superheroes pj masks

Impersonating a superhero means learning perseverance and courage

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2 studies, 2 views on the impact of superheroes over kids   There are 2 primary studies that looked into the development impact of superheroes on kids: The 1st study suggest that parents may need to help their preschool children filter the messages arising from superhero media in order to minimize aggressive behavior outcomes and promote defending gestures on behalf of their most vulnerable peers. The batman effect study proves that positive effect is an active cognitive strategy that moves us forward with confidence as we stay in the stressful situation but with our alter-ego leading the charge: adopting an alter ego can also help children concentrate on a complex card game, in which they had to follow complex rules that kept on changing.   Sailor Moon was my superhero obsession when I was a kid. Back in the day, all my friends had a favourite superhero to impersonate when we were playing together mimicking the cartoon. It was non-violent fun and games. I don’t recall any bad scenes while playing and mimicking Sailor Moon (maybe that more girls wanted to be “the Sailor Moon” at the same time”). via GIPHY Fast forward to 2022, Bianca, my 3 years old toddler, loves PJ Masks. They are 3 superheroes for the little ones: by day, they go to school like all the other kids their age. By night, this brave band of heroes dons their magic pyjamas, and sets out to face fiendish villains to stop them messing with your day! I read in this study that “Kids pick up on the aggressive themes and not the defending ones.” and I panicked a bit. 5 min later I realised that: I was Sailor Moon and I “punished” evil forces in the name of the moon. So, maybe the truth lies somewhere in between. As I am a true believer that “All models are wrong, but some are useful“, I look deeper into the matter: The Batman effect study investigated the benefits of self-distancing on young children’s perseverance: 180 four- and six-year-old children were asked to complete a repetitive task for 10 minutes while having the option to take breaks by playing an extremely attractive video game. Six-year-olds persevered longer than four-year-olds. Nonetheless, across both ages, children who impersonated an exemplar other – in this case, a character, such as Batman—spent the most time working, followed by children who took a third-person perspective on the self, or finally, a first-person perspective. Alternative explanations, implications, and future research directions are discussed. Results [wpdatachart id=1] The results of the study were analyzed by applying Analysis Of Variance ( ANOVA ) on the percentage of time on a task and comparing the 3 groups: self-immersed, 3rd person, and exemplar. ANOVA is normally used to analyze experimental studies. Analysis of Variance is a generalization of the hypothesis test for equality of means. Here, you have multiple populations, and you want to see if any of the population means are different from the other means. That means that the null hypothesis is that ALL the population means are equal to each other. The alternative hypothesis is that at least two of the means are not equal. Across both ages, children who impersonated an exemplar other – in this case a character, such as Batman—spent the most time working, followed by children who took a third-person perspective on the self, or finally, a first-person perspective. Interesting, right? Another article investigated the matter and concluded that some studies measure with low facts that boys are more impacted , others that there might be positive effects.   (Note: I participate in the affiliate amazon program. This post may contain affiliate links from Amazon or other publishers I trust (at no extra cost to you). I may receive a small commission when you buy using my links, this helps to keep the blog alive! See disclosure for details.) Do you want to understand the basic concepts of statistics? Get this book: If you want to design and analyze your own experiments, then get this one: My view on this I like superheroes and I like to think that they can be 100% beneficial for kids… On the other hand, I saw plenty of almost-violent toddlers at the playground and none were wearing a cape. The parents should stop the aggressiveness. What I personally take away from this study, is that a toddler needs more clarification about what a superhero is.  Superhero stories are often complex, but preschoolers may not fully understand the complexities behind the violence or aggression they witness. Superheroes represent the good, so it’s handy to explain the opposite of bad :). Exposure to superheroes ( and screen time)  should be allowed in moderation. We should not be afraid of one single study. Kids’ personalities will give the general trend: if a toddler expressed aggressiveness, then yes, maybe exposure to superheroes is something negative for that kid. If your child’s aggressive acts are frequent and severe, or your efforts to curb them have no effect, you’ll need to consult your pediatrician or a trained mental health professional, such as a child psychologist or psychiatrist.   My summary on this is that we all need a superhero in our lives…   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Sailor Moon Memes (@sailormoon.memes)   If you suffer from Sailor Moon nostalgia, you can get something on Amazon. Bianca has the 3 PJ Masks costumes, the watch, and another amulet. She loves them all…   This is a personal blog. My opinion on what I share with you is that “All models are wrong, but some are useful”. Improve the accuracy of any model I present and make it useful!

toddler indoor activities 2 year old

Indoor toddler activities for a 2 year old

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In this post I am listing the scientific benefits of spending time outdoors and why it’s a good thing for both kids and adults. Now, I’ll write about how indoors can also be fun and educational for toddlers. When indoors, we have to be careful with the amount of screentime a toddler is exposed to. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages media use by children younger than 2 and recommends limiting older children’s screen time to no more than one or two hours a day. (More on this here). When she has to stay indoors all day, Bianca, my eldest ( 2 years and 9 months today), has the below schedule: wakes up around 8 has breakfast at 9 morning activity ( cooking, painting) at 10 snack around 10:30 dancing at 11 independent play while mum prepares lunch 12 lunch time around 12:30 nap time 13-15 (1.5 hr – 2 hr) evening activities / English cartoons ( Romanian is her first language, but she knows plenty English words from books and cartoons) around 15:30 snack time at 16:00 independent play ( sensory activities: she likes water a lot) / crafts with mum at 17 dinner around 18 independent play at 19 bath time at  20 bedtime routine (reading 2/3 books and practicing English) at 20:30 bedtime between 20:30 and 21:00   Below, I have posted some videos and pics to show our indoor activities. They are super fun, but independent play is key! You should encourage your toddler to play by themselves daily ( in an incremental manner). They also need to explore the world with their tiny eyes. Make sure you give them toys age appropriate, so it won’t get dangerous, boring or frustrating when they play by themselves.   (Note: I participate in the affiliate amazon program. This post may contain affiliate links from Amazon or other publishers I trust (at no extra cost to you). I may receive a small commission when you buy using my links, this helps to keep the blog alive! See disclosure for details.)   Indoor Toddler Activity 1 – Cooking:   Our kitchen helpers: Little helper learning tower The perfect multi food processor, Bosch MUM   Indoor Toddler Activity 2 – Painting:  Toddler painting set    Indoor Toddler Activity 3 – Crafts: One of my few hobbies is creating interior design pieces with paint and lichen / moss. Bianca helps me and really enjoys the activity. I’ll create a separate post on it, but I’ll drop below some pics and what you need if you want to try it at home: lichen & moss glue gun and sticks acrylic paint paint brush set   Indoor Toddler Activity 4- Sensory activities: This is a personal blog. My opinion on what I share with you is that “All models are wrong, but some are useful”. Improve the accuracy of any model I present and make it useful!

ourdoors Ireland waterfall

Scientific Benefits of Spending Time Outdoors

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Spending time outdoors is beneficial for everyone. We hear this more and more, but what are the scientific facts behind this statement? I’ve broken up the topic into 3 sections, so you’ll see how outdoor activities positively impact our babies, toddlers and ourselves by encouraging healthy development and critical thinking skills and more. Outdoor time for babies   In Scandinavian countries, babies get at least 2 hours of outdoor time. Nordic babies are exposed to sleeping in the stroller even when the weather is not perfect (perfect = negative temperature). The Nordic perspective on this is that one sleeps better while in the cold. Sleep consultants agree that when indoors we should have our babies sleep in 68 F – 70 F / 20 C -21 C (which might be considered cold for adults), but they won’t adhere to the idea of letting a baby sleep in the stroller. Motion sleep is compared to junk food and even called “junk sleep”. I personally think that sleep should be protected as much as possible and it should happen mostly in the bed. However, it’s OK for your baby to have a cat nap in the stroller, so the baby will have a quick recharge and get some natural vitamin D every now and then. (Note: I participate in the affiliate amazon program. This post may contain affiliate links from Amazon or other publishers I trust (at no extra cost to you). I may receive a small commission when you buy using my links, this helps to keep the blog alive! See disclosure for details.) Taking Your Baby Out for the First Time Getting outdoors with babies can be overwhelming for first time parents. On top of worrying about all the possible scenarios when your baby might fuss or even constantly cry, you’ll also concern yourself about forgetting to bring with you all the “crucial” baby stuff.  Once you’ve repeated the outdoor activities a number of times, it will become the norm. Make sure you pack once and “refresh the stock” weekly: one full outfit change (for explosive poo – this will end up around 6 months of age, or when your baby will start solids); 3-4 diapers, disposable bags,  cream, wet tissues, dry tissues; a travel baby changing pad; a blanket; formula ( if necessary); after solids are introduced, also get water and a baby food refillable pouch. Also important for outdoors activities is the right stroller. There’re so many strollers in the market. We decided over Baby Jogger Stroller with a universal platform (glider). The girls love it:     Outdoor time for toddlers   We acknowledge more and more the importance of outdoor time, but we spend less time playing outside. An UK study concluded that children spend half the time playing outside in comparison to their parents. Harvard experts researched 6 reasons why children need to play outside: Sunshine Exercise Executive function; These are the skills that help us plan, prioritize, troubleshoot, negotiate, and multitask; Taking risks Socialization Appreciation of nature I recently read an Irish article related to The Benefits of Outdoor Play and I really liked how it’s emphasized that children need to learn how to take calculated risk and that parents shouldn’t set too many limits to children’s adventurous play.  They need substantial amount of time outside to boost their creativity, self-confidence, social skills and ability to concentrate. Going outside with toddlers is not too complicated. You just need a bottle of water, napkins, disinfectant, a healthy snack, a small toy and a bit of cooperation. At this age, they might be difficult to convince to get out and then even more difficult to get them back home. Outdoor time for adults Adults also benefit from spending time outdoors. There is a study showing that it takes as little as 2 hours per week spent outdoors for a healthier and happier life. It gives us the chance to absorb some natural vitamin D by walking in the sun for 15-20 minutes a day (maybe a bit longer during the winter time).  I also stumbled upon a study on the relations between sleep, time of physical activity, and time outdoors among adult women. It’s quite interesting how they concluded that the morning time spend outdoors is a stronger predictor of sleep efficiency (as opposed to evening). Therefore, we should get into the habit of spending at least 15 min daily (in the morning) outdoors. This will improve our health and sleep! This is a personal blog. My opinion on what I share with you is that “All models are wrong, but some are useful”. Improve the accuracy of any model I present and make it useful!

toddler s first haircut

First time haircut while Terrible Two-ing

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I’ve been dreading the first haircut – now it’s too late. Bianca is 2 years and 9 months old and very active. She likes having her hair long ( like Elsa from Frozen) but desperately needs a haircut so the hair stays out of her eyes. Today it was mummy’s salon day, so I used the occasion to thick another box: Bianca’s first haircut Last week was a disaster. She’s halfway through the terrible twos and cries very often. So… she cried when the hairdresser touched her hair. There is no general recommendation related to the first haircut age. Still, you’ll find on the internet that most kids have their first haircut between 6 months and 2 years old.   Bianca’s hair grew very slowly.  See below a hair growth timeline from 6 months old to today: Today was a haircut win. Mummy’s stylist helped a lot. Vera has 3 kids and a lot of of experience, the little car helped as well :-)) The haircut took less than 5 mins, but for me it felt like an eternity. Like all new toddler experiences, parents are more nervous than necessary. We should have faith that everything is going to be OK and trust our kids more.   (Note: I participate in the affiliate amazon program. This post may contain affiliate links from Amazon or other publishers I trust (at no extra cost to you). I may receive a small commission when you buy using my links, this helps to keep the blog alive! See disclosure for details.)   While you’re struggling with toddler haircut, you can try some hair accessories. They’re so precious: Bianca loves Peppa pig, Minnie Mouse and Frozen. Toddler haircare When Bianca was a baby, we would have washed her hair at every wash. When she was 1 yo, I washed her hair every second wash and now it’s every 5 days. Shampoo wise, we’re using Bioderma ABCDerm from birth. When is it the time to move to something else? What are you guys using for your toddlers? Terrible twos are difficult, but kids are delicious at this age: I love her so much!     This is a personal blog. My opinion on what I share with you is that “All models are wrong, but some are useful”. Improve the accuracy of any model I present and make it useful!

baby guides toddler

All models are wrong, but some are useful. A repository of baby guides

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Famous aphorism, which originates from 1976, was mentioned by George Box when referring to statistical models. I find “All models are wrong, but some are useful” to be applicable to all the models in our lives, but especially to how we’re supposed to raise our kids. Internet is full nowadays of guides about everything you need to know to raise a child. You’ll find in this article the most important mental and physical baby/toddler development info, so bookmark this page! (Note: I participate in the affiliate amazon program. This post may contain affiliate links from Amazon or other publishers I trust (at no extra cost to you). I may receive a small commission when you buy using my links, this helps to keep the blog alive! See disclosure for details.)   Understanding Growth Standards for Children   The WHO Child Growth Standards were developed using data collected in the WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study by the World Health Organisation. The site presents documentation on how the physical growth curves and motor milestone windows of achievement were developed as well as application tools to support implementation of the standards. The below growth curves can guide you in the first 2 years of age:   Tracking Your Child’s First Major Gross Motor Milestones   As a first time parent I was concerned about how soon my baby girl managed to achieve the major motor milestones. The below chart sums up a comprehensive study by the World Health Organization. You’ll see that the windows of achievement are wide, there is no reason to be concerned if your baby is inside the window. Reference: WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study Group. WHO Motor Development Study: Windows of achievement for six gross motor development milestones. Acta Paediatrica Supplement 2006;450:86-95.   Tracking Mental Development Milestones in Children   I’ve mapped below the first 3 years of mental development milestones based on 3 famous books: The Wonder Weeks: A Stress-Free Guide to Your Baby’s Behavior Misbehavior is Growth: An Observant Parent’s Guide to the Toddler Years Misbehavior is Growth: An Observant Parent’s Guide to Three Year Olds      The Wonder Weeks: 10 major, predictable, age-linked changes – or leaps – during their first 20 months of babies’ lives: Below is what Amber Domoradzki observed as childhood developmental stages: Creating a Healthy Sleep Schedule for Your Baby   I really like how Dr Marc Weissbluth advises In his book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, 5th Edition: A New Step-by-Step Guide for a Good Night’s Sleep to “watch your child, not the clock”, but still tells you to try and stick to a sleep schedule. A schedule will help you obtain healthy sleep patterns. You’ll baby will give you signs when she/he will be ready to have the sleep schedule adjusted. I shared my experiences with sleep training in this article: https://thebabydatascientist.com/2-successful-sleep-training-methods-to-try/   Navigating Sleep Regressions in Infants and Toddlers   Sleep regressions; I’m not sure how real they are, but be aware that they might happen: A Step-by-Step Guide to Introducing Solids to Your Baby’s Diet Introducing solids: the cheatsheet of baby food by months. You’ll find details in this article: https://thebabydatascientist.com/introducing-solids-the-cheatsheet/ Immunization Schedule for Children 0-15 months old:   Find below immunization recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for Ages 15 months old and younger . Some countries might provide the below vaccines for free based on the national vaccination schema:   Encouraging Independent Play in Children   Solo play is encouraged and beneficial, but how long can our babies / toddlers play by themselves? at 6 months up to 5 minutes at 12 months 10 to 15 minutes at 18 months up to 20 minutes at 24 months up to 30 minutes A full article on this here: https://thebabydatascientist.com/independent-play-6-to-24-months/   OMG Are they all wrong? Well yes, it will not be 100% applicable to your child. Still, they’re useful. It’s reassuring to know what to expect and that difficult periods are normal.