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Fast food is frowned upon by health-conscious people – but you can treat yourself to it every now and then. But be careful: If you get the urge for a burger or a pizza, don’t eat it in front of small children, because even one-year-olds register good and bad eating habits! That’s the result of a new study. EAT SMARTER explains what’s behind it.

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Child nutrition is an important issue, especially for first-time parents. What can the child eat and what is unhealthy for the little ones? What they often don’t think about is that what they eat also influences the child.

The parents shape their children. Even if the toddler happily munches his carrot mash, he can tell when dad is enjoying a greasy cheeseburger but grimaces at the vegetables. From an early age, we learn which foods we (should) like and which we don’t.

Regional and social factors play a major role here: Germans have different favorite foods than the French, and Hamburgers eat differently than Bavarians. How our parents raise us, our food experiences and genetics influence our eating habits. This is how personal taste develops, which of course is primarily shaped by family.

A study by Cornell University in Ithaca now shows that even small children from the age of one put out their feelers for it. “When babies see someone eating, they not only learn about the food, they also learn who is eating with whom,” explains one of the researchers.

For the study, 200 babies were shown different eating situations via video. In one video, people were apparently strangers to each other and spoke in different languages. In the other video, the actors looked familiar and spoke the same language.

Both groups clearly expressed their feelings towards the food: if they liked it, they looked enthusiastic, if they rejected it, they grimaced. The babies were particularly drawn to the video, in which people interacted intimately. It was striking that when the small children were clearly disgusted, they automatically expected that everyone would share the disgust.

The eye eats with you

Disgust at certain dishes is originally our body’s protective function: it warns of potential pathogens. Anthropologist and epidemiologist Valerie Curtis of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine believes that disgust evolved over time and is firmly embedded in our genes.

Disgust is expressed by people all over the world with the same facial expression: puckering up the upper lip, wrinkling the nose, sometimes even narrowing the eyes. Small children perceive these facial expressions and, according to the study, also categorize the food as repulsive.

So: Be careful when eating when small children are sitting at the table. Child nutrition is not only what the child gets to eat, but also what the parents eat in front of the child. Because even one-year-olds register disgust or satisfaction from the people around them – if you look peacefully at the burger and wrinkle your nose at the vegetables, you are laying a bad foundation in terms of upbringing.

When a baby is born, young couples who become parents for the first time are faced with a great challenge. When the baby demands affection and care, it is important to interpret his signals correctly. In the first months of life, it is difficult to tell if the baby is hungry, cold, or tired. Adults communicate primarily verbally; with babies it is different. They express themselves through body language, facial expressions, and gestures.

Parents can facilitate communication with their baby through dwarf language and use baby sign language. Simple hand signals based on sign language enable interaction between parent and child. This baby sign language works without specialist knowledge and is very easy to learn. Everyone can do this because unconsciously and intuitively everyone uses hand signals to underpin verbal communication.

This makes communication easier

Baby sign language is a simplified form of sign language and originated in the United States, where it was developed 20 years ago. Parallel to the spoken word, parents use baby signs to describe activities, characteristics, and objects in everyday life. Children understand what is said more easily in connection with the signs. Every child has an instinct to imitate. From an early age, children try to imitate the signs and discover a way to communicate what they want without spoken words.

In England, Scandinavia, America, and Australia, learning baby sign language is already standard practice for young families. Vivian König, who lived in England for many years and learned baby signing there, is considered a pioneer of the dwarf language in Germany. She brought this concept from England to Germany.

The meaning of the small signs

Children up to the age of two increasingly use body language to express themselves and benefit from accompanying baby signs in verbal communication during this time. Even children with disabilities such as hearing impairment and children growing up multilingual can communicate with baby sign language, it is a natural helper.

Children learn the signs in everyday life by speaking and acting. The keyword is accompanied by a simple hand movement: the gesture for drinking accompanies the question “Would you like to drink?” The hand is raised to the mouth like a tilted cup.

The heart connection between parent and child

Vivian König is convinced that baby signs create joy and closeness. In this way, babies can be involved in the interaction with their parents from the first few days. This promotes the perception of one’s own needs and articulation. With the use of baby talk, babies are treated with respect from the start, which strengthens the relationship between parents and child, as communication takes place at eye level. The self-confidence, self-confidence, and emotional development of the children are thus supported at an early stage. Babies can already imitate and use the first baby signs at the age of six to nine months.

The birth of a child is always a beautiful event. If a couple you are friends with is expecting a baby and you are looking for suitable birth gifts, then our birth gift ideas are just the right thing for you.

An overview of useful gift ideas for birth

There are many gift ideas for birth. But which gifts are even suitable for this purpose? And what should you better stay away from? We’ve collected a few original gift ideas for you to make parents and babies happy alike. Articles of clothing such as rompers, bodysuits, and T-shirts, but also sweets, flowers, and gifts of money are among the classic baby gifts. But original ideas will also make the recipient happy.

1) Money and vouchers are given away most often

In most cases, it is customary to simply give the new parents money for the birth of their child. A card with the note “For the baby’s initial equipment” is usually handed over. And not without reason, because giving away vouchers and money is practical for everyone, but not very original. If you add a little something, like a nice birth announcement, parents’ favorite chocolate, a practical pacifier, or something similar, it’s still a perfect gift.

2) Accessories for changing table and Co.

Many also want to give away something useful. Therefore, many gift ideas for birth revolve around useful accessories for the changing table or the like. As a rule, parents can always use diapers, wet wipes, or the like. For example, people like to make diaper cakes. But here, too, one rarely knows which products the parents prefer or which products the baby tolerates. Consequently, giving away a voucher can be an advantage here.

3) Onesie as a gift idea for a birth

A pretty romper for newborn babies with a funny saying or a matching verse is almost always well received. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a boy or a girl. It all depends on the right words. However, most parents are often well supplied with rompers, bodysuits, shirts, and shoes before the child is born. Since the baby is growing quickly and may not be able to wear all the clothes at all, you could buy a romper or overalls for the advanced age. You should definitely pay attention to high quality. Therefore, find out well where you can buy baby fashion and baby products.

4) wooden toys for babies

A great gift idea for birth is high-quality wooden toys. Because wooden toys are particularly convincing due to their feel and contribute to the positive development of the newborn baby. The selection ranges from a wooden ring to a spinning top, which fascinates every child. Thus, wooden grasping toys are the perfect gift for the newborn baby.

5) Cuddly teddy for girls and boys

You can always give a cuddly toy as a birthday gift. The teddy bear is still one of the favorite gifts for the birth of a child. It is usually the well-known Steiff teddy bears that are bought. Because these are not only very pretty and robust but also valuable.

6) Comforter as a great gift for birth

A cuddle cloth, also known as a cuddle cloth, is a constant companion for many small children. Because many children use it as a safety sheet when mum is away for a moment when sleeping or in stressful situations. At the same time, it serves as an object to cuddle or as a blanket and sleeping aid. So it’s a nice gift idea.

7) Earrings for girls

When it comes to birth gifts for girls, you can go a long way. Because for girls there is a gigantic range of different gift ideas. How about beautiful gold earrings, for example? They retain their value and this usually increases over time.

8) The little bracelet

A beautiful gold bracelet for girls with an engraved name. This is not only a very valuable gift but also a very ideal one. In addition, the child can later meltdown the bracelet again and change it as they wish. It is therefore also a timeless gift for the birth of a child. Please also note our tips on cleaning and caring for your jewelry.

9) Books as gift ideas for birth

The newborn baby may still be too small to read a book. But sooner or later it will be happy to hear the voice of the parents reading something. In addition, this can promote the development of the child. There is a huge selection of great books for children with important topics from pixie books to classic anthologies. It can also be a book with the most important information for the parents

10) Milestone cards for fond memories

Not only a baby diary for beautiful memories is a great gift. So-called milestone cards are also great for recording memories and milestones. Therefore, this can be a special gift idea that makes everyone happy.