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National Children’s Day creates another conversation on nutrition
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t has been brought to attention in recent years that most Indonesian children lack the appropriate nutrition, and that parents need to ensure children are getting the necessary balanced nutrients.
“The pattern of nurturing, caring and nurturing also includes good nutrition from birth. Provide nutritious and adequate breast milk and complementary foods to support child development. Make sure parents provide a variety of complete nutritious foods consisting of protein, carbohydrates, fiber and fat in amounts and proportions that are adjusted for age," said pediatrician Citra Amelinda.
Resep Roemah (Home Recipes), a micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) offers a solution for parents and caregivers. Established in August 2020, the brand provides a variety of fresh, nutritious and halal food without monosodium glutamate (MSG) and preservatives, and is safe for children.
"Resep Roemah is here as an effort to answer the family's need for healthy food products for children, especially during the pandemic. We produce more than 70 selections of side dishes, soups and seasonings. The way of serving it only needs to be steamed, boiled or fried for less than 20 minutes for the entire dish,” owner Steven Hadi Gunawan said during a virtual media gathering on July 22.
Both Citra and Steven took part in the gathering held by Tokopedia to celebrate National Children’s Day, which falls on July 23 of every year. During the event, Citra discussed and shared tips on how to raise a child, in line with this year’s theme of ensuring the fulfillment of children's rights to live, grow, develop and participate fairly in accordance with human dignity and protection from violence and discrimination.
Steven noted that the brand’s presence on Tokopedia has benefited greatly and evidently shows how much parents care about a balanced diet for their offspring. Revealing that a large portion of purchases is from Makassar, South Sulawesi, he said that more than 60 percent of orders come from the platform and the turnover has increased to hundreds of millions of rupiah over the past three months.
Moreover, Tokopedia reveals that the number of transactions in the mother and child category of the e-commerce platform is higher than most. Some of the areas that experience an increase in transactions for this category include the districts of Hulu Sungai Tengah, Demak and Jayawijaya. This trend is driven by various initiatives including Tokopedia Parents, a special ecosystem that helps families get relevant information and shop for products for children and families more safely.
"During the first half of 2022, the mother and child category was still one of the most popular categories at Tokopedia. Products such as backpacks, T-shirts, breast milk boosters, milk for pregnant women and Montessori toys are some of the best-selling products," said Tokopedia head of category development Ramadhan Niendraputra.
Prior to discussing nutrition, Citra also touched on four suggestions for parenting. They are: engaging in children’s activities, applying responsive parenting, building trust during trying times and teaching discipline.
“Children's golden period is in the first 1,000 days. It is calculated from the time the child is in the womb until the age of 2 years. It is called the golden period because, at this time, the child's growth and development take place very rapidly, creating the basic foundations for later development," said Citra.
Therefore, being a part of a child’s activity from an early age is crucial in order to develop a bond.
However, the child should be left to choose which activities they want to take part in as they grow up, which is why Citra also encouraged parents to take a responsive role. Parents are expected to maximize their children’s development according to their best potential, as opposed to being viewed as too strict or indifferent.
“When a child asks to talk or asks a question, for example, answer in a language that is easy to understand and give the opportunity for the child to respond back. If the child is still a baby, pay attention to the eyes and chatter, which are also a form of communication between children and their parents," she said on the importance of direct communication.
It is also crucial for parents to be there when a child is facing problems, therefore providing a shoulder to lean on and help come up with a solution. According to Citra, this valuable experience can build self-confidence and problem-solving skills from an early age.
“Children need regular routines because this is important in forming good habits so as to create a feeling of security and comfort for children. Parents can apply a regular and consistent schedule for sleeping, eating and playing according to the different needs of each age,” Citra explained about discipline.
