Review

Cline and Fay know teenagers well, and the book is engaging. The parenting pearls in the last third of the book are worth the price of purchase. Read it carefully; the book is short on “bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” and long on “do not exasperate your children.” — Daniel R. Vander Ark, Christian Home & School Magazine, March/April 1993Cline and Fay know teenagers well, and the book is engaging. The parenting pearls in the last third of the (more…)

Perhaps no day in a parent’s life is more traumatic and chaotic than the day they first realize or are informed that their child has an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

For my daughter, it was evident to me what was wrong, immediately following her profound vaccine injury. I had no time to grieve or process my feelings when I got the confirmation from medical professionals of what I had feared most. For me it was no real shock to see the diagnosis on paper. I had already witnessed my beautiful, happy, intelligent, affectionate, singing and smiling toddler quickly fall into a dark abyss of anger, frustration, and isolation. I knew what was wrong. But still I was faced with the daunting task of navigating a complex system of professionals and procedures to get the diagnosis I knew she needed in order to best facilitate the care she would require.

What followed were months of sleepless nights of research, phone calls to the best doctors the country had to offer, and long stressful airplane flights around the nation on a quest for solutions. For most parents this period of overwhelming information and searching for answers comes during severe emotional stress, exhaustion, and sleep deprivation. Often well-meaning family, friends and even health professionals are at a loss as to how to support or educate the family in crisis as they wade through reams of information and misinformation trying to find viable options, resources and hope.

Here are some starting points to consider as you will likely be juggling several balls at once as you explore services and therapies for your child, which may include Speech therapy, Occupational therapy, auditory processing therapies, ABA therapy, and more.

Statistically the children with the best outcomes have been treated with the DAN! protocol and DAN! physicians. You will find a list of practicing DAN! physicians and stories of hundreds of children no longer on the spectrum because of successful bio-medical interventions and treatment at www.generationrescue.org.

DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!) is an organization founded by the Autism Research Institute. It is of critical importance to note that DAN! physicians are classically trained medical doctors who apply their training to treat autism spectrum disorders bio-medically using the latest DAN! protocol. Keep in mind that while the number of these doctors is rapidly growing each year it may take three to six months or more to obtain an appointment with some DAN! physicians.

Here is an affordable and do-able action plan to implement while waiting to see a DAN! doctor and for therapies to start:

It is important to note that every child is treated differently by a DAN! physician based on that child’s individual medical needs. As Dr. Raj Patel, MD, a DAN! doctor from California states, “Each DAN! practitioner has a slightly different approach. We are working with a syndrome, not a single disease. Five different kids with one label may have different problems underneath.”

The key is to get plugged into a DAN! doctor as quickly as possible so that they can guide you though the treatment plan your individual child requires.

There is something you can do as a newly diagnosed parent of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research, arm your self with the latest knowledge, and take action.

Using a Web-based search tool

Professional services as Minneapolis Nanny Finder work in the following way: They provide families with a simple-to-use tool to access a large online network, and preview the profiles of nannies who fit their specific needs. By using an online tool, parents can manage the search process in their free time without the need to rely on services, which require constant handling and attention. Going further into the other options this service provides, a reliable locator tool will also be able to guide you in other important aspects of hiring a childcare provider such as – conducting a nanny criminal check, help and support on the best way to ultimately choose the right nanny for your family and also provide tips on how to plan the nanny fee.

The benefits of Web-based solutions

What are the benefits of using this kind of service?

(1) Enables parents to easily learn whether the online service they are considering is recommended by other families.

(2) Provides a full return on your investment when compared to other non-online, similar services.

(3) Helps parents in their first steps in searching for and finding their nanny.

Summing It Up

Today, using the Web to find a nanny is quite common. Using online tools offered by professional online agencies such as Minneapolis Nanny Finder is the optimal way to find and screen great nannies. We could present other advantages this online solution has over non-Web-based services, simply because by it’s very nature, it transforms the childcare provider searching and screening process. At this point, it’s mostly recommended following the above important advices as you move forward.

“And when the female infant (Al-Maw’udah) buried alive is questioned, for what sin she was killed!” (Surah 81, al takwir: 8-9). On judgmental day, fathers will be asked for which reason they abused their daughters. Islamic teachings ended those cruel pre-Islamic practices of female infanticide “wa’d” which was common in dark ages. However, child abuse has for a long time been recorded in literature, art and science in many parts of the world. The historical record is also filled with reports of unkempt, weak and malnourished children cast out by families to fend for themselves and of children who have been physically, sexually, and emotional abused. In recent years, countries witnessed a movement towards child abuse addressing and prevention.

This concept paper aims at portraying the different types of child abuse, manifestations and consequences. Different types of child abuse are caused by many factors; those factors will be discussed also. The prevention approaches by family and health service providers will by highlighted at the end of this paper with the therapeutic approaches. Most of the available studies are concerned with aspects of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse, and therefore the discussion and recommendations would have the most validity when applied to such situations.

Anyone under age 18 who’s been neglected or abused by a parent or someone responsible for his care is considered a victim of child abuse. In statistics for 2002, the Department of Health and Human Services revealed that: about 896,000 American children were victims of abuse and neglect. Of all abused children, 60.5% suffered neglect; 18.6%, physical abuse; and 9.9%, sexual abuse. Some experienced more than one type. An estimated 1,400 children died from abuse or neglect; 76.1% of them were under age 4. Parents were the most common abusers. Although these numbers on child abuse are appalling, many authorities believe they’re conservative. Because abuse occurs within the family and often involves young preverbal children, many cases are never discovered or reported. Particularly, 63% of the participants were identified as victims of domestic violence on Karachi Domestic Violence Screening Scale. 36% of the victims were males and 64% of the victims were females. 35% of the victims reported facing physical abuse, 52% of the victims reported psychological abuse and 30% of the victims reported sexual abuse from their relatives. 60% of the victims had depression and 67% of the victims had anxiety. Another Study by medical students of AKU (class of 1996) in a sample of 176 children, it showed that 27% of them had suffered physical abuse.

Child abuse crosses all ethnic, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic lines. There is clear evidence that child abuse is a global problem. “It occurs in a variety of forms and is deeply rooted in cultural, economic and social practices” (Bethea, L, 1999). Many parents who abuse their children are immature and impulsive, with low self-esteem. Sometimes family is isolated within the community and one or both parents may be a substance abuser. Environmental stressors that can trigger abuse include work problems, poverty, unemployment, illness of family members, marital tensions, and domestic violence between adults. The child consequences lead to consider child prevention as the priority in primary health care system. “The short-term consequences of abuse are the physical and behavioral indicators that led to suspect abuse in the first place in health care system”.

The role of the community, religious leaders and school teachers is vital in countering the exploitation of children, but, unfortunately, there is often ambivalence among people regarding such issues. So that there is a need to nurses to sensitize parents and teachers on the crucial issues around child abuse and mobilize them to form networks to protect children. Typically, neglect comes to light when a teacher reports a child who has poor hygiene and inappropriate clothing, appears listless, frequently complains of hunger, or frequently misses school without explanation. Neighbors may report a child being left unsupervised, or a health care provider may report that a child is missing appointments for medical care. As a health care professional, nurse role is reporting child abuse and neglect, especially when a nurse discovers it during home visitation. “Nurses who work with children and families in various health care, education, and social service settings can play a key role in stopping neglect and abuse before they begin, by promoting primary prevention procedures”. ( Kathleen ,2004)

Body

The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect recently compared definitions of abuse from 58 countries and found some commonality in what was considered abusive. In 1999, the WHO Consultation on Child Abuse Prevention drafted the following definition: ‘‘Child abuse or maltreatment constitutes all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.’’

The definition given above covers a broad spectrum of abuse. This paragraph focuses primarily on manifestations and consequences of three types of child maltreatment, namely: physical abuse; sexual abuse; emotional abuse and the neglect.

Physical abuse of a child is defined as those acts that cause actual physical harm or have the potential for harm. Injuries inflicted by a caregiver on a child can take many forms. Serious damage or death in abused children is most often the consequence of a head injury or injury to the internal organs. Head trauma as a result of abuse is the most common cause of death in young children, with children in the first 2 years of life being the most vulnerable. Because force applied to the body passes through the skin, patterns of injury to the skin can provide clear signs of abuse. The skeletal manifestations of abuse include multiple fractures at different stages of healing, fractures of bones that are very rarely broken under normal circumstances, and characteristic fractures of the ribs and long bones.

Sexual abuse is defined as those acts where a caregiver uses a child for sexual gratification. Children may be brought to professional attention because of physical or behavioral concerns that, on further investigation, turn out to result from sexual abuse. It is not uncommon for children who have been sexually abused to exhibit symptoms of infection, genital injury, abdominal pain, constipation, chronic or recurrent urinary tract infections or behavioral problems. To be able to detect child sexual abuse requires a high index of suspicion and familiarity with the verbal, behavioral and physical indicators of abuse. Many children will disclose abuse to caregivers or others spontaneously, though there may also be indirect physical or behavioral signs.

Emotional abuse includes the failure to provide an appropriate and supportive environment, and includes acts that have an adverse effect on the emotional health and development of a child. Such acts include restricting a child’s activities, ridicule, threats and intimidation, discrimination, rejection. Neglect refers to the failure of a parent to provide for the development of the child – where the parent is in a position to do so – in one or more of the following areas: health, education, emotional development, nutrition, shelter and safe living conditions. Neglect is thus distinguished from circumstances of poverty in that neglect can occur only in cases where reasonable resources are available to the family or caregiver.

Many risk factors are responsible on child abuse phenomena, among which: community and social factors, age and sex. Numerous studies across many countries have shown a strong association between poverty and child maltreatment. Rates of abuse are higher in communities with high levels of unemployment and concentrated poverty. Such communities are also characterized by high levels of population turnover and overcrowded housing. Research shows that “chronic poverty adversely affects children through its impact on parental behavior and the availability of community resources”. Community correlation represents the degree of cohesion and solidarity that exists within communities. “Children living in areas with less ‘‘social capital’’ or social investment in the community appear to be at greater risk of abuse and have more psychological or behavioral problems” (Macmillan, 1994). On the other hand, “social networks and neighborhood connections have been shown to be protective of children” (Macmillan, 1994). This is true even for children with a number of risk factors – such as poverty, violence, substance abuse and parents with low levels of educational achievement – who appear to be protected by high levels of community correlation.

Vulnerability to child abuse – whether physical, sexual or through neglect – depends in part on a child’s age. Fatal cases of physical abuse are found largely among young infants. In reviews of infant deaths in Fiji, Finland, Germany and Senegal, for instance, the majority of victims were less than 2 years of age Kathleen,M(2004). Young children are also at risk for non-fatal physical abuse, though the peak ages for such abuse vary from country to country. For example, “rates of non-fatal physical abuse peak for children at 3–6 years of age in China, at 6–11 years of age in India and between 6 and 12 years of age in the United States” (Kathleen,M(2004) ). Sexual abuse rates, on the other hand, tend to rise after the onset of puberty, with the highest rates occurring during adolescence ( ). Sexual abuse, however, can also be directed at young children.

Sex is another vulnerability to child abuse. In most countries, girls are at higher risk than boys for infanticide, sexual abuse, educational and nutritional neglect, and forced prostitution. Findings from several international studies show rates of sexual abuse to be 1.5–3 times higher among girls than boys. Globally, more than 130 million children between the ages of 6 and 11 years are not in school, 60% of whom are girls (Macmillan, 1994). In some countries, girls are either not allowed to receive schooling or else are kept at home to help look after their siblings or to assist the family economically by working. Male children appear to be at greater risk of harsh physical punishment in many countries. Although girls are at increased risk for infanticide in many places, it is not clear why boys are subjected to harsher physical punishment. It may be that such punishment is seen as a preparation for adult roles and responsibilities, or else that boys are considered to need more physical discipline. Clearly, the wide cultural gaps that exist between different societies with respect to the role of women and the values attached to male and female children could account for many of these differences.

The majority of programmers focus on prevention of child abuse. Very few emphasize primary prevention approaches in the first place. Family support approaches, health service approaches, therapeutic approaches are described below.

A number of interventions for improving parenting practices and providing family support have been developed. These types of programmers generally educate parents on child development and help them improve their skills in managing their children’s behavior. As an example, Wolfe et al. evaluated a behavioral intervention to provide training in parenting, specifically designed for families considered at risk. Mother–child pairs were randomly assigned to either the intervention or a comparison group. Mothers who received the training in parenting reported fewer behavioral problems with their children and fewer adjustment problems associated with potential maltreatment compared with mothers in the comparison group. Furthermore, a follow-up evaluation by the caseworkers showed that there was a lower risk of maltreatment by the mothers who had received the training in parenting.

A number of health care organizations have developed training programmers to improve both the detection and reporting of abuse and neglect, and the knowledge among health care workers of available community services. In the United States, for example, the “American Medical Association has produced diagnostic and treatment guidelines for child maltreatment and sexual abuse”. (Kempe,1962) The detection of child abuse and neglect, however, is not always simple. Specific interview techniques and types of physical examination are generally required. I have conducted a presentation about ethical dilemma on domestic abuse last year. It was emphasized on nursing role in helping child by solving that dilemma according to teleological and deontological methods.

A review of treatment programmers for physically abused children found that “therapeutic day care with an emphasis on improving cognitive and developmental skills – was the most popular approach” ( ). Therapeutic day care has been advocated for a range of conditions related to abuse, such as emotional, behavioral or attachment related problems and cognitive or developmental delays. The approach incorporates therapy and specific treatment methods in the course of the child’s daily activities at a child care facility. Most programmers of this type also include therapy and education for the parents.

Ill health caused by child abuse forms a significant portion of the global burden of disease. While some of the health consequences have been researched, others have only recently been given attention, including psychiatric disorders and suicidal behavior. Importantly, there is now evidence that major adult forms of illness – including ischemic heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia – are related to experiences of abuse during childhood (99– 01). Similarly, there are many studies demonstrating short-term and long-term psychological damage. Such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, aggression, shame or cognitive impairments. The financial costs associated with both the short term and long-term care of victims form a significant proportion of the overall burden created by child abuse and neglect. Included in the calculation are the direct costs associated with treatment, visits to the hospital and doctor, and other health services. In 1996, “the financial cost associated with child abuse and neglect in the United States was estimated at some US$12.4 billion.” (Kempe,1962)

From my point of view, child abuse is serious hidden problem, which I had already suffered in my childhood in side home. But the role of professionals at that age 1990 was not effective. Otherwise, I could have been protected. I believe that health care professionals have a key part to play in identifying, treating and referring cases of abuse and neglect and in reporting suspected cases of maltreatment to the appropriate authorities. It is vital that cases of child maltreatment are detected early on, so as to minimize the consequences for the child and to launch the necessary services as soon as possible.

As I mentioned above, I can conclude that child abuse is a serious global health problem. It has different types, and every type leads to different short and long term consequences. Many factors were responsible to increase voluntarily of child abuse. Prevention methods can be applicable on known cases which reach the clinical levels; however, we can’t predict the violence forms if they are hidden inside houses secrets.

The complex nature of child abuse doesn’t allow for easy solutions. But nurses who work with children and families in various health care, education, and social service settings can play a key role in stopping neglect and abuse before they begin. Here’s how. Primary prevention targets the general population. Public service announcements encourage positive discipline techniques, media campaigns tell people how and where to report suspected abuse. And parent-education programs teach parents about child development and parenting skills. For example, expectant and new parents may know little about the basics of child care. They typically know even less about a child’s emotional, social, and medical needs; the stages of normal development; and how critically the first 3 years of life affect development. Seize your opportunities to teach and model behaviors in clinic settings, childbirth and parenting classes, home visits, and parent support groups

I recommend we should not take a defeatist attitude toward child prevention. Despite the absence of strong evidence to guide our preventive efforts, nurses can do many things to try to prevent abuse. At the very least, showing increased concern for the parents or caregivers and increasing our attempts to enhance their skills as parents or caregivers may help save our most vulnerable patients from the nightmare of abuse and neglect. Recognition and awareness, although essential elements for effective prevention, are only part of the solution. Prevention efforts and policies must directly address children, their caregivers and the environments in which they live in order to prevent potential abuse from occurring and to deal effectively with cases of abuse and neglect that have taken place.

References :

- Kempe,CH et al. The battered child syndrome. Journal of the American Medical

Association, 1962,181:17–24.

- Key,j (1999). Protecting children. New York. Continuum

- Macmillan HL, MacMillan JH, Offord DR, Griffith L, MacMillan A. Primary

prevention of child physical abuse and neglect: a critical review. Part I. J Child

Psychol Psychiatry 1994;35(5):835-56.

-Bethea,L(1999).Primary prevention of child abuse

From http://www.rcn.org rcn.org.ukww.rcn.org.uk

- Kathleen,M(2004).How to recognize and respond to child abuse

From http://www.findarticles.com/

CHILD AND PARENT PROBLEMS. Plus, by being a active parent in your child’s school system you will learn about their behavior while at school. All of us went through that stage where we all wanted to be just like all the other famous kids. Parents are trying to guide their children to the best of their knowledge by reliving their very own childhood/teen years and the truth of the matter is that parents haven’t really moved forward to present times. MAKE MEMORIES WITH QUALITY FAMILY TIME. THE FOLLOWING TIPS ENSURE THAT YOUR FAMILY TIME WILL BE STRESS FREE AND WILL ENSURE THAT YOU WILL MAKE YOUR FAMILY MEMORIES LAST FOR A LIFETIME: Child Behavior Checklist> Remember, it is very important to always keep positive and upbeat conversational topics. Talking about negative topics in the news or anything that is unpleasant should not be done while dining with your family members. Talking about negative topics while eating is rather quite unhealthy physically and emotionally. It is of utmost importance that you discuss serious issues together with your children some times but, that is inappropriate while dining together. Your goal is to produce long lasting good memories from these causal conversations over a family dinner and you want your family to look forward to spending more of these moments together.

> You can write down notes of positive and truly inspiring stories that you hear about in the media and then use those positive stories to start a dinner conversation with.

Parents who are separated need to sort out the ongoing care of their children. Statistically, most do so between themselves without any help or support from outside resources. However, not all parents are able to settle matters concerning the ongoing care of the children and thus turn to several different strategies to help them out. Each strategy carries it’s own benefits and problems:

Court: Couples who turn to the Court are often locked in the most contentious of differences. Each may seek a very different outcome and believe they may persuade the Court in their respective favour and thus win their position. Court is generally viewed as a last resort solution. The Court will never be as intimate with the issues as will the parties and hence the outcome may not be as finely tuned as hoped for. Further, the Court is not bound by the position of the parties and may impose solutions that neither party is satisfied with. Lastly, Court imposed solutions tend to be less durable than solutions derived by the parties themselves, with or without assistance. Court imposed solutions offer no opportunity to resolve underlying issues or teach better problem solving and communication skills.

Mediation: Mediation provides an opportunity for parents to resolve matters between themselves in the presence of a trained professional. In the most traditional of terms, the trained profession is to act as the guardian of the process, helping parents to discus matters in an environment that provides some degree of control over behaviour and content. The mediator may or may not express opinion as to the subject matter but will seek to ensure the process and outcome is balanced. Mediated solutions tend to be more durable than Court ordered solutions given the intimacy with which the subject matter is addressed by the parties and the fact the agreement is mutually achieved. Further, while mediation may do nothing to resolve underlying issues, the process can model better methods for problem solving and communicating to the parties.

Counselling: Counselling as a strategy to resolve the ongoing care of children carries the same positive features of mediation and is also aimed at resolving underlying difficulties that may otherwise continually give rise to conflict. Thus through counselling, the parties can be aided to understand their respective contributions to distress and take responsibility to manage same. Further, the process can teach and promote better problem solving skills as well as communication skills and strategies. Agreements achieved through counselling tend to be the most durable in that not only do parents come to a solution between themselves, but also a new way of settling matters as they arise so that greater problems are mitigated. 

Parenting Coordinator: The Parenting Coordinator is a highbred between the three above strategies. The Parenting Coordinator is generally appointed for a term of service to resolve problems as they arise. Over the course of service, the Parenting Coordinator offers guidance and direction as well as seeking to help the parties achieve agreements between themselves. However, if the event the parties cannot reach an agreement between themselves, the Parenting Coordinator is empowered by the parties to impose a solution as per the Court. In stricter terms, this aspect of the role is regarded as arbitration. A Parenting Coordinator is generally a good solution for those parents who may continually find themselves in matters of dispute on minor items with regard to an already established parenting agreement. The goal of the Parenting Coordinator is to eventually work themselves out of a job by continually teaching and guiding the parties to more reasonably resolve disputes between themselves.

Which strategy is best for any particular set of parents is subject to a number of factors including, the degree of cooperation between the parties, history of abusive behaviour and willingness to work towards a common goal of better communication and cooperation in the interest of the children.

Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW
(905) 628-4847

gary@yoursocialworker.com http://www.yoursocialworker.com

Be it relaxing in heavenly Bali villas, or hiking in Kuta Kinabalu, or enjoying Disney World in Tokyo, Asia offers a huge variety of holiday destinations for those with younger children.

However, as rewarding as it is, traveling with the younger ones in Asia is not always an easy sail.

Here are some insights gained traveling across Asia with children in tow, over the past 10 years.

Getting There and Back

It is more than likely that you will be taking a commercial flight to Asia.

Here is the first word of caution. As far as traveling with the young ones is concerned, not all airlines are created equal. No, I don’t mean the level of service you can expect, as this seems to be of quite a high level whichever Asian based major airline you choose. In our experience, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand, and Emirates all offer great service when you are traveling with kids.

However, the big difference comes in how much different carriers choose to charge for the younger ones. Some carriers, for example, charge 10 percent of an adult fare, for infants, traveling on your lap, without a seat. At first, this may sound like a fair deal. However, if you consider the fact that this 10 percent is calculated as a percentage of a -Full Published Adult Fare- price, you may find that you are paying as much for your infant’s air fare, as you are for your own discounted fare! The good news is, not all airlines use this pricing policy, and if you shop around, you can save yourself hundreds of dollars even before you leave home!

Also, do keep in mind, that many airlines will offer special -Child Meals-. Some, such as Singapore Airlines, do also offer different menus for different age groups.

Similarly, for toddlers and older kids, it is worth checking what is on offer in terms of flight entertainment. Some airlines will have dedicated children’s cartoon channels, with a large selection of entertainment options, whilst others may not. If you are traveling long-haul, this alone could make a huge difference to how well your Asian holiday kicks off.

Transportation on the Ground

The quality and safety of ground transportation varies immensely from one Asian Country to the other. However, as a general rule of thumb, do not expect taxis to provide child safety seats, and in many parts of Asia, even rental cars may not have the child safety seat option.

The good news is, across most of Asia, metered taxis are plentiful, and relatively well maintained, with working seat belts. When you are in Singapore, you can expect (or even demand); fully functioning seat belts both at the front and back passenger seats. In other parts of the region, you may find that seat belts have been removed, on purpose, because ‘they get in the way’.

So, if you are adamant that you would like child safety seats whilst holidaying in Asia, you may consider bringing your own, or picking one up, when you land at your destination.

Probably with the exception of Japan, Korea and Taiwan, facilities on local train services are of a variable quality, and unless you are going for gold, and staying on the Palace on Wheels in India, or a special First Class trip between Beijing and Shanghai, you may want to plan well, and take all your essentials on board with you.

Food Matters

Whilst most westerners find Asian food (especially South Asian, or South East Asian food), quite spicy, this is not necessarily an issue when traveling with the younger ones. Most hotels and restaurants will prepare food for the little ones separately, without the spices. Also, if in doubt, plain noodles, or plain rice with some vegetables on the side is always readily available as a good stop gap ration. Depending on how off the beaten track you decide to travel, you are more than likely to find, old favourites such as fish-fingers, chicken nuggets, and hamburgers in most parts of Asia.

One word of caution on the food front is the liberal use of MSG (Mono Sodium Glutamate) in Asian cooking. This food additive is also used in the west (mostly packaged crisps/chips), and in principle is no more harmful than many of the E numbers we may consume daily. However, in many Asian countries MSG is used very liberally, especially in soups and food with sauces. In China, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, to name a few countries, you can expect that your soups and sauces will contain MSG by default. Many parents who live and travel in Asia complain that excessive MSG causes dehydration, lethargy, and mood swings with some younger children (and many adults are also found to be sensitive to excessive MSG). If concerned, request for your food to be prepared without any MSG, or choose MSG-free restaurants, increasingly available across the region.

Bare Necessities

In general, availability and the condition of public toilets in Asia leave much to be desired. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Singapore and Japan for example, typically provide some of the cleanest public conveniences to be found anywhere in the world. Also, in each country, there are certain locations, such as hotels and airports where hygiene standards are going to be at international levels. However, it is good practice to always carry your own tissues, and wet wipes with you when traveling in Asia. Also, to address this problem, in many Asian cities, you can also find special antiseptic wet-wipes, which are very handy when dealing with some of the lesser public conveniences.

It is also worth noting that, restaurants/coffee-shops do not always provide their own toilets for guest use, and more than likely share facilities with other establishments. This is true for even larger malls, and good quality restaurants in hygiene conscious Singapore. So, the old trick of, grabbing an unwanted cup of coffee or a drink at a restaurant, just to be able to use the facilities is not always a solution in Asia.

Similarly, availability of baby changing rooms varies immensely across the region. In Singapore, and Hong Kong for example, changing facilities are readily available in most shopping malls, one almost on each floor. However, when you are off the beaten track, even some good quality hotels may not provide child changing facilities.

Breast Feeding in Public

As a general rule of thumb, if you decided to breast feed in public, regardless of how discrete you are being, expect to be stared at. The good news is, across most of the region, this is no more sinister than surprise and interest on the part of the locals. If in doubt, you may want to retreat to a quiet corner, back of a restaurant, or baby changing facilities.

My Child is a Model!

If your children are under four or five years old, and/or blonde or with naturally curly hair, expect to be approached in parts of Asia by total strangers wanting to take photos of your child!

Again, there is nothing sinister about this request. They just want to capture the -cute factor- and share this amazing image with their friends and families.

You will typically be approached by Japanese, Korean, and Chinese ladies, who will want to pose with your child, and take each other’s photos. However, there seems to be no age or gender limit to this interest, over the years, our little ones have been photographed by business people in suits, restaurant chefs, and the odd octogenarian in small villages.

Asia’s Love for Children

One thing is for sure. Wherever you go to in Asia with your young family, you will find the locals ever helpful and highly interactive with your little ones. Asian’s love children, they love their own children, and also the children of foreign tourists.

My advice is, make the most of this, and allow your children to interact with the local population, be it your villa team at your rental Bali villa, or a chef in a Chinese restaurant, or the old lady selling flower garlands outside a temple in Thailand!

Most important of all, don’t feel like you have to wait till the kids are older before you can visit Asia. Have a go; both you and the children will love this colourful part of the world.

Enjoy your Asian holiday.

Many happy returns…