles to emotionally attach to others and receive love. When you haven’t felt the love, affection, and protection of a loving 86

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adult, you are more likely to endure defences or protective mechanisms that keep you segregated from other people in some way. Unfortunately, defence and protective mechanisms can prevent the individual from engaging appropriately in therapy or believing that they can be happy and feel safe in their relationships.

Loss Of Hope, Faith, And Joy For many children who were grown up under an emotionally void parent, there is a feeling of loss and grief. The loss of a parent who is still living and breathing can seem like the most pathetic experience. To look a parent within the eyes or hear their voice and yet feel thus far away, is tragic.

Being not able to connect to the very person who brought you into this world is really sad. It is like a tease. Sadly, the adult child begins to feel a way of grief and loss of hope, faith, and joy. Sometimes adult children do not express their emotions and begin to feel depressed, suicidal, or self-injurious.

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others later in life. If we were loved appropriately, we will most likely show those same traits as adults. If we were abused and neglected, we’ll presumably develop characteristics to guard ourselves as adults, like being overly protective or defensive.

Some adults become angry or struggle with longterm relationships, which leads to a series of unstable relationships that do not last long. This does not happen with every child. So, every child with an emotionally unavailable parent may not develop into an adult with issues. Some adults come out as better ones than their parents.

Every situation is dissimilar, and the lives of children with emotionally unavailable parents are also dissimilar.

Selfishness Selfishness is a personality deficit, as it is a characteristic that is not good. Being unable to share with others can cause an inability to be emotionally separated and immature behaviour.

Being Dependent In order to cope with pain and sorrow, many people become addicted to substances that dull 88

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the pain. Sadly, recreational use or prescription use of drugs turns into a habit and the need for self-medication becomes an addiction. Once an addiction happens, the life of the user gets more problems in relationships, employment, and other important areas of life and can no longer seem important to the substance abuser.

Lack Of Identity And Direction By not understanding who you really are, you will mostly follow the crowd and allow anyone with a little of interest in you into your life. When you have an idea of who you are, what you want, and what is best for you, you are likely to be more careful in choosing other people to be a part of your life.

Due to lack of identity, a series of unstable and shallow relationships that are short-lived occurs.

It is really unfortunate that a child’s life can be affected by the emotional and psychological instability and unavailability of a parent. It is the belief that gives the unstable parent more power than they deserve. Research over the years confirm that during early childhood development, children must have the experience, of a warm caregiver/ guardian in order to grow with the appropriate skills which are essential for later in life.

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HOW TO NURTURE YOUR RELATIONSHIP DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC! Written by Liza John

The pandemic has probably changed many things in your life. You may be working from home, selfisolating, and not coming into contact with your loved ones – but social distancing shouldn’t stop you from maintaining happy relationships or encouraging your skill development. Of course, that is not as simple to implement as it is to say.

Sometimes you feel low for no reason. Even sometimes, you might feel that nothing good is happening. But what is more important is not giving up!

It is needed to do all the possible things to maintain your physical as well as emotional wellbeing. This, in other way, will help you to have an optimistic mindset to keep your relationships happy and healthy.

Few tips to maintain a healthy relationship: Talk To Your Loved Ones Regularly The correct way in which you can keep your relationships strong during a pandemic is to talk to your loved ones regularly and stay connected.

Keep in touch with family via text messages, group chats, or video chat. Using various means of communication will help you to keep the

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relationship feeling fresh. You’ll be able to stay connected with each other while still being able to text a quick message or funny meme. Expressing your feelings to one another and continuing to get to know each other will help keep your relationship healthy and happy during these stressful times.

Together Support Others Getting involved in efforts to support people who are in need during the pandemic could be a good idea. It is more about the inspiring effects of helping other people in our locality and beyond and the joy of helping the needy and being kind.

Stay Connected Use phones, computers and the post to stay in contact. A friendly, familiar voice, or a message from the ones we care about, makes us feel more connected and comfortable. This is much needed for our mental health, precisely for people living alone, who may be feeling lonely, isolated and afraid. During this time when younger people in our families can help older ones to use the internet, and in some ways it can let us stay connected with each other and the world.

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Teamwork Makes The Dream Work Couples or partners learn to manage each other’s stress levels and try to support each other in difficulties. Getting to know, when the other is going through a tough time and cutting them some slack is a basic thing to showing you are there for them, through good times and bad. It’s completely understandable given the present situation if you are both feeling anxious and tetchy. Be kind to each other and remember this time will pass.

Give each other personal space. We all need some timeout from each other, and even though this is easier said than done right now. When you live with your partner, give each other the time and space to do things individually and independently.

Plan Something Fun As the pre-pandemic plans of couples may be cancelled or postponed right now, you can take a drive together, plan a special meal, or, if you have the resources, even make anything that you can both enjoy. There are many applications which can help couples virtually get together with friends for dinners, game nights or movies. The essential thing is to create things to look forward to, even if they’re small.

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Listen Make sure you listen to what your significant other is saying and try to understand it and to focus on their needs at that moment. It is said that more than half of the problems in any relationship can be solved by listening to each other patiently.

Give Some Time For Self-Love Self-love is important, and so one should nurture it. Share your thoughts, your opinions if any to your family/friends, or anyone with whom you are comfortable sharing. Make yourself feel free, share how you are feeling. If you are in trouble, be any kind, share with them, get support or advice, and implement it.

Push Your Limits Create something new, try to update yourself, utilise this pandemic time to do something out of your proportion, it will make you feel alive and refreshing. After all, a dead soul cannot make another person feel alive. So first refresh your soul, so that you can also make others life refreshing.

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doing it completely right or all wrong WRITTEN BY: Sheree Hoddinett

That’s it, I’m out. Done. Finished. I quit. I’m handing the job over to someone else. My 7-year-old thinks she’s qualified enough to mum, will she do instead of me? Don’t even get me started on her 5-year-old sister thinking she’s the boss too. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud to be raising independent, strong and shall we say, “spirited” young ladies, but I think they lost the memo that says I’m the mum! It’s probably more a case of they like seeing the other sibling in more trouble than they can poke a stick at, but I find it tricky to be the parent when I’m trying not to laugh at the new “boss lady”.

If only they could take over all aspects of parenting, I’d be set. Pay the bills, clean, do the washing, pick up after everyone. But nope, never going to happen. Apparently that’s my job. Can I start eye rolling at them now? Haha!

Imagine the whole role reversal situation. It would actually create more work for me in the long run, so nooooo maybe not! I guess one positive way of looking at it all is that my girls aren’t afraid to show what they’re capable of. I love that. Until it annoys me and they annoy each other being too bossy and we’re pretty much back at square one. Plus on top of that Mummy gets angry and starts yelling and then there are tears, not sure who from anymore, haha!

If only they did what I told them, how sweet life would be then. I like to think they actually listen to me sometimes, but I’m probably dreaming.

When it comes to parenting, it’s pretty much all or nothing.

Everything becomes all theirs and you are left with nothing. Bedspace, what bedspace? Even my chocolate gets taken by them now. No fair. Look I’m good at painting the downside to this parenting gig, but there is a lot of good in it too. It’s just not always happening when I want it to. So never really. I’m kidding. The moments might be fleeting but when they happen, my heart lights up. I have two beautiful little girls (yeah I know I’m pretty biased!) who can be kind, caring, thoughtful and even considerate.

I just don’t seem to be the one often on the receiving end, haha!

I think what makes it all worse is that I know this is only the beginning, there is still so much more horrible stuff ahead of me, especially when it comes to having teenage girls. I’ve already said many times I’m running

away then, it’ll be the safest option, for them and me! That or they can spend more time at their father’s house, haha!

Can you imagine?! No I think I’ll deal with it the best way I can… alcohol…I mean with the appropriate discipline right?! If only I had a crystal ball…I already know I’ll probably do it all wrong and they’ll hate me and I’ll be the worst mum ever (can you tell I’ve already heard it all before?!) but they’ll still be stuck with me as their mum anyway. Suckers!

Every stage and phase with my girls is something new and I’m still blindly finding my way through it all while discovering my strengths as a mum. But I’ve always maintained I have to be doing something right because they’re still going strong. Before you have kids, you have this vision of how you think everything will pan out, it never happens. It’s

just a dream, a hope that everything will be perfect. There’s always perfect moments, however fleeting they may be. Who knows, my girls may just surprise me and turn into well behaved angelic children. Pigs might fly too, but I think we’re all still waiting on that one.

My girls always tell me what an awesome mum I am. It makes me laugh because I often wonder what they want. But in all honesty I should probably listen to them.

They say kids are good at telling things exactly how it is because there is no filter. So I guess if it was really bad they’d tell me. At least I hope so! I guess if they don’t drive you crazy in some way, shape or form, then something must be up.

That’s life with kids for you. Check out more of my parenting fun with my own blog over at www.shereekim.com.

Until next time….

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girls FASHION

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BABY Dymples Baby Textured Onesie - Dusky Pink $20.00 Dymples Baby Tab Shoes - White & Pink $10.00

UNDER $15 bigw.com.au

GIRLS K-D Girls Mini Me Tiered Dress Peach $15.00 K-D Girls Slip On Ballet Flats $8.00

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UNDER $40 myer.com.au BABY Sprout Issy Knit Dress $34.95 Converse Chuck Taylor Boys Cribster Shoes $39.95

UNDER $40 myer.com.au GIRL Seed Heritage Pique Dress $39.95 Seed Heritage Panel Trainer $39.95

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BABY Ikks Navy Striped Knit Dress $107.00 Ikks Blue Glitter Crib Shoes $53.00

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GIRLS Kenzo Navy Party Flower Trapeze Dress $355.00 Young Soles Metallic Leather Boots - Francis $202.00

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boys FASHION

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BOY K-D Boys Space Dye Good Vibes Tee - Grey $7.00 K-D Boys Camo Track Pant - Blue $15.00 K-D Boys Camo Tab Shoes - Navy $12.00

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UNDER $55 myer.com.au BABY Milkshake Hooded T-Shirt Black $24.95 Old Soles Bambini Markert B $54.95

UNDER $50 myer.com.au BOYS Milkshake Hooded T-Shirt Black $24.95 Jack & Milly Cass Organic Terry Trackpants Navy $29.95 Ciao Maverick Hi Top Boys Sneakers $49.95

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Organic Cotton Nebel Baby Body Dusty Rose $38

Organic Cotton Morris Baby Body Golden Leaf $38

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Baby Verna Dress - Ivory $139

Baby Inga - Slip $149

Light Cotton Knit Jumper - Harvest Sailor Stripe $54.95

Organic Terry Leggings - Blue Surf $36

Velma Set - Praline $165

Tina Dress - Red Calico Floral $149

Organic Cotton Jumper - Steel Blue $69

Organic Cotton Chunky Corduroy Pants - Brown Sugar $65

slowthreads.com.au

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recipes sourced from: healthywa.wa.gov.au

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Delicious

Lentil Veggie Toast INSTRUCTIONS

prep time: 15 mins serves: 2 INGREDIENTS

1

lightly spray the bbq cooking plate with oil and preheat.

2

cook the finely chopped vegetables for 3-5 minutes or until tender.

3

remove the vegetables and place into a medium sized bowl. leave to cool for 3 minutes.

4

add the lentils, egg and pepper. mix well.

5

using an egg ring, cut a hole in each slice of bread. place bread on the cooking plate.

2

6

pour the egg mixture into the holes of the bread. cook for 2-3 minutes or until mixture begins to firm.turn bread over carefully and cook for another 2 minutes.

2

7

remove and place onto 2 plates.

8

top each slice of bread with parsley and grilled tomatoes.

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1 cup 1/2 cup 1

olive or canola oil spray vegetables (e.g. spinach, onion, mushroom, capsicum), finely chopped cooked lentils, drained lightly beaten freshly ground or cracked black pepper slices wholegrain bread parsley, chopped, to serve grilled tomatoes, to serve

Quick & Easy

Avocado & Feta Smash on Toast INSTRUCTIONS 1

place avocado, mint, lemon juice and pepper in small bowl and roughly mash with fork.

2

add feta and toss lightly.

3

toast bread and lightly brush each slice with oil.

4

divide avocado mixture on each slice of toast and top with tomatoes and onion and season with pepper.

prep time: 10 mins serves: 6 INGREDIENTS 2 1 tbsp tsp 6 1 tbsp 1 200g 1 3

avocados, halved, stoned and roughly chopped fresh mint or basil torn in pieces or 1 teaspoon dried basil lemon or lime juice Freshly ground pepper thick pieces of bread (rye, wholemeal or sourdough) olive oil punnet cherry tomatoes, halved reduced fat feta red onion, finely sliced shakes pepper (extra)

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Corn Noodle Cakes prep & cook time: 35 mins serves: 4 INSTRUCTIONS 1

add pasta to a medium pot of boiling water. cook for 6-8 minutes or according to packet instructions. drain then set aside to cool.

2

whisk eggs in a large bowl. season with black pepper then mix in creamed corn, corn kernels, spring onions, capsicum, coriander and pasta.

3

spray a large non-stick frypan with oil and place on medium to high heat. drop heaped tablespoons of mixture evenly spread around the pan. cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden and firm. flip noodle cake and cook until brown on reverse side. transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining mixture.

4

serve with sweet chilli sauce and salad or salsa, if desired. hint: egg rings can help mould your cakes into shape.

INGREDIENTS angel hair pasta or 100g spaghettini, broken into 5cm lengths 6 regular eggs freshly ground or cracked black pepper 400g can creamed corn can no-added-salt corn 400g kernels, drained spring onions, including 3 green tops, chopped small red capsicum, 1 seeded and diced chopped coriander, roots 1 cup removed olive or canola oil spray sweet chilli sauce, to serve homemade salsa (chopped tomatoes, chilli 1/2 cup and coriander) or one bowl of green side salad, to serve 2 tbsp

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Warm Lemon Chicken Salad prep & cook time: 45 mins serves: 4

INSTRUCTIONS 1

preheat oven to 200°c (180ºc fan forced).

2

in a small baking dish place chicken, zest and lemon juice, honey, garlic, herbs, currants and pepper. toss chicken in marinade to coat both sides then cover with a layer of lemon slices.

3

bake covered in the oven for 15-20 minutes until just cooked through and chicken juices run clear. discard herbs, remove chicken to cool and reserve pan juices.

4

place spinach leaves, carrot strips and spring onions in a large serving bowl. top with thinly sliced chicken, lemon and pan juices. serve immediately. hint: cover and refrigerate marinated chicken for as long as time permits, from 30 minutes to overnight.

INGREDIENTS

2 1 3 tsp 2 4 tbsp 1/2 cup

1 4 cup 2 4

skinned chicken breasts, skinless, trimmed of fat zest and juice of 1 lemon honey cloves garlic, crushed fresh thyme or oregano leaves currants freshly ground or cracked black pepper, to taste lemon, extra, thinly sliced baby spinach leaves (120g) medium carrots, peeled into long ribbons spring onions, finely chopped (including green tops)

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Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

prep & cook time: 30 mins serves: 6

INSTRUCTIONS

INGREDIENTS

1

mash the chickpeas and peas together in a large bowl with a fork.

1

2

with your hands, squeeze as much moisture from the grated sweet potato before adding it the bowl.

1/2 cup 1/2 cup

3

add all the other ingredients (except the oil) and mix well.

4

take a big spoonful of the mixture and roll into a ball with your hands. flatten the ball and place on a plate. repeat with the rest of the mixture.

5

heat half the oil in a large non-stick frypan. add patties to the frypan being careful not to overcrowd and allow room to turn each pattie.

6

cook for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown, then flip over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. place on a paper towel while you cook the rest of the patties.

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1/2 1 3 tbsp 1 tbsp 1 tsp 1 tsp 1 tbsp

can chickpeas, rinsed and drained frozen green peas, defrosted sweet potato, grated medium red onion, finely chopped clove garlic, crushed or finely chopped wholemeal plain flour sweet chili sauce ground cumin ground coriander seeds canola oil

Pesto Pasta Salar

prep & cook time: 15 mins serves: 4

INSTRUCTIONS

INGREDIENTS

1

cook pasta in a large saucepan according to directions on the packet. drain and rinse in cold water and set aside.

2

place bocconcini cheese, tomatoes, cucumber and celery in a large bowl. add cooled pasta, pesto sauce and pine nuts, toss to combine.

4 cups 200g 250g 2 1 med 3 tbsp 1/4 cup

cooked pasta (butterfly, shells, spirals or penne shape)* bocconcini cheese (baby mozzarella) cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lebanese cucumber, sliced unpeeled into 1 cm cubes celery stalk, finely chopped basil pesto sauce pine nuts

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Tutti Fruity Popsicles – Grape prep & freeze time: 4 hrs + serves: 4

INSTRUCTIONS 1

divide the grapes amongst 4 disposable plastic cups. if you have popsicle moulds, you may end up with more as the moulds come in varying sizes.

2

fill each cup with ½ cup of juice.

3

secure lids on moulds or insert popsicle sticks and freeze for 4-6 hours or overnight until solid.

4

stand at room temperature for a few minutes before removing from mould.

INGREDIENTS 200g seedless grapes no-added-sugar apple 200ml and blackcurrant juice

you will need ice block moulds or plastic cups and popsicle sticks for this recipe

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Fruit Berry Jellies prep & cook time : 10 mins serves: 4

INSTRUCTIONS 1

place ½ cup juice and gelatine into a 1-litre microwave safe jug. microwave on high for 1 minute to boil and dissolve gelatine.

2

mix well while pouring in remaining juice and essence.

3

divide fruit among four 250ml (1-cup) capacity serving glasses.

4

pour juice over fruit and carefully stir with a teaspoon to distribute fruit through jelly.

5

cover each glass with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight until set.

INGREDIENTS 100% unsweetened apple and blackcurrant juice 3 tsp powdered gelatine rosewater essence 1/2 tsp (optional) punnet strawberries, 250g quartered 2 cups

hint: rosewater essence is found in baking aisle of supermarket with other flavourings and vanilla. it is inexpensive and adds a subtle sophisticated ‘turkish delight’ flavour.

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