Dr Genevieve Insaidoo, a Paediatrician and Programmes Director, Centre for Pregnancy and Childbirth Education (CePaCE), Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Wednesday said the first two years in the life of a child were very critical for its growth and development.
She said also 80 per cent of its brain growth happened in those years.
Dr Insaidoo said this at a two-day workshop organised by Compassion International Ghana (CIG) for Pastors, Directors and Implementers of some of its selected Frontline Church Partners in Accra.
The workshop is to review its Survival and Early Childhood Programme and empower participants to play their roles and responsibilities effectively and efficiently.
It is also to help identify gaps and how best to resolve them.
Dr Insaidoo therefore called on parents to give their babies the maximum attention, support and nutrients during these formative periods.
She reiterated that babies should be given only breast milk in the first six months after their birth adding that “formula should not be given to babies without expert advice as it can be diluted or over concentrated.”
Dr Insaidoo also advised against giving babies under six months honey as she said it contained bacteria that could cause stunted growth or cause harm to the baby.
Mad Priscilla Afua Dunyo, a Public Health Practitioner called on the participants to work hard to improve adolescent family planning, anaemia in adolescents and help reduce adolescent pregnancy in their localities.
She noted that though interventions differ due to locations all should be geared toward the well-being of children.
Naa Koshie Lamptey of the Early Childhood Council reminded parents that the technology had come with its challenges exposing children to a lot of harm and appealed to them to implore innovative ways in their parenting jobs to enable children identify and develop their passion.
Ms Florence Sena Amponsah, Senior Manager of Programmes, CIG said her organisation was working to improve on its survival programming to supplement what the government was doing and not duplicate it.
Mad. Elesi Menka, Programme Support Specialist, CIG called on Implementers of Survival Programme the FCPs not to relent on their efforts in educating co-beneficiaries to take their health and that of the beneficiaries seriously.
CIG is a faith based non-governmental organisation that works to release children from poverty.
GNA
