Teaching the alphabet is the foundational step in the learning process for a child. While parents eagerly introduce the letters to their young toddlers, many of them unknowingly make the most common mistakes that undermine their child's learning process. Early literacy has nothing to do with memorization; it involves comprehension of letters' purpose and association with sound, words, and meaning.

It is more than memorizing letters—it's about generating a love for reading and language. Steering clear of some common pitfalls such as overemphasizing letter names rather than sounds, teaching letters in a jumbled sequence, and introducing reading too early, parents can build a more productive learning environment. Introducing phonics, emphasis on lowercase letters first, and make learning engaging and entertaining. Through patience and the right attitude, parents can give their children a lifelong literacy success.

Here, we dissect the most common errors parents commit in teaching the ABCs and how to rectify them for a better and more enjoyable learning process.

1. Teaching Letter Names Rather Than Letter Sounds

One of the greatest myths about teaching the alphabet is teaching letter names prior to sounds. Although adults automatically equate letters with their names (A = Ay, B = Bee, C = See), this is of little use to children in learning to read. Rather, children must know the sounds of letters to merge them into words. For example, instructing a child on the letter names in "C-A-T" yields "See-ay-tee," which does not assist them in reading the word. Yet focusing on phonics—informing them that "C" has a "Kuh" sound, "A" has an "Ah" sound, and "T" has a "Tuh" sound—is how they learn to make and say words.

How to Correct It: Begin teaching phonetic sounds rather than letter names. Incorporate visual and auditory tools like songs, reading books, and hands-on activities that reinforce letter sounds in everyday language.

2. Introducing Letters in Alphabetical Order

Most parents naturally introduce the alphabet in sequence—A, B, C, D, and so on—but this tends to confuse children. Most consecutive letters have similar forms, like b and d, m and n, or p and q. This makes it more difficult for young children to tell them apart.

How to Correct It: Rather than alphabetical order, introduce letters such that visually dissimilar ones are separated. It is advisable for many literacy professionals to begin with high-frequency letters like S, M, A, T, P, C, and H. This makes it easy for children to learn simple words like "cat," "hat," and "map."

3. Prioritizing Capital Letters Over Lowercase Letters

The majority of alphabet teaching tools, including toys, flashcards, and puzzles, stress capital letters. Nevertheless, the lower case constitutes 90% of written material. Learning uppercase letters first can postpone a child's word recognition in books and printed materials.

How to Correct It: Start with lowercase letters because they have more usage in writing and reading. Utilize books, activities, and games that emphasize lowercase letters first before moving on to uppercase.

4. Introducing Reading Before a Child is Ready

All children learn at their own rate, but some parents feel compelled to begin formal reading instruction too early. Young children usually do not have the mental capacity and attention span required for formal reading lessons prior to age four or five. Pressuring them too early can lead to frustration and resistance.

How to Correct It: Puts pre-literacy skills foremost. Promotes storytime, play letter identification, and word awareness in writing from their environment. Reading picture books together, singing rhyming songs, and talking strengthen skills that can only lead eventually to reading readiness.

5. Applying the Inappropriate Font or Letter Type

Various fonts display letters in forms that can be misleading to children. For instance, printed letters in books may appear dissimilar to those in handwriting. Differences in letters like "a" and "g" in various typefaces can make it more difficult for young readers to identify and memorize letter forms.

How to Correct It: Use plain, readable fonts that resemble handwriting. Educational material should employ fonts such as BBA Grade 1, which facilitate children distinguishing between letters better and relating them to known shapes.

6. Dependence on Too Many Flashcards and Worksheets

Most parents utilize worksheets and flashcards to reinforce letters in the child's memory. Although they are useful in reinforcing learning, they are not the best or most interactive means for young children. Children are best taught through direct experience, interaction, and play.

How to Correct It: Engage children in playful, sensory learning of the alphabet. Play with alphabet puzzles, magnetic letters, or writing letters in sand. Creating letters with playdough, finger painting, or letter scavenger hunts are much more effective at reinforcing letter identification in a fun manner.

7. Not Reading Enough to Children

One of the easiest but most neglected literacy-building activities is reading to children. Research has indicated that children who are read to regularly have improved language skills and a better grasp of letters and words. Merely teaching the alphabet in a vacuum without demonstrating its practical application through books can stifle a child's literacy development.

How to Correct It: Read to your child every day, highlighting letters and words as you read. Engage them in reading—have them find certain letters, make guesses about what will happen next, or connect the story to their life. The more they are read to, the more they will understand how letters come together to form words and create meaning.

Oral health is more than just clean teeth and fresh breath—it’s a window into overall health. While most people prioritize brushing and flossing, tongue hygiene often goes ignored. This oversight can lead to problems such as bad breath (halitosis), altered taste, dry mouth, infections, and even systemic health issues. A new review published in journal Cureus, part of Springer Nature, titled Importance of a Healthy Tongue: Could It Be a Reflection of Overall Health in Children? highlights the importance of maintaining a healthy tongue and draws attention to its role in both pediatric and adult oral care.

Why Tongue Health Matters

The tongue is a multifunctional organ, vital for chewing, swallowing, speaking, and tasting. It’s covered with papillae that contain taste buds and serve as a breeding ground for bacteria if not cleaned regularly. Food particles and microorganisms can get trapped, especially on the dorsum of the tongue, causing bad breath and increasing the risk of infections like oral thrush.

Children under 18 months are especially vulnerable due to underdeveloped oral routines and exposure to pacifiers and bottle nipples. In these cases, even breastfed babies can develop thrush, which may be linked to maternal factors such as poor breast hygiene or antibiotic use.

Health Clues from the Tongue

A healthy tongue is typically pink with a slightly rough surface due to papillae. Any changes in color, size, texture, or shape could signal an underlying issue. For example:

• A yellow tongue may suggest infection.

• A gray-black coating could reflect digestive disorders.

• A bluish tint might indicate poor oxygen levels or heart conditions.

• An enlarged (macroglossia) or undersized (microglossia) tongue could point to congenital syndromes, nutritional deficiencies, or inflammatory diseases.

• Certain conditions like geographic tongue, atrophic glossitis, or hairy tongue further show how tongue health connects to systemic wellness, nutritional status, and even immunity.

Children vs. Adults: Different Tongues, Different Needs

In infants, tongue hygiene can start as early as feeding time—using a damp cloth to clean milk residue. As children grow, introducing tongue scraping around age 3 or 4 can help build lifelong habits. However, many children resist the sensation, and their motor skills may not yet allow for effective cleaning. Making the process fun and rewarding helps, as does school-based education.

For adults, the stakes are different. With age, taste sensitivity may diminish, and poor hygiene may go unnoticed. Lifestyle factors—smoking, diet, medications—can contribute to bacterial buildup and systemic effects. For example, research links poor oral hygiene to cardiovascular risks. Regular tongue cleaning, hydration, and avoiding tobacco use can mitigate such issues.

Small Step, Big Impact

The tongue plays a central role in maintaining a healthy oral environment. A few seconds spent scraping the tongue during routine brushing can prevent several oral and systemic problems. Yet, it remains a neglected part of oral care, especially among children and older adults. Pediatricians, dentists, and caregivers must reinforce its importance from infancy through old age.

Pregnancy can be a very difficult time for women. They are not only providing for themselves but also working on building a new being. This only drains them of their energy but also costs them their health. There is a delicate balance between keeping themselves healthy, and making sure their unborn child remains unharmed.

What many people do not know is that even small things like gaining weight during pregnancy, or being overweight before the pregnancy, could be the reason why their children could be suffering from health issues.

A new study reveals that children born to women who are obese face a greater chance of being hospitalized due to a severe infection. This risk is particularly pronounced in early life and continues into adolescence.

Risk Across Childhood

Babies under one year old had a 41% higher chance of being hospitalized for an infection if their mom was very obese during pregnancy. This was reported by researchers on June 3 in the journal BMJ Medicine. The study also found that this increased risk lasts into childhood and even the teen years, with kids aged 5 to 15 being 53% more likely to need hospital care for an infection.

The research team noted that most of these extra hospital stays were for breathing issues, stomach problems, and common viral infections. They stressed that these findings show how important it is to help women get and stay at a healthy weight before they get pregnant.

Growing Problem and What the Study Found

The number of pregnant women who are obese has almost doubled in recent decades. It went from less than 9% in the 1990s to over 16% in the 2010s. To look into the possible health risks for children when moms are obese during pregnancy, researchers studied 9,540 births in Bradford, U.K., between March 2007 and December 2010. They found that about 56% of the mothers in this study were overweight or obese during their pregnancy.

The results clearly showed that moms with severe obesity (a body mass index, or BMI, of 35 or higher) had children with a higher chance of getting infections. (BMI is a way to guess how much body fat a person has based on their height and weight.)

What's Causing the Risk?

Interestingly, some things often linked to obesity during pregnancy weren't as big of a factor as expected. For example, pre-term birth (babies born early) only explained 7% of the link between a mom's obesity and childhood infections. However, C-section birth explained a larger 21% of the risk, and the child being obese by ages 4 or 5 explained 26%. This suggests that dealing with C-section rates or childhood obesity could help lower kids' infection risk.

Researchers think that a mom's obesity during pregnancy might affect a child's inflammation, genes, how their body uses food, and their gut bacteria. Any of these could impact the child's developing immune system, making them more likely to get infections.

Why a Healthy Weight Before Pregnancy Matters

The study concludes that doctors should encourage women who are able to have children to reach and keep a healthy weight. The researchers pointed out that pregnancy is a great time to make lasting healthy changes to one's lifestyle. So, supporting women during pregnancy and after birth to make healthier food and lifestyle choices could help both the mom's health and her child's weight, possibly lowering their risk of infections.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is conducting a comprehensive review of infant formula ingredients. It was initiated under the guidance of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as part of his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, pledging to overhaul the U.S. food supply.

Behind this action is a mounting concern: although infant formula is still a staple for scores of American families, the science and nutritional criteria used to produce it have not materially changed since 1998. With changing worldwide research on infant nutrition and increasingly anxious parents worrying about contaminants, additives, and ingredient disclosure, this review could not be more timely.

Roughly 75% of U.S. infants are dependent on formula for the first six months, and for nearly 40%, it is the exclusive source of nutrition, as the CDC reports. In spite of world campaigns promoting exclusive breastfeeding, infant formula has emerged as a lifeline for parents who are unable—or unwilling—to breastfeed because of medical concerns, work schedules, or personal preference.

Formula is made to imitate breast milk of human women and usually comes from cow milk or soy. According to present FDA guidelines, every infant formula product is required to have 30 nutrients essential for infants in specific proportions. Yet, the technology of infants' digestion and nutrition requirements has progressed immensely, leading experts to wonder if the standards are yet sufficient.

Why Is The Government's Pushing for Nutritional Transparency?

Secretary Kennedy's call to action comes as part of a comprehensive national effort to enhance the U.S. food supply chain. The review is happening in the face of increasing parental distrust and industry trends which indicate that existing rules might not be completely in accordance with recent worldwide research on infant feeding. This effort will take into consideration an array of factors, including:

• Nutrient content and bioavailability
• Incidence of contaminants such as heavy metals
• Variations in international nutritional standards
• Possible threats from added sugars and seed oils

There is a planned roundtable discussion where scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers will engage in a debate on infant formula in the U.S. The FDA currently invites public and expert comment until the September 11 deadline.

What Are The Ingredients in Infant Formula?

Although the current formula is deemed safe, scientists insist that modern science highlights new nutritional findings not necessarily captured by existing rules. The FDA's 30-list of essential nutrients has not changed much since the 90s—even though studies on breast milk composition have dramatically changed.

Some of the main issues under consideration are:

Iron Content: American formulas generally have more iron content than European ones. Iron is crucial but, like too much of anything, could have unexpected side effects, so a rethinking may be in order.

DHA and HMOs: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are recent additions designed to make formula as much like human milk as possible. Yet these are not necessary in every product.

Added Sugars: Corn syrup solids and glucose are common in certain formulas and can be responsible for early weight gain. Lactose, the natural sugar found in breast milk, is a better option.

Seed Oils: Widely maligned by health activists, seed oils are nevertheless essential to matching the fatty acid profile of breast milk, according to experts.

Bridget Young, an infant nutritionist at the University of Rochester, pressed the point to examine beyond ingredient labels to consider bioavailability—how well the body can absorb and utilize these foods.

Kennedy's bill also seems to be in response to lessons gleaned from the 2022 formula shortage, when contamination of an Abbott plant caused a national shortage. Parents frantically sought to get safe food into their babies, demonstrating how weak and undiversified the U.S. formula supply chain really is.

More compatibility with global standards, analysts contend, would have alleviated the shortage by facilitating faster importation of safe foreign-made brands. Kennedy's proposal seeks to avoid such disruptions by increasing regulatory leeway and strengthening safety protocols.

Should Parents Be Worried?

Some parents have in the last few years opted for European infant formulas, deeming them to be more healthy because of variations in ingredient listings and the degree of labeling transparency.

Though European and American recipes vary in iron levels or forms of sugar, neither is inherently superior. Each is constructed within a distinct regulatory and cultural context.

Rather than advocating for one over the other, Kennedy's report aims to take the best from both worlds merging U.S. regulation with evidence-driven international nutritional research.

What Parents Need to Know Before Buying Baby Formula

While no short-term changes are being implemented to the amount or type of infant formula available on retail shelves, the review is a significant departure from the manner in which the federal government plans to regulate the nutrition of babies.

The review will take a minimum of one year and will require coordination among government, industry, pediatric nutritionists, and consumers. Abrams cautions that this cannot be a cosmetic effort: "No shortcuts are possible. No one white paper or committee report will suffice."

For the moment, health professionals are assuring parents that infant formulas available today are still safe and nutritionally adequate. But the future could bring formulas that are not only safe but even more biologically relevant and designed to the most recent science regarding infant development.