1st 1000 day awareness

The onset of【the 1st 1000 days】is the successful conception of a baby, and it lasts for 1000 days, proximately 3 years.  It is the most essential life stage of a human being, but also the most fragile life stage of a human being.  All dramatic developmental changes happened within this period can never reappear again in later years.  These development changes include physical development, social emotional development, cognitive development, language development, neurological development, and many other developmental fields.  To ensure all babies have the best start to life, and to protect their opportunities to reach full potential, nothing is more important to promote the【the 1st 1000 days】awareness. 

 

1st 1000 day awareness around the globe
 

In the United Nation, 1000 day projects is actively taking place around the globe, with the joint support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF).  The major aim of these global projects is to ensure all children; especially those who are at developing countries and who are under the poverty line have proper nutrition in the 1st 1000-day window.  This is no doubt a great global project.  However, what children need in this 1000-day is much more than the “basic” proper nutrition, they need all nurturing care for both body and mind.  We need more complete awareness.  NUTURER, a global institute based on Taiwan is the 1st institute around the world in promoting this full awareness.

The children’s huger and poverty in the middle class families

All would agree that both poverty and hunger are main risk factors for children’s welfare.  That’s why many global organizations, including the UN, the WHO, the UNICEF, and so on worked hard to support children suffering social economic status minority.  However, while the SES poverty and physical huger are easier to be seen, the hunger and poverty for love is often invisible.  Surprisingly to many people, this hunger and poverty for love is very common in the middle class family children.  Parents in the middle class family always have all sorts of “plan” for their children, but unfortunately, their children don’t always agree with their plans, especially when they are in the 1st 1000 day window.  What children within this 1000 day needs is love , accompany, and respect, rather than a perfect plan.  This is NOT to say that parents in the middle class families do not love their children, but to say that they need more awareness in loving their little ones especially in the 1st 1000 days.

 

The knowledge and solutions for the 1st 1000 day awareness

 

We all agree that the middle class families are stabilizing anchor forces for a society.  To flourish children’s development in the middle class families is an important step needs to be taken immediately.  The key roles in nurturing children in these families are all adults who are with the children, including parents, teachers, nannies, medical professionals, and the whole society.  To awake them, we need develop knowledge and solutions for the 1st 1000 day awareness.  Since the year of 2003, the knowledge and solutions developed by the NUTURER institute include 「CBM baby/mommy massage program」, 「CBM pre to postnatal massage program」, 「BSS baby sign ‘n’ Sing program」, 「DS dynamic sensory baby yoga program」, 「IAF Infant aquatic facilitator program」, 「NBF natural baby food program」 and more programs are developing.  All these programs are just attractive and appealing for middle class families, and with the knowledge conveyed in these programs, the 1st 1000 day awareness can be reached and more happiness can be created in the families.