By Amar Guriro

KARACHI: Consultant paediatrician and neonatologist, Dr Maqbool Qadir of Agha Khan University Hospital (AKUH), has said regular physical activities are necessary for a child’s growth, and there are many simple, indoor and low-cost methods to keep children active at home.

Addressing an awareness programme held on the World Children’s Day on Friday, he said simple games, such as hide and seek, crawling through a home-made tunnel or an obstacle course, tag and skipping, all involve physical exercise that helps in keeping children fit. “Exercises like ‘hopscotch’ involve jumping and landing besides improving balance and hand-eye coordination,” he said, adding that active children were more likely to become active adults following a healthy lifestyle.

Dr Rehan Ali, another paediatrician and neonatologist at the AKUH, said the most common problem mothers face is of children not wanting to eat; and for that, mothers must let a child choose what to eat, as long as it is nutritious. He said sometimes a child might want to eat a particular food repeatedly for a while, and then not want to eat it at all.

AKUH Child Development Specialist, Dr Aisha Yousafzai, said early childhood, starting from birth till three years of age, is the most important period of a child’s development as this is when the brain develops rapidly; so during these years the family must support the child for a strong foundation in the entire future learning process, language ability and social-emotional behaviours. “Infants learn from birth, exploring the world around them, by seeing, copying, hearing and practicing new skills. The more stimulation we provide for learning, the greater the development benefits,” said Dr Yousafzai.

Addressing the ceremony, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Shazia Masheer said that from the time during pregnancy till delivery and after birth, maternal health and nutrition are essential cornerstones of safe motherhood and child survival.

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