05:07 pm New Delhi: It is always fun to have some outdoor time with children, but ensuring that they are safe from the sun is very important, say experts. Rajesh Vohra, CEO - Artsana India, in assistance with Chicco Baby Research Center, shared some tips: * Apply sunscreen: Make the usage of a sunscreen a must before stepping out. Your toddler's skin is sensitive and needs attention, especially during the peak summer. A layer of protection against UVA, UVB and infrared rays on toddler's skin should be the agenda. Look for features like broad spectrum, water resistant and easy to apply. * Sunglasses: Try to protect your baby's eyes and skin from direct exposure of sun. It is essential to make sure that your baby wears sunglasses. * Wear protective clothing: Find wide-brimmed hats, full-sleeved clothes with comfortable fabric. * Seek shade in extreme sunlight: Whenever the sun is at its peak and temperature is high, it's good to keep babies in the shade to avoid sunburn. Sharmila K, Senior Consultant Neonatologist and Pediatrician, Apollo Cradle Jubilee Hills, suggested: * Prickly Heat: The most common skin problem an infant can get because of clogging of skin pores and accumulation of sweat. These can be controlled by frequent application of lotions such as calamine or a moisturiser, especially on the skin folds, like neck, thighs, groom area behind knees and elbows. * Sunburns: Any child over 6 months with sensitive skin needs proper sun protection. Infants are recommended to stay indoors. Older kids (1-5) should have sunscreen applied at regular intervals and use of hats and shades should be encouraged. * Dehydration: While breastfed babies are safe due to intake of mother's milk, infants who are formula fed or have started consuming food must be given extra water after food. To avoid dehydration, they can be fed the fruits with high water content like watermelon and oranges at regular intervals. * Fevers: Fevers are most common in newborns during summer. Over-wrapping them should be avoided and they should be clothed loosely. When you notice a temperature rise in the kids, give them a bath. This cools the baby immediately. * Diarrhoea: Loose motions in exclusively breastfed baby is uncommon. Babies who are fed food or water are more prone to stomach infections. If there is blood in stools, visit the doctor immediately as it might be dysentery and would need antibiotics.

05:07 pm Toronto: High school students who take music courses score significantly better in exams than their non-musical peers, says a study. For the study published in The Journal of Educational Psychology, researchers examined over one lakh students in public schools in British Columbia, Canada. "Students who learned to play a musical instrument not only scored significantly higher but were about one academic year ahead of their non-music peers with regard to their English, Mathematics and Science skills, regardless of their socioeconomic background, ethnicity, and gender," said Peter Gouzouasis, Professor at the University of British Columbia. The research team also found that predictive relationship between music education and academic achievement were more pronounced for those who took instrumental music rather than vocal music. The findings suggest skills learned in instrumental music transfer very broadly to the students' learning in school. "A student has to learn to read music notation, develop eye-hand-mind coordination, develop keen listening skills, develop team skills for playing in an ensemble and develop discipline to practice... all these experiences play a role in enhancing the learner's cognitive capacities, executive functions, motivation to learn in school, and self-efficacy," said study co-author Martin Guhn, Assistant Professor at the varsity.  

05:07 pm Madrid: Parents, please take a note. Researchers have found that trolley bags are better than backpacks for schoolkids for their movement and body posture. They also suggest that children should not carry over 20 per cent of their body weight in their backpack trolleys as it hampers their movement. For the study published in the journal Applied Ergonomics, researchers from the University of Granada and Liverpool John Moores University assessed 49 primary school pupils from Spain. In Spain, more than 40 per cent of the children use trolley backpacks, and until now there have been no studies making weight recommendations for this type of backpack, said researchers. For the study, a kinematic analysis of the children (posture of the trunk and lower limbs) was conducted while they walked freely; carrying no weight; carrying a traditional backpack; and while pulling a backpack trolley with different loads (10 per cent, 15 per cent and 20 per cent of their respective body weights). It was found that pulling the backpack trolley produces fewer changes in the child's kinematics and, therefore, resembles more closely their movement when walking free of any load, compared to carrying backpacks, even when it weighs very little. Findings also indicate that the greatest alterations were produced in the hip and trunk when using trolleys or backpacks while there was little difference in the kinematics of the knee and ankle. The study also confirmed that schoolchildren who use backpacks should avoid carrying loads greater than 10 per cent of their body weight.  

05:07 pm New Delhi: While parents usually take the blame for spoiling their kids by letting them spend huge amounts of time with high-tech electronics, grandparents are to be equally blamed for screen addiction in children. Grandparents have long been associated with letting their grandchildren do things their parents would never permit, such as extended bedtime, too much television time, and carefree fun. In the study published in the Journal of Children and Media, researchers found that today's grandparents are still true to their traditional fun-loving image -- allowing their grandchildren, while under their supervision, to spend about half of their time on a mobile phone, tablet, computer or TV. The study reviewed the experiences of 356 grandparents of children aged 2-7 who take care of their grandchildren at least once per week and found that during an average four-hour visit, the children spent two hours either watching videos or playing games on electronic devices. Most of the experts suggest that grandparents should restrict technology use by setting simple rules for screen time when babysitting. This is particularly needed when children bring a device from home and expect to watch even more. The unconditional love-shower of parents and grandparents can go to the point of spoiling children, said Pallavi Joshi, Clinical Psychologist at Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute in Delhi. "Over the past few years, grandparents' responsibilities for their grandchildren have increased due to changes and issues in families and society. "If we focus particularly at the extreme amount of screen time the kids devote to the idiot box (TV), parents and grandparents may be blamed for the same, as they do not oppose this habit," Joshi told IANS. "It's just another sweet way for them to spend more time with children. But this habit should be kept in check before it becomes an issue," she added. Increased screen time may critically impact a child's development and have several negative consequences; it can stimulate the way a child behaves, even in the long run, as well as make them less physically active. Now, not all screen time is detrimental, but families need to develop limited, healthy screen habits. "Gadgets have started replacing traditional ways of engaging with children at home. Even with grandparents at home, it is getting increasingly difficult to curtail the screen time for young children. A lot of grandparents are unaware of the effects of excessive screen time," Divya Palaniappan, Child Psychologist, Flinto R&D Centre in Delhi, told IANS. We need to educate grandparents about the impact of media and technology on children's lives and on its proper use that will benefit the well-being of their grandchildren. "However, there are some grandparents who gift their grandchildren play toys and activity boxes like Flintobox to spend quality time with them. These activity boxes not only keep children away from television but also helps in bonding with grandparents," Palaniappan added.