Dutch babies laugh and like to cuddle more than American ones: research

DutchNews.nl, January 29, 2015

Dutch babies laugh, smile and like to cuddle more than their American counterparts, new research by psychologists in the US has found. 

The study examining temperamental differences between US and Dutch babies found infants born in the Netherlands are more likely to be happy and easier to soothe in the latter half of their first year, the Washington State University researchers said. 

US infants, on the other hand, were more active and vocal, said study co-author Maria Gartstein in a press release. 

The results in many ways reflect American and Dutch parents’ unique cultural values, the researchers said. 

American parents often ‘emphasise the importance of stimulation, exposing their children to a wide variety of new experiences to promote independence’. However, in the Netherlands, parents ‘are more likely to incorporate children into daily activities at home, placing strong value on the importance of rest and regularity’. 

A greater understanding of these values and the impact they have on an infant’s temperament will help psychologists fine-tune ways to prevent infant temperament issues from becoming behavioral problems later in life, the researchers said. 

More on this

Related Article:

Kryon Q&A

Question: I’ve been working with young children for many years as a first- and second-grade teacher near Toronto, Canada. I have yet to clearly see any of the characteristics attributed to the Indigo Children. Is it possible that Indigo behavior manifests differently nearer the Poles?

Answer: Dear one, this is indeed so. The energy of magnetics is very different in certain colder areas near the Poles, and we have indicated this in past channellings. In addition, your area is magnetically different—even from the western areas of your own country. All of this changes the potential consciousness of Humans, should they wish to give intent for it. Do you think it’s a coincidence that the equator carries such a dark potential in so many areas of Humanity? There hasn’t been much Human thought on this. 

You have Indigos in your classes, but what is different is that the area where you live is more attuned for the parents to know how to intuitively raise them. Remember the axiom of the Indigo: Their seemingly difficult behavior patterns are in direct relationship to their home and school environments. Indigos are not difficult when they are honored and given choice. You do this intuitively in your classroom, and many around you are also doing it at home. This is not the case a few hundred kilometers below you, or even west of you, and the mainstream news reports bear this out.

Blessed are those who are passionate for the children of Earth, for they understand that they are children as well.

Parenting the Stone Age Way

Jakarta Globe, Nur Dianah Suhaimi - Straits Times Indonesia, May 22, 2011

Imagine what parenting must have been like during the dawn of civilization.

Women gave birth in their caves, surrounded by family members instead of nurses and doctors.

Their babies drank breast milk. There was no such thing as formula milk then. Nor were there milk bottles or pacifiers.

Mothers put their babies to sleep beside them. They didn't have prettily decorated nurseries.

During the day, mothers strapped their babies to their chest likely with a piece of pelt and held them close as they went about milking the goats or cooking dinner.

They cared for their babies without parenting manuals to tell them what to do. They followed their instincts, tried their best to read their baby's cues and respond to them accordingly.

Since Day 1, human beings have been programmed to care for their babies in this manner. That is until some time 100 years ago.

Something strange happened then, especially in the West.

Children who were breastfed for more than two years were deemed needy. Mothers who brought their babes into the family bed were chastised for spoiling them. Babies were expected to spend hours in baby cots and strollers instead of in their mother's arms.

I believe that was a tragic time for human babies, when parents abandoned their instincts and succumbed instead to unreasonable societal expectations.

Until today, many parents try to program their babies to function in a certain way: drink milk once every four hours, sleep alone in a baby cot and self-soothe.

It is done because such a regimen is convenient for the parents. But each baby has its own rhythm and cycle.

Diann Bustamante, director of Parentlink, which conducts natural childbirth classes and provides other related services, observed: 'Some parents are devastated when their babies do not fit into a prescribed cycle. They think there is something wrong with the baby.'

But for some years now, parents are discovering the wisdom of stone-age parenting.

Some call this trend natural parenting while others call it attachment parenting. But it is usually one and the same.

It basically recognizes that human beings are meant to rear their young in pretty much the same way as child-carrying animals such as kangaroos, koalas and most monkey species.

The young of these animals stay close to their mothers because they need continuous feeding and attention.

They cry to remind their mothers when they need to be fed, to be carried or to be cuddled to sleep. Even when they are bigger, they stay close to their mothers for some time before becoming truly independent.

I first learned about natural parenting when I was pregnant, and to me, it sounded just like the right thing to do.

When my baby was born, everything just fell into place. She was a high-needs baby and wanted to nurse all the time. So I kept her close to me in a sling during the day. At night, she slept beside me on my bed. When she cried, I held her close.

Some people find it strange that I sleep with my baby and carry her all the time. They say I am spoiling my baby.

But after you've had a baby inside you for nine months, it doesn't seem right to put her anywhere else but in your arms.

Of course, there is a lot more to natural parenting than breastfeeding, co-sleeping and babywearing.

Some parents, recognizing that disposable nappies contain chemicals, choose the gentler option of cloth nappies for their children.

Others prefer their babies to go nappy-less. Instead, they read their babies' cues and take them to the potty instead.

Some parents prefer to eat organic food only and spend as much time in the great outdoors as possible. Then there are those who go on to homeschool their children because they feel it is a natural progression.

But natural parenting is not a prescribed package, explained Rita Kusumadi, the owner of local cloth nappy boutique Bumwear.

'While parents who use cloth nappies tend to be the ones who also practice extended breastfeeding and babywearing, you don't have to do everything. You can pick and choose to suit your lifestyle and needs,' she said.

Two weeks ago, I mentioned in a column here that I was teaching my six-month-old how to signal when she needs the potty. For the next week or so after it was published, I was inundated by e-mail messages from excited mothers who asked me about this method of toilet training.

I explained that this practice, called Elimination Communication, is not about toilet training the baby. It is about training us, the adults, to read the baby's signals to use the potty and responding to them.

To me, that is how parenting should be, and not just when my baby needs the potty. It's about meeting your baby's needs and responding to them in the best way possible.

A baby, who knows that she is loved and her needs are met and responded to, will naturally be an easier child to handle.

Here in Singapore, I must admit that practicing natural parenting has its challenges.

I find there to be a lot of societal pressure to have the baby kept away from its parents, especially by the older generation.

When I carry my child often, I am told I am spoiling her. When I breastfeed her, I am told to wean her off soon or if not she will demand to be breastfed until age 12. When I co-sleep, I am told my baby will grow up needy and dependent. When I teach my baby sign language, I am told I will impede her speech development.

After a while, I got tired of explaining why I do things the way I do. Plus, I realized that explaining the concept of natural parenting often made me sound like a wannabe hippie.

So my answer to pragmatic Singaporeans is: I breastfeed because formula milk is expensive. I put my baby to sleep beside me because I am too lazy to walk out of bed at night to feed her. I put her on the potty from such a young age because my baby develops rashes when she wears disposable nappies. And I teach her sign language because it's fun.

I wish I could tell them I simply parent by my instincts, the way animals care for their young and the way humans cared for their young when there were no parenting manuals, strollers or milk bottles. 

Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 021 2553 5055

Parents Abandon Baby With Deformed Lips

Jakarta Globe, March 24, 2010

A newly born baby was allegedly abandoned by his parents in Tangerang, Banten because they were embarrassed by his deformed lips.

Local residents told SCTV they saved the baby after the couple threw him on the ground. The parents then rode off on a motorbike.

“When we saw the baby, we tried to chase them but they were so fast,” said a local named Darti.

The baby was taken to Tangerang General Hospital for treatment. He was fed through a tube because he cannot suckle.

Hospital spokesman Dr Ahmad Muchlis said the hospital would take care of the baby until his parents are found, and no bill would be charged.

Teluknaga Police are investigating and will notify the Social Office about the abandoned baby.

Lip deformities are usually the result of cleft lip or cleft palate. They are highly treatable with surgery, especially early in life.

JG

Indonesian schoolboy cleared of bee sting 'abuse'

BBC News,

The boy allegedly put the bee on to his classmate's cheek

An Indonesian schoolboy who was facing "serious abuse" charges for causing a bee to sting a classmate has been cleared by a court, reports say.

The boy, believed to be about nine years old, had allegedly placed the bee on a girl's face where it stung her.

Her parents reported him to the police who arrested him. He faced up to three years in prison.

But the judge said the case was about "normal children's naughtiness" and should never had reached court.

"It could have been settled amicably by the school and the parents involved," judge Sutriadi Yahya was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

Mr Yahya said the boy had been acquitted of all charges and the court would "leave it to the parents to guide him".

The boy's mother, Any Sulistyowati, wept as the verdict was read out, said AFP.

"We're satisfied with the judge's decision. We will look after our child properly," she said.

The Jakarta Post said the girl's parents were angry that she was being teased at school and had wanted to make an example of the boy.

Children in Indonesia are tried as adults from the age of eight, but there are calls for the age to be raised to 12.

Juveniles who are given prison sentences usually serve their term in adult jails, contrary to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Indonesia is a signatory.

In 2009, a group of 10 boys who worked as shoe shiners were accused of gambling while waiting for customers in the capital, Jakarta.

They were found guilty and faced five years in prison, but were returned to their parents' care after a public outcry.

Related Article:

Awkward trial

The Jakarta Post | Mon, 02/01/2010 7:07 PM

A third-grader of Dr. Sutomo elementary school sits between his parents in a trial to receive a sentence. He was accused guilty for putting a bee on his classmate's cheek, causing it swell. The judge's verdict was that the 9-year-old boy was innocent. (JP/Indra Harsaputra)

Government Refuses to Reveal Brand of Milk with Bacteria

Wednesday, 05 March, 2008 | 18:29 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The government still will not reveal the brand of milk contaminated by Enterobacterer Sakazakii bacteria.

This is because the milk researched by the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) was milk produced in 2003 that is no longer in the market.

“I don't think this is necessary because it wouldn’t be fair on the milk producer, and it could make it difficult for people to obtain milk”, said the Minister of Health, Siti Fadilah Supari, at the Presidential office yesterday (4/3).

She was responding to the requirement of Seto Mulyadi, head of the National Commission on Children’s Protection (KPAI), for government to reveal the milk suspected to be assumed contaminated by Enterobacterer Sakazakii bacteria.

Regarding the commission's warning to sue the government for concealing the milk brand, Siti would only say, “I don't know”.

During a meeting with the Health Commission of the House of Representatives (DPR), the Association of Indonesian Veterinarians complained that the IPB research team –a team of veterinarians–did not have the right to research powdered milk and food for babies because veterinary science is related to diseases in animals and food for animals.

“There are 156 kinds of Zoonosi disease that can be transferred from animals to humans and visa versa,” said Wiwiek Bagja, Chairperson of Association of Indonesian Veterinarian in the meeting led by Ribka Tjiptaning, the commission head from the of Indonesian Democratic Party faction.

Bagja said he regretted there was suspicion of commercial or political interest in the research when it should be examined objectively and appreciated as a way to provide more protection to consumers.

Dr. Mangku Sitepu, a veterinarian, whose diploma is in milk hygienic from Denmark, mentioned during the same forum that only 40 babies in the entire world had ever been infected by Enteroboacterer Sakazakii bacteria.

“And these were babies born prematurely, under weight or from an HIV-infected mother”, said Sitepu, a member of the National Bird Flu Commission.

FANNY FEBIANA | Aqida Swamurti | Sudrajat

Child abuse on the rise in RI: Commission

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The National Commission for Child Protection has predicted the number of cases of violence against children will increase next year in line with mounting socio-economic pressure aggravated by traditional misperceptions about child rearing.

"As long as parents are still coping with economic difficulties, children will become victims," deputy chairman of the commission, Muhammad Joni, told reporters while presenting a year-end evaluation report Friday.

He dismissed government claims that the economic situation had been improving and that people would enjoy greater prosperity next year.

The government estimates that gross domestic product (GDP) for 2008 will be up 6.8 percent, inflation will down 6 percent and unemployment rates will drop to 8 or 9 percent, all reflecting another step toward economic recovery.

"The government keeps telling us that things are better now and will be so next year as well. But just take a look at the people in your surroundings, are their lives really improving," he said.

During 2007, the commission received 1,520 complaints of physical, sexual and psychological abuse of children, up from 1,124 in 2006 and 736 in 2005.

Besides this increase, the commission cited another worrying trend. Whereas in 2005 most of the victims were abused by strangers, this year 60 percent of the reported cases involved people the children knew well, including parents, teachers and neighbors.

With child abuse on the rise, Joni urged the government to go beyond ceremonial awareness-raising campaigns and attempt to stop violence against children.

"The major concern about child abuse right now is the fact that parents release economic-related stress on their children," he said. "To stop violence against children means improving people's welfare."

Joni added that efforts, such as providing education and health assistance to children from low income families, could serve to protect children.

Addressing the same forum, head of the commission, Seto Mulyadi, said the government should replace jargon with an emphasis on educating parents on children's issues.

"Violence against children is also related to cultural misperceptions about raising children that are assimilated by parents from tradition," he said. "Parents tend to dictate their children's lives as if they were property. They neglect the fact that children are unique individuals."

He said unless the government intervened in the raising of children, the country could only expect to see a higher number of abuse cases in coming years.

Expressing similar concerns, secretary general of the commission, Arist Merdeka Sirait, said the government had yet to make a concerted effort to handle child abuse cases.

He said the government apparently considered conviction of perpetrators a complete remedy to child abuse.

"There must be a thorough handling of child abuse problems. The government must build crisis centers to help abused children recover and enforce the 2002 Child Protection Law in trials of perpetrators."

He said the 2002 law provided for longer sentences than the Criminal Code, although the Code was more often used by judges in trying abuse cases. (lln)

Parents ignore doctors and take home H5N1-infected toddler from hospital

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Parents of a Tangerang toddler confirmed to have been infected with avian influenza forced the hospital Wednesday to discharge their child, the hospital director said.

Sardikin Giriputro of Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital said there was nothing the hospital could do because the parents of the three-year-old boy insisted on taking their child home.

"The boy is recovering but is still receiving treatment for the (avian influenza) infection," Sardikin said as quoted by news portal Tempointeraktif.

The hospital, Sardikin said, had immediately contacted Tangerang Health Agency and a health clinic near the boy's house that will keep monitoring him and take necessary measures to ensure his recovery.

"We also have a team that can be alerted at anytime to back up the local agency and the clinic," he said.

The boy is a resident of Suka Asih village in Pasar Kemis, Tangerang. He reportedly suffered a high fever on Oct. 22 and was later admitted to the hospital.

Yuliah Iskandar, a local health official, said Tuesday a field examination and interview found the boy's family had raised chickens in their backyard that had recently died from an unknown illness.

A team of officials tasked with finding the source of the H5N1 virus have examined blood samples from 20 people who had recent contact with the boy.

The boy's father, Ahmad, who works as scrap metal trader, declined to be interviewed by journalists.

Darman, a member of staff at the nearby health clinic, confirmed Ahmad had taken his son home from the hospital.

"They believe their son is recovered, so there is no need to keep him longer at the hospital," he said.

"We will monitor the boy's condition closely for at least two weeks."

The H5N1 virus killed two children in Tangerang in October; a 13-year-old boy, who died on Oct. 13 and a four-year-old girl, who died on Oct. 22.

Nationwide, there have been 110 confirmed cases of bird flu in humans, 87 of which have been fatal.