SECURITY
Games and toys: preventing injuries in children
Even though they seem harmless, some games and toys can cause injuries in children, especially toddlers.
In its recent Games and Toys guide, the magazine Protect yourself mentions a few toys that pose risks to children. Vigilance is therefore essential.
- Button batteries. This is the most common cause of accidents. These batteries look like candy and can cause serious injury when swallowed.
- Children’s guns. Projectiles expelled by high pressure can injure eyes.
- Toys for older people. Toys for older children may contain small parts that are easy for a toddler to swallow. It is therefore best not to let young children use them and store them in a place out of their reach.
- Toys purchased online. These toys may come from countries where the regulations are not the same as in Canada. For example, very strong magnets are not allowed in games and toys in Canada, but they are in the United States. Buying on the site of a store that has a storefront allows you to avoid unpleasant surprises (eg: toy different from the one advertised, of poor quality or recalled).
- Toys in several $1 stores. These businesses quickly receive and sell large volumes of toys from Asia. These products do not necessarily comply with Canadian regulations, as their rapid sale does not allow time to evaluate them. Ensuring that it is not a game or toy banned in Canada or subject to a recall is therefore important.
To learn about the characteristics of a safe toy, consult our Toys: for safe fun fact sheet.
Source: Protect Yourself
FATHERS
Becoming a dad would transform the brain
The arrival of a baby would not only transform the daily life of new fathers. It would also modify the structure of their brain, according to a new study.
By analyzing the brains of 40 fathers using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, the research team observed changes in their frontal cortex. This region is associated with perception of the environment, thinking, learning and memory.
These structural changes were present particularly in areas of the brain needed to guess another person’s thoughts and feelings. Changes were also noted in regions involved in the processing of visual information.
According to the researchers, becoming a father requires new skills like empathizing with your child and recognizing their needs despite the fact that they cannot express them in words. The fathers’ brain would therefore change to adapt to this new situation.
Studies have already shown that these regions are modified in the same way in new mothers. However, women are also experiencing changes in other areas of the brain that would increase alertness and promote bonding. These latter changes were not observed in the fathers.
Sources: Eurekalert, University of Southern California and Cerebral Cortex
FEED
Baby would develop his tastes during pregnancy
Even in the womb, babies could show whether or not they like the meal offered to them, British researchers have noted. This would also be the first study to observe the reactions of the fetus when its mother consumes certain foods.
Scientists asked about 100 pregnant women to swallow a capsule containing either carrot powder or kale powder. Thanks to a 4D ultrasound, they then analyzed the facial expressions of the fetuses. Those exposed to the carrot seemed to laugh while those exposed to the kale displayed rather an annoyed expression.
The researchers point out that the taste buds of the fetus can detect flavors from 14 weeks of pregnancy and that odors can be perceived in the nasal cavities from 24 weeks. The fetus can thus taste and smell in the uterus by breathing and swallowing amniotic fluid. The information he draws from it would allow him to adapt to the environment that awaits him after birth.
According to scientists, a pregnant woman’s diet could therefore influence her baby’s preferences after delivery. They even believe that a mother could help her baby get used to less popular tasting foods by consuming them during pregnancy.
Sources: Durham University and Psychological Science
BIG TODDLER WEEK
Knowing and defending the rights of toddlers
Children have many rights. do you know them? It is important to know them, but even more to enforce them. This is the message of the 7e edition of the Grande Semaine des Tout-Petits, which is organized by the Early Childhood Collective. It will take place from November 14 to 20.
Since toddlers are vulnerable and have no voting rights or political or economic influence, it is up to adults to ensure that their rights are respected. Among the rights set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, there is the right:
- quality education;
- to the best possible health care;
- food, clothing and a safe place to live;
- to adults doing what is best for them;
- to play and rest.
To find out about the activities offered near you as part of the Grande Semaine des tout-petits: collectivepetiteenfance.com
Source: Early Childhood Collective
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Photos: GettyImages/Orbon Alija, interstid, miodrag ignjatovic and Drazen Zigic