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| Baby 'pretty' tips that can be dangerous: 'Woman recommends waxing 12-day-old baby' |
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but if you are born in a South Asian country including Pakistan, there is a high probability that these beauty-seeing eyes belong to your mother because the standards of beauty in our society are so high that hardly anyone can step on them.
There is pressure to get married first, then the pressure to have children. Once the child is born, the pressure to fulfill society's definition of being 'beautiful'.
If any one object, then the whole family, the neighborhood starts playing its full part in shaping the character of that child. Those who feel more entitled to the child try to take matters into their own hands, while others run things by giving advice.
If you want to make a girl's head, put it on a plate.
Many times you have heard that so-and-so's head is too well made or that the head is not properly made and left long. There is a lot of pressure on mothers to make babies have flat heads.
Masooma Raza faced the same pressure a year ago when her baby girl was born and a hematoma, or blood clot, left her with a small area on top of her head.
Masooma says that the family members asked thinking, but outsiders also gave them such advice which they did not even ask for.
Masooma said, 'People started asking what is the problem, it is looking different. A familiar lady came with a plate to teach me how to make the baby's head on a plate.
On consulting a doctor, he was told that it would heal on its own, and after three months, the hematoma healed.
Masooma says that I decided that I will not take the pressure and will never let my daughter be taken. Our culture has become that if you have a daughter, make her beautiful. The eyes should be so big, with no hair on the forehead, and a thin nose. From where the world has reached, our society should also be a little liberal.
'Wax a 12-day-old girl, her hair will disappear'
When Mahim Hassan became a mother for the first time, she did not know how much pressure people put on making the child beautiful.
Seeing her daughter's hair like crying, a familiar woman said to clean her hair with flour, and another woman told her that children also get wax.
Mahim was stunned when a woman advised her that even babies can wax and if she waxes her 12-day-old daughter, she will be thankful later that her hair will not grow back.
She says I don't understand how anyone can think of waxing a 12-day-old girl.
Tips and their truth
Armed with tips to make babies 'cute' and many questions related to them, I went to Dr. Masooma Fatima, a child specialist at Shifa Hospital in Islamabad, and tried to find out what happens when these tips are tried on children.
Applying eye cream to make the eyes bigger
According to Dr. Masooma, pure silver contains lead, which can be absorbed into the eyes of newborn babies immediately and lead to lead poisoning. Even a single exposure to lead can increase lead levels in children. In addition, there is a risk of infection in the child's eyes from the sewing of the head, which can spread throughout the body.
Applying creams to make children fair
According to Dr. Masooma, children will have the same color that they will get genetically from their parents. For this, avoid applying different things on their skin, otherwise, the chemicals may affect the skin of children in the form of rashes.
Making babies have a flat or straight head
Dr. Masooma says a flat head is very common in Pakistan and is considered a good head. But if we look at the shape of the brain, there is a part of the brain at the back of the head which is pressed against a hard surface to flatten the head.
According to them, the brain adjusts, but it can not only change the structure of the ear but there can be some fear of some deficiency in the mental development of children. So if their head is rounded from the back, it is normal.
He said that the disadvantage of wearing a tight cap is that it may cause children to have small head sizes.
Hair removal of newborn babies
Dr. Masooma says that many babies may have enough hair on their body, especially if they are premature or born prematurely, but there is no need to hurt the baby by removing hair from the baby's body with flour or baby wax. do not have.
He said that because body hair is determined by the child's genetics, that is, if the parents do not have much hair on the body, then there is a high probability that the child's body hair will also decrease after reaching one year.
Thinning of children's noses
According to Dr. Masooma, children's bones, especially the nasal bone, are very soft and delicate. Squeezing the nose can cause damage to the bone.
Shaving children's heads for thick hair
Dr. Masooma says that if parents have good hair, then science says that children will have good hair chances. Children's hair usually begins to grow after one year. Therefore, there is no need to worry if a child's head is empty before one year.
Feeding bread, eggs, etc. to children under 6 months to gain weight
Up to six months, babies should be given only breast milk and should not be given fresh cow or goat milk or eggs, etc. in any case because it may cause allergy in children.
According to Dr. Masooma, a mother's milk is enough for children. After that, a small amount of rice or fruit, or vegetables can be given.
Children should be massaged
So any tips for newborns are also useful?
Yes. Babies can be massaged with light hands.
For this, Dr. Masooma suggests using olive oil. According to them, massaging will make the baby feel relaxed.