Kids Develop self-esteem even before they turn five

Children may develop a sense of self-esteem even before they begin kindergarten, reveals an interesting research.

"We found that by as young as five years of age, self-esteem is established strongly enough to be measured using sensitive techniques," said lead study author Dario Cvencek, research scientist at University of Washington.

Researchers created a Preschool Implicit Association Test (PSIAT), to measure how strongly children feel positively about themselves.

To make the task appropriate for preschoolers, a mix of 234 boys and girls of five-year-old from the Seattle area, replaced words related to the self ("me," "not me") with objects. They used small unfamiliar flags, and where told about "yours" and "not yours".

Using buttons on a computer, children responded to a series of "me" and "not me" flags, using words and pressing the buttons.

The results showed that the five-year-old associated themselves more with "good" than with "bad", and this was equally pronounced in both girls and boys.

A gender identity task assessed the children's sense of whether they are a boy or a girl, called a "gender in-group preference".

Children with high self-esteem and strong sense of gender identity showed preferences for members of their own gender.

"Self-esteem appears to play a critical role in how children form various social identities. Our findings underscore the importance of the first five years as a foundation for life," Cvencek said.

Avoid cosmetics during first 3 months for a Healthy Baby

Expectant mothers in their first trimester should avoid certain cosmetics, cleaning agents and medicines, to protect the  developing fetal brain from chemicals that can trigger autism, suggest health researchers from York University in Canada.

"The products that we use on a daily basis, such as creams and cosmetics, contain chemicals that could potentially affect a developing baby during pregnancy," said one of the researchers professor Dorota Crawford.

Besides cosmetics and lotions, the list of products that expectant mothers should avoid during first trimester, according to the researchers, include - cleaning solvents, pesticides, non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as acetylsalicylic acid, misoprostol (a drug used for inducing labour), poly-chlorinated bisphenyls used as industrial lubricants, polybrominated diphenyl ether found in wood and textiles, phthalates in PVC flooring, and children's toys.

Aside from the type of chemical a pregnant woman is exposed to, the duration, the frequency and the concentration level also impact a developing brain at the prenatal stage, the researchers said.

According to the researchers, prenatal brain development undergoes constant changes and its normal functioning depends greatly on the presence of specific genes at any given time.

Since environmental factors influence the expression levels of these critical genes, it is important for an expectant mother to be aware and cautious of exposure to these factors.