A collection of sample essays on parenting and children’s health

There is no one-size-fits-all standard answer. All methods must be adapted to the individual characteristics of the child. The priority order is always "emotional health > physical status > developmental indicators". Don't be kidnapped by standardized data, and don't blindly follow Internet celebrity plans.

To be honest, the biggest pitfall I encountered in the past two years was excessive medical treatment. My best friend's baby ran to the hospital every time he coughed when he was 3 years old. He asked the doctor to prescribe antibiotics and nebulize him every time, for fear that it would lead to pneumonia. Later, when he went to the evidence-based clinic of the Children's Hospital for consultation, he learned that 90% of common upper respiratory tract infections are caused by viruses, and antibiotics are useless. As long as there is no shortness of breath, lethargy, or high fever for more than 3 days, he can spray his nose with saline at home and drink plenty of warm electrolyte water, and he can heal on his own in about a week. Of course, I have to say it here. There are two schools of thought on the Internet. One school says that "bearing it hard can build immunity", and the other school says "if something goes wrong, take medication immediately to avoid aggravation." In fact, both of them have gone to extremes. My child got the flu last winter. His fever reached 39 degrees, but he was still energetic enough to play with building blocks. I didn't rush to the hospital. I took Motrin according to the dosage, and the fever went away on the third day. ； But last month he was coughing and wheezing and wouldn't even touch his favorite strawberry. I took him to the hospital that same day and was diagnosed with mild bronchitis. He took the medicine as prescribed and got better in three days. Observing the child's mental state is always more useful than focusing on values ​​such as body temperature and number of coughs.

As for feeding, I had an argument with my mother no less than three times over supplementary food. The Internet either says that you should strictly follow the order of "high-iron rice noodles - root vegetable puree - leafy vegetables - meat puree", and eat one kind for three days to eliminate allergies, or say that BLW can eat independently, free your hands, and can also exercise fine motor skills. I tried both. In the first week, I gave my baby steamed broccoli and carrot sticks for him to grab. The dining chair, the floor, and his face were all covered with food residue. My mother stood nearby and scolded me for "letting the kid play around and not get enough to eat." Later, I gave in to one of them and gave him 10 minutes at noon for him to grab. He played with food and fed him rice cereal mixed with pureed meat and vegetables at night, which neither hindered his fine motor skills nor hindered his growth and development. The child care doctor smiled and said that as long as the amount of milk is sufficient and the variety of complementary foods is rich enough, he can be fed any way, and there is no need to worry about the form. There is also the controversy over supplements. I followed the trend and bought a bunch of DHA, Calcium, Iron and Zinc Oral Liquid, and Lutein Gummies for less than 2,000. Later, when I was on child care, the doctor calculated that my baby drank 500ml of pure milk every day and did not choose eggs, meat or vegetables. Except for the daily supplement of 400IU of vitamin D3, everything else was IQ tax. The pile of supplements ended up expired, and I had a lot of pain in my body when I threw them away.

In the past, I always thought that "healthy" meant not getting sick and having a healthy height and weight. Until last year, when my son entered kindergarten, he would wake up and cry every day. He was also wilting when I picked him up. I lost two pounds in half a month. I thought it was a zinc deficiency, so I took him to the hospital to check for trace elements. I was asked to pick him up in the future and stop asking "What did he eat today?"

While walking in the community last week, I heard several mothers chatting together, saying that their babies were 2 centimeters shorter than the WHO height standard, and they were planning to save money for growth hormone injections. I went home and looked at the baby's growth curve for a long time. Although it was a little lower than the average, it has been growing since birth. It has been growing at a constant rate. I asked my cousin who is a pediatrician and she said that as long as the growth curve is within the range of 3% to 97%, it is completely normal to grow 5-7 centimeters per year. Indiscriminate use of growth hormone will cause the epiphysis to close prematurely, and in the end it will not grow taller. In fact, is there any unified standard line for raising children? Babies with allergies are inherently more difficult to raise than strong babies, and slow-warming babies are slower to adapt to kindergarten than outgoing babies. There is no need to use other people's templates to impose on your own children.

These are my experiences in raising children for 5 years, after going through countless pitfalls, asking seven or eight pediatricians, and chatting with 20 or 30 mothers. I cannot say that they are a "complete guide", they are all based on real experiences. If you are very panicked when you become a new parent, don’t watch too many short videos that create anxiety. Squat down more often and check your baby’s condition. If he is willing to eat, play, and be happy every day, it will be more reliable than any other development indicators.