Author: cuddlefamily

a mother of one, a doctor, a researcher, a nature lover and a passionate bookworm.

A word of caution to parents with toddler who’re thinking of adopting a kitten.

August 6, 2020

One thing for sure, taking care of a kitten feels a lot more like taking care of a new toddler. It has been nearly three month with few ups and down, here and there, and with God’s grace, Koko is still here with the family, thriving and loved from all – even from my husband who doesn’t like cats and furry animal alike.

I have come to realize a few things, that i will not know of before. And so, here’s a word of caution to parents with toddler whenever you’re thinking of having one (kitten/puppy).

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  1. Its a lot of hard work – integrating a small pet safely into the family. Seriously, if you’re not up for it, don’t do it. The kitten/puppy deserved as much love as you would give to your baby.
  2. They have as much energy as your little one. (i’m not kidding .. both Adam and Koko loves jumping around and running so much, i myself wonder where do they get all that energy storing up)
  3. They lurvved your attention and probably gonna follow you around the house if you let them. Mine even cry to let me know she wants to be out and about whenever she noticed me. Tough luck on that one resisting her sorry meow.
  4. Because they’re still small and new to the area, they gonna need to be watch a lot, just like how you would to a toddler who just learned how to walk. They get curious of all things, putting everything into their mouth (this can make them choke/ eating something dangerous, so keep an eye on it. )
  5. Keep a vet’s number handy ( or at least the location of vet clinic and their operational hours) especially if you move a lot and bringing them with you. Accidents can happen (with highly energetic kid around) and i think you will like to have some expert opinion handy should anything goes wrong somewhere.
  6. They gonna love interrupting you while you’re working on your laptop, anytime of the day. So, make sure do lots of back up or lock the door if you’re doing important reports.

All in all, it’s a wonderful addition to the family, and i am beyond happy that Adam and Koko took to each other so well. Take care of your family and be safe wherever you are.

 

Kids and pets. Nightmare or is it blessing in disguise?

July 19, 2020

One thing for sure, it never cross my mind that there’ll come a time where our little home is graced by not one but few pets at the same time. Granted, it’s actually one little furry animal (a grey local cat we call Koko) and two classes of fish (goldfish and tiger fish to be exact) in two cozy aquarium. Taking care of the fishes is one little hobby of my dear husband whereas the cat — that’s all Adam’s doing. The last time my cat died (it was my family’s, long before i get married), it crushed our heart so much that my parents decided enough is enough. No more cats. And lo and behold! Who would have thought that their first grandson a.k.a Adam takes after them and love cats so much that he’s keep on asking for cat to be his own. It takes a solid month of mental preparation before we finally decided to adopt Koko into our humble home, and its a decision that i have never regretted. Bless her little paws and snuggly fur.

Once in a while, comes a thought — does bringing home pets (furry alike or not) a nightmare or is it blessing in disguise? Particularly if there is kids/ toddler at home. Well, thats depends. Lets dive in to the many benefits of taking care of pets to the kids shall we? Firstly, the obvious — feeding and caring for a pet encourages responsibility. Its a good practice to involve your little one (step by step and under direct observation of course) in taking care of the pet.

This is also the best time for parent to look for social red flag with your children (i.e him/her being abusive/consistently cruel with animal). This may point to a few conditions that have to be investigated, look in depth and treated by professional if found to be true; condition like conduct disorder, psychopathy, or indication of the child being abused at home or bullied at school. This can be illicit in children as young as 5 or 6 year old.

Next, children with pets display improved impulse control, social skills and self-esteem. Kids with pets also gets outside/ play more. What better way to let children learn that letting them play right? A child may also feel more comfortable reading aloud to pets than friends/family members. No pressure just good listening ear which frankly, who doesn’t want that?

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So, just a few tips to go by for parents with small children, if ever you decided to have a pet at home:

  1. Never let the kids be alone with your pet unsupervised. Especially if your children is younger than 4 years old. The younger the children, the less control they have. Children under the age of three aren’t mature enough to care for a pet. Their impulsive action and high energy may scared/injured the pet, which in turn may harm them in the process. A frightened animal may scratch or bite your children.
  2. Let your pet have their own room or space where they can be free from the children, at least for a few hours per day. This is important to ensure that your pet feel comfortable in the house and stressed free. (animal can get stressed too).
  3. Teach your child to practice hygiene habit when dealing with pet and their droppings. Wash hands regularly especially after playing with the pet.
  4. Introduce your children to the pet slowly. Show your children how to pet an animal (if they can be pet of course), and tell them when not to interact with the animal. Best rule of thumb, teach your children to be kind and loving to the animal.
  5. Do not allow the pet to sleep with your children.
  6. Bring the pet to the vet for annual check up/if they’re sick and for vaccinations.

All in all, i wish you all the best with your pet and the kids. May your home be blessed with lots of love and happiness.

 

3 langkah menyokong emosi anak-anak di kala pandemik COVID19.

July 2, 2020

Tsumma alhamdulillah, bagi Malaysia, kita sekarang di fasa pemulihan. Banyak sektor yang dah dibuka dan anak-anak pun dah ramai yang dibawa oleh ibu bapa ke luar. Semoga Allah kekalkan keselamatan dan kesejahteraan untuk kita. Post ni agak overdue tapi better late than never! Ilmu Tuhan ni insyaAllah boleh saja kita guna di mana-mana, khasnya bagi ilmu kesihatan yang melibatkan penyakit berjangkit.

Memang benar satu dunia terkesan dengan pandemik COVID19 ni, kalau tengok twitter dan instagram tu, penuh feed dengan #socialdistancing dan #movementcontrolorder. Lagu-lagu hit baru pun banyak temanya memberi semangat atau pun perspektif positif terhadap #socialdistancing ni. Pada saya, antara golongan yang paling banyak menerima tempias PKP (perintah kawalan pergerakan) ni adalah kanak-kanak. Apa taknya, sekolah tutup, tak boleh keluar main, tak boleh ke shopping mall, dan tak digalakkan ke kolam renang. Bagi yang ada anak kecil tengah lasak tu, tuhan je lah yang tahu betapa susahnya nak mengepong anak kecil yang tenaga banyak bak air terjun 7 tingkat ni. Semput dibuatnya!

Jadi, di sini saya tuliskan secara ringkas apa yang boleh dipraktikkan dan disaran oleh psychologist, langkah-langkah menyokong emosi anak-anak di kala pandemik COVID19:

1)KEEP CALM AND BE PROACTIVE  

orang akan kata: cakap senanglah.. nak buat tu, jenuh terseksa jiwa raga. Tapi memang itulah hakikatnya.

Anak-anak ni pandang pada kita untuk merasa perasaan selamat dan dilindungi.

Jadi, kita sendiri jangan cepat melatah dan jangan terlalu risau sehingga anak-anak pun rasa tak selamat/takut untuk keluar. Yang penting jaga SOP dan amalkan pemakaian face mask beserta penggunaan hand sanitizers atau rajin cuci tangan dengan sabun dan air bersih.

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2) STICK TO ROUTINE 

Rutin/struktur adalah sesuatu yang SANGAT-SANGAT penting untuk anak-anak.

Bila taska/sekolah dah tutup dan ada antara kita pun terpaksa kerja sambil jaga anak di rumah.. mana nak dapat struktur kan? Perlu kreatif cari jalan untuk wujudkan rutin baru bagi anak-anak.

Rasa-rasanya, apa agaknya yang termasuk dalam rutin ni?

Mudah jawapannya:

Waktu bermain, tech-free-time, dan juga waktu membantu di rumah.

Waktu-waktu ini boleh kita susun atur dan libatkan anak-anak secara aktif. Jangan dek kerana anak-anak sekarang dah banyak ‘masa lapang’ di tangan, kita biarkan mereka bersama sosial media/ TV sepanjang masa.

3) Let children feel their emotions. 

Anak-anak pun macam kita juga tuan-puan sekalian. Mereka pun sedih tak dapat keluar, tak dapat jumpa kawan-kawan, tak dapat peluk atok/nenek, dan pergerakan mereka pun terbatas. Lompat-lompat sikit dalam rumah dah kena bising dengan ibu ayah. Yang sebetulnya, kita kena acknowledged perasaan mereka tu. Dengar dan bersikap empati terhadap mereka.

LET THEM BE SAD (at least for a little while).

Mana-mana yang boleh kita bantu, kita mudahkan. Macam anak saya Adam, walaupun baru 4 tahun, dah pandai call sendiri atuk/ mak cik & pak cik dia. Tak dapat video call, dia call cara biasa. Bersembang cara budak-budak, setakat nak lepas rindu. Kadang-kadang rasa kelakar juga bila saya curi dengar. Ada juga sekali dua Adam tanya pada saya tentang bila sekolah nak buka..ada hari-hari tertentu dia mengadu lamanya kawan-kawan dia cuti.. kesian dengar. Tapi disebabkan kita mendengar, maka terpujuklah hati si kecil tu. Selalu saya cerita pada dia, sebab kenapa tak boleh pergi sekolah, kenapa kena pakai face mask, kenapa tak boleh balik kampung (masa mula-mula PKP dulu). Bila saya balik keletihan, saya cerita juga kenapa saya letih.. sambil peluk dia rapat-rapat. Anak kecil ni jiwa mereka suci, bebas dari rona-rona hitam kehidupan. Mereka faham dengan cara dan erti mereka sendiri, jadi wujudkan hubungan dua hala tu. Biar kita dan anak sama-sama rasa didengari dan diambil peduli.

Tiga langkah ini bukan saja berguna untuk masa sekarang tapi juga untuk waktu dan ketika yang lain.

Selamat mengorak langkah penuh kasih yang memahami!

#nukilanseorangemak

#emakbertopidoktor