Text/Yang Wei (researcher at the Institute of Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences)

In spring and summer, when the Yang energy is strong, the temperature is comfortable, and the rain is abundant, all things have entered the most vigorous period of growth. . The child's various functions are strong and develop rapidly, just like the rising sun, bright and bright, and it is called a "pure Yang body". When the yang energy is strong, the child's growth and development will speed up.

Human beings and the natural Qi of heaven and earth interact with each other. In the spring and summer, the body's Yang Qi rises and becomes abundant, metabolism accelerates, and children's growth and development has also reached the most rapid period.

According to medical surveys, children grow the fastest in May and the slowest in October. The average growth is more than double, which is consistent with the traditional views of traditional Chinese medicine.

Pay attention to careful parenting at this time, and your child will definitely grow faster and stronger. When children are growing rapidly, they may experience physiological growing pains, that is, pain in limb joints or abdominal pain.

At this time, you should comfort the child, eliminate his tension, and then massage the painful area for a while to allow the local qi and blood to circulate. You can also take some mulberry branches, peach branches, honeysuckle vines, and Shenjincao. Boil water and take a bath to help relieve pain.

Children's growth and development is a continuous process of change, but it is not uniform. Sometimes there will be significant leaps in development, as if after a pivotal stage, a large chunk suddenly grows.

Modern medicine has the concept of "junction age", which is summarized in traditional Chinese medicine as "turning into steam". Generally speaking, before a child is one and a half years old, there will be a leap in development every 32 days or so.

As the child "steams" time and time again, the child grows qi and blood, strengthens the body, develops spirit, and improves wisdom. There are obvious improvements in both physical, emotional and intellectual aspects. Not only the height, weight, and head As the body grows, movement, perception, language, personality and other aspects are also improving.

Whenever some children become "steamy", they will have a low-grade fever below 37.5℃ for a day or two (but the behind the ears and buttocks are not hot to the touch), or their temperament will change, they will be irritable or silent. Silent, not wanting to feed, vomiting milk, or crying for no reason.

These discomforts may be caused by rapid growth. Just pay attention to maintenance and replenish water. If this is the case, observe first. Do not mistake the child for a disease and give medicine, which will interfere with the growth. His growth.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that we should comply with the strong vitality in spring and summer, pay attention to maintaining Yang Qi, and do not violate the harmony of nature. There is a saying of "nourishing Yang in spring and summer".

The warmth of the sun is the source of energy, and the yang energy of the human body also comes from the warmth of the sun.

On sunny days, take your children to run and jump outdoors more, enjoy the nourishment of the sun, and sunbathe. You can not only get more vitamin D, help the uptake and absorption of calcium and phosphorus, and promote Bone growth can also kill germs, increase metabolism, enhance the body's disease resistance, and help children grow up healthily.

In layman’s terms, it is necessary to maintain the body’s yang energy. On the one hand, kinetic energy generates yang, while cold damages yang. Children should be encouraged to play more games, exercise more, and not be greedy for cold drinks. On the other hand, children must be educated to respect and protect nature from an early age.

Ancient sages believed that all things sprout in spring and grow in summer, so that people can enjoy the joy of harvest. Therefore, they advocated plowing and sowing in spring and summer, and it was forbidden to cut down trees or burn forests, and not to destroy bird's nests wantonly. Or steal bird eggs, not hunt pregnant females and cubs, etc., all embodying the wisdom of Chinese civilization of caring for the ecology and living in harmony with nature.

Pay special attention when sunbathing. Your baby's skin is still very delicate. Strong or prolonged exposure to the sun can cause injury to your baby.

Choose to take your baby outdoors before 10 a.m. and after 3 p.m. to avoid the sharp midday sun. It is best to move in the shade of trees, or alternate between sunlight and shade.

For children, a good night's sleep is very important, because the child's sleep shoulders the dual tasks of restoring energy, growth and development, and is a healthy sleep that promotes his growth!

During the day and night, the Yang Qi and Yin Qi of the human body perform their respective duties. Yang Qi is born in the middle of the night, and Yang Qi is at its strongest at noon. During the day, Yang Qi is active, and people are awake and active. At night, Yin Qi is dominant, and people need to rest. The rise, rest, and recovery of Yang Qi depend on a good night's sleep.

The muscles of a sleeping child relax, the heartbeat slows down, the breathing becomes steady, the fatigue after activities disappears, and the secretion of growth hormone at night is much greater than during the day, and sufficient energy reserves can support better growth. development.

Making necessary preparations before going to bed will help improve the quality of rest.

Traditional Chinese medicine often says that "if the stomach is not in harmony, the child will not be able to sleep well". Children's self-control ability is not enough. Eating too much before going to bed or being in a state of semi-starvation will affect the quality of sleep. It is best to adjust the child's total amount of food before going to bed according to the child's digestive ability. It is not advisable to stay full or hungry.

Dinner should include fish, shrimp, lean meat and other meaty foods, as well as steamed buns, noodles, rice, sweet corn and other grains. Tomatoes, bananas, apples and other fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients and easy to digest and absorb. Make it easier for children to fall asleep.

Milk is recognized as a soporific food. Many children drink milk before going to bed. However, it should also be noted that some children will have bloating after drinking milk. You can give them yogurt instead.

As children grow up, their sleep time will gradually shorten. Although there are individual differences in sleeping more and less, it is indispensable to arrange sleep time reasonably and develop good sleep habits from an early age.

Give your child a warm and comfortable sleeping environment, a set of soft-colored bedding, and soft and breathable pajamas to let him have a good and comfortable sleep!

Egg Lily Porridge

Lily has the effect of calming the mind and calming the mind. You can steam lily egg custard to help you sleep. The method is very simple. Just put a few slices of raw lily into the steamed egg custard and steam it together. It tastes slightly sweet and has a light aroma. It is delicious and can help you sleep.

The Du Meridian and the Foot-Taiyang Bladder Meridian pass through the middle of the back of the human body. Massage stimulates these two meridians, which can have the effect of unblocking Yang Qi, smoothing Qi and blood, adjusting Yin and Yang, and improving the function of the organs.

Back massage or chiropractic therapy commonly used in pediatrics can not only improve children's indigestion, coughing, night crying and other symptoms, but can also invigorate Yang Qi, adjust the function of internal organs, and have the health-care effect of promoting children's growth and development.

At home, you can often do simple back massages for your children to stimulate the meridians on the back, invigorate the yang energy, promote growth and development, and enhance the parent-child relationship through caressing in this way.

Let the child lie prone, with his back relaxed. Along the midline of the back, use the pads of your thumb and index finger and middle finger to align, and continuously lift and pinch the skin from the tailbone to the neck, lifting hard every 3 to 5 times. Once, push forward while pinching.

Simple back massage

Before going to bed, give your child a hot bath, wipe off the water or apply some moisturizing lotion, and let the child lie down and relax. Use the palm of your hand to gently press down on the center of the child's back, gradually moving down from the neck to the buttocks, repeat 7 times.

Then do a skin lifting movement from bottom to top along the middle of the back (refer to the chiropractic method), then repeat the pressing movement from the neck to the buttocks 7 times, and finally stretch it gently lengthwise. Limbs, complete a full massage.

In order to promote the growth and development of children, you can make some foods that can nourish the liver, kidneys, and spleen and stomach for your children.

Pig Trotter Soup Wash and blanch 2 fresh pig trotters, add 5 grams of wolfberry, 3 grams of Eucommia ulmoides, and 2 hawthorns, put them in a casserole, add water, and simmer over low heat until soft. , drink soup and eat meat after seasoning, which is helpful for children with weak muscles and bones, delay in standing and delay in walking.

You can also add wolfberry, eucommia, and hawthorn to the pork rib soup and stick bone soup.

Yam porridge

Make porridge with japonica rice, add an appropriate amount of fresh yam slices, white lentils, and tangerine peel and cook together. After the porridge is cooked, let it be eaten warm. It is good for children who are thin and have weak spleen and stomach. Useful.