Aloe vera is a popular medicinal plant that has been used for thousands of years. It is best known for treating skin injuries, but also has several other beneficial effects on health. This is a list of the benefits of aloe vera: 1. It contains healthy plant compounds Aloe vera is a thick, short-stemmed plant that stores water in its leaves. It is widely used in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries, and has an estimated annual market value of $13 billion globally . Aloe vera is well recognized by its thick, pointed and fleshy green leaves, which can grow to about 12-19 inches (30-50 cm) in length. Each leaf is full of a slimy tissue that stores water, which makes the leaves thick. This slimy, water-filled tissue is the "gel" we associate with Aloe vera products. The gel contains most of the bioactive compounds in the plant, including vitamins , minerals, amino acids and antioxidants . Summary: Aloe vera is a popular medicinal plant tha

Not only are sweet potatoes readily available, inexpensive, and delicious, they have many other benefits for your health. Below are 9 benefits of Sweet Potato: 1.  They are high in vitamin B6 . Vitamin B6 helps reduce the chemical homocysteine in our bodies. Homocysteine has been linked with degenerative diseases, including heart attacks. 2. They are a good source of vitamin C .  While most people know that vitamin C is important to help ward off cold and flu viruses, few people are aware that this crucial vitamin plays an important role in bone and tooth formation, digestion, and blood cell formation. It helps accelerate wound healing, produces collagen which helps maintain skin’s youthful elasticity , and is essential to helping us cope with stress. It even appears to help protect our body against toxins that may be linked to cancer. 3.  They are a good source of vitamin D, which helps build healthy bones. Vitamin D is critical for immune system and overall he

Okro is a popular plant product that is highly nutritious and medicinal. The English countries know it has “ladies’ fingers”, Yorubas call it “ila”, Igbos call it “Okuru”. It  belongs to the vegetable family, thus it is a vegetable. The mucilaginous nature of Okro can be proven by its slimy outcome when cooked. It is  economically within reach. It can be cooked, pickled, eaten raw or included in salads. Okro in its raw form contains 90% water, 2% protein, 7% carbohydrate, vitamin c, vitamin k, foliate, magnesium, thiamin, and unsaturated fats. The benefits of Okro to the human body can not be overlooked.  Some of them are as follows; It regulates the blood sugar levels : the fiber found in it, curbs the rate at which sugar is being absorbed from the intestinal tract. It aids digestion : the high content of water in Okro helps in lubricating the large intestines thereby making the passage of waste from the human body very easy. It prevents constipation : this is ma

Potty training is the process of teaching a young child to use the Potty( a smaller bowl-shaped device) for urination and defecation. The success of Potty training hinges on both the physical and emotional readiness of the child, rather than specific age. Some children start as early as 2 years old, others start later. It depends on individual, it has nothing to do with intelligence. There are however certain skills that your wards must have or master before Potty training starts; She must show interest in the Potty chair/toilet She should be able to follow simple directions She should be able to indicate through posture or facial expression that she wants to poo She gets easily irritated by wet or dirty diapers She should be able to pull up/down her Pants herself She can sit and rise from a Potty chair GETTING STARTED The best way to start is by maintaining a positive attitude and carrying along other of your child’s caregiver; babysitter, nanny, grandparents, etc. Th

                              For a baby under 6months, water is not necessary, but also not harmful. In other words: it’s fine to give your baby sips. Starting solids at 6months doesn’t mean you have to start water too, although it can help treat the constipation that might result from the solids. A common mistake that parents make is to give extra water on a hot day in lieu of breastmilk. This can lead to electrolyte imbalances in a young baby. When the baby is older and starting to use a sippy cup, I prefer parents fill the cup with water, and not juice. Toddlers and older kids need to drink several cups of water each day – not several cups of juice. Kids get too much sugar as it is. A little juice is a nice treat, but I think it is important that when kids are thirsty and they ask for water,then water should be given. It will help them develop a healthy habit that will last a lifetime. WHEN DO I NEED TO START GIVING MY BABY WATER AND OTHER DRINKS? As a newborn, ba

Aggression is a feeling of anger resulting in hostile or violent behaviour, readiness to attack or confront. Aggression in children is usually manifested by throwing of tantrum, kicking, biting, hiting, etc. Aggressive behaviour could cause physical  or emotional damage to the aggressive child or others. It is usually seen as a normal part of the child’s developmental stages; as the child can’t talk or put his/her emotions in words, thus the only medium available to the child for expressing his/her feelings and emotions is through some sort of non verbal expressions ( biting, hiting,tantrum throwing)which could be perceived as aggressive. However, when this persist in a child, parents should pay a keen attention to it, it could be a pointer to tell that such child is having a behavioural disorder, which if not properly addressed at a tender age can degenerate to making the child grow up as a malformed teenager/adult.                                       CAUSES OF AGGRESSION IN

A balanced diet is a meal that contains all the necessary or essential nutrients in proper or adequate proportions in order to maintain good health. Balanced diet is very vital because, it plays a major/key role in the effective and efficient functioning of the human body organs and tissues. Growing children especially need balanced diet for the enhancement of their proper growth and development . Children who are not fed with balanced diets are prone to have growth and developmental problems, even their cognitive organs won’t develop well, thereby leading to poor academic performance. The opposite of balanced diet is poor diet, poor diet results when the body is not fed with foods rich in the required nutrients and also in the appropriate proportions. Poor diet makes people highly susceptible to infections, diseases, fatigue which will bring about poor performance at work or in the persons academic. Studies have shown that a lot of death caused by one disease or the other, ar

Cold is a general feeling of unwellness which is usually accompanied by cough, runny nose and sore throat. It begins with a build up of mucus in the child's throat, followed by a postnatal drip. The mucus turns darker and thicker after sometime. Cold is a condition that cannot be addressed with the use of an antibiotic, the reason being that cold is a viral illness. Colds are not totally dangerous in healthy children, they are pointers to show that your child's system is active. Colds go away between 4 to 10 days without treatment. The cold season usually spans between September - April. These periods, children are highly susceptible to colds. There are symptoms to show that your child is catching a cold. Some of the symptoms include: Sneezing (with eyes turning red) Fatigue Fever (not often) Cough Stomach pain Sore throat Diarrhoea and vomiting are experienced in some cases if the viruses attack your child's throat, ears, sinuses and bronchial tubes. Cold

Lemon grass is a tropical island plant which belongs to the grass family. Lemon grass is commonly found in Asia, Africa, Australia. Lemon grass is highly beneficial to the human body and children are not left out. The benefits of lemon grass in children are numerous. Some of them are as follows: It aids digestion : Lemon grass aids digestion of foods in children. The antiseptic compounds found in lemon grass kills bad bacteria and parasites which are found in the digestive tract. These bacteria and parasites hinder proper digestion in children. It alleviates respiratory problems: Lemon grass content of antibacterial and antifungal properties help the body cope with coughs, fever and other flu symptoms. The trace of vitamin C found in lemon grass boosts the immune systems of the children, which enables them to fight infections. Mucus and phlegm are also broken down thereby clearing the air ways in children. It promotes smooth and shining skin : Lemon grass helps the skins

Titus fish is a type of seafood which is very oily and high in protein. The regular intake of titus fish in children helps in reducing the chances of them developing heart/cardiovascular diseases, because of the large amount of omega 3 fatty acids it contains. According to researches, Omega 3 fatty acids are very essential for children's health in terms of their growth and developments. Titus fish is highly beneficial to children because of its ability to promote neurological development. Parents should not be worried about the dangers of the traces of methyl mercury (an environmental contaminant) present in fish. If they become too worried, and refuse to give their children fish because of this factor, they are exposing their children to more harm than the methyl Mercury does. The fear for children's consumption of methyl mercury can be alleviated by moderating the intake of titus fish. If your child consumes a large amount of it, his/her nerve cells can be affecte

Immunisation is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an agent. The human immune system helps the body to fight and ward off germs by producing substances to combat them. Vaccines help to trigger the immune system of a healthy person to respond to and build immunity. Immunisation is very essential in babies because it prevents a lot of life threatening diseases. It serves as a protector against diseases like measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough etc. Immunisation protects your babies from illness and serious health harms such as meningitis, pneumonia, paralysis, deafness, seizures, brain damage, or even death. Immunisation prevents the chances of your  children having a disability. Immunisation does not only protect the child against deadly diseases, but also helps in developing children's immune systems. A lot of diseases that cause infant mortality have been successfully put away t

Coconut water is very useful for children. It does wonders in them, just as the way this liquid gets into coconut is a wonder. Coconut water is very good for children because it contains essential nutrients such as riboflavin,  calcium,  manganese and vitamin C. It is very healthy for children.  It has moderate amount of sugar, sodium and protein. It however has a high content of electrolytes, chlorides, potassium and magnesium. Coconut water comes handy in preventing dehydration  (a condition whereby the baby loses body water), especially when children are down with diarrhoea, because of its high content of sodium in coconut water, it has the ability to replenish the natural solids lost by the body as a result of dehydration. Another good thing about coconut water is that it is absolutely pure, as long as it was opened before you, you bever 100% sure of its beingredients free from contamination. Coconut is a wonder food, it is so because it vcontains all the essential