Sentuhan Bayu™

Handmade Cloth Wipes at SentuhanBayu.biz

2012-02-24T16:29:00.001+08:00

SentuhanBayu is adding new Cloth Wipes in the Lily Made category. ^_^ yes, I made those cloth wipes. This also means that all these cute prints are very limited (4 sets each prints) and the material is exclusively chosen by the fussy me.

It is now on a promo price of RM32.99 per set & each sets contains 6 washable cloth wipes. Size is at approximate 6 by 6 inches.

To purchase, pls visit our online shop www.SentuhanBayu.biz

Give the elder child a break - By Ruth Liew

2012-02-24T10:26:00.000+08:00

It may be disheartening for the older kid to always be asked to give in to his sibling.ARE you treating your elder child unfairly to protect the younger one? I remember my parents telling me that I, as the eldest of three children, should be a good role model to my siblings.
Like many an eldest child, I was expected to take on more responsibilities with the arrival of each new sibling.My grandmother would punish me harshly when my sister and I fought. She would take her side because my sister would be the first to cry when approached.I was often told: “You are the eldest sister. You must give in to your younger siblings.”

Generally, oldest children are subjected to stricter discipline and expected to meet higher standards than their younger siblings.Owing to new parents’ anxiety, the first-born may often end up being expected to grow up faster than he could cope.Parents are unaware of the message they send to both older and younger children when they step in to protect the latter.

An aunt wrote to me about her two nephews aged four and six. She was concerned that whenever the boys got into trouble with one another, their mother would not heed the eldest’s defence of himself.Instead, she would force him to own up to his faults as a way to shield the younger lad.What may happen is that the latter will learn to resolve conflicts by manipulating their parents against the older brother or sister. In the case of these two brothers, the younger son would never admit his mistakes but put the blame on his brother.Sadly, many busy parents opt to use the least amount of time and effort to get their children to behave properly.
They will punish them when they can’t get them to co-operate. They will be dismayed to find that children in their early years do not benefit much from such an approach.

What these kids need is to learn and develop appropriate skills in handling conflicts.Children as young as about one-and-a-half years old are capable of observing the way their parents manage sibling conflicts. They know how to manipulate the situation to their favour.

I remember my younger daughter would cry louder than her sister when they were confronted after making a mistake.Parents who want to teach their children fair play must first practise what they preach.If two children are struggling over a toy, help them find a solution to their problem. Refrain from asking: “Who started the fight first?” or “Who got the toy first?”

Parents fare better when they help both children learn to be accountable for their actions.Tell both children: “You have to get along and work things out between you. Let me know if you need my help to offer suggestions on how to play together without fighting.”

When children have decided on a solution, accept and respect their choice. Do not act as adjudicator in the dispute.Children need to know that fighting is never about who is right or wrong. Both parties must be responsible for their roles in the argument.Refrain from comparing their differences as siblings. The last thing a child needs to hear is: “You are older. You should know better.”

It is exasperating for any kid to constantly bear the brunt of his parents’ ire. Consequently, he may feel he is never good enough for his parents while his younger sibling may end up feeling that he needs protection all the time.To encourage both siblings to feel capable and independent, parents must be prepared to accept each child for their strengths and weaknesses.

Help them achieve their individual goals.Siblings find it harder to get along when parents make comments such as: “Why can’t you get the answer? Your younger brother can remember but you can’t.”
Emphasise on their kind deeds towards one another. Saying things like: “It’s very nice of you to help your sister with her shoes,” can make a big, positive difference to your children’s lives together.

Ruth Liew is a child developmentalist, Montessori trainer and examiner. A mother of two teenage daughters, she is committed to supporting children’s rights.

Check Out Friday Deal at SentuhanBayu.biz !!

2012-02-17T08:41:00.000+08:00

TGIF!! Do check out our Friday Deal. Its running only for 24 hours.

Hindari sambut Hari Kekasih oleh DR. AMINUDIN MANSOR

2012-02-14T21:03:00.000+08:00

SECARA umumnya, budaya adalah apa yang kita lakukan dan amalkan dalam kehidupan seharian. Budaya Melayu-Islam adalah berpaksikan ajaran Islam yang luhur dan murni. Oleh itu, pemahaman tentang budaya sangat penting kepada golongan remaja pada hari ini. Budaya ikut-ikutan tidak memberi manfaat, malah boleh memesongkan akidah kita.Sebagai contoh, hari ini iaitu 14 Februari, ada sambutan Hari Kekasih atau lebih dikenali sebagai Hari Valentine yang mula dihebohkan melalui media massa.

Sesungguhnya, Hari Kekasih dari cerita dan sejarahnya bukanlah budaya Islam. Ia perlu dihindari dan dijauhi agar remaja kita tidak terikut dengan budaya ikut-ikutan.Apa yang paling parah budaya ini menular di sekolah-sekolah. Ada segelintir remaja atau pelajar kita terikut-ikut dengan budaya menyambut Hari Kekasih ini dengan memberi hadiah bunga kepada kekasih atau teman di sekolah. Justeru, ibu bapa dan guru khususnya guru mata pelajaran Islam haruslah memberi penjelasan, pemahaman dan penerangan kepada mereka yang terlibat.Kita baru sahaja menyambut Maulidul Rasul, iaitu hari kelahiran Nabi SAW. Justeru, bagindalah yang sepatutnya ditanam sebagai kekasih kita umat Islam. Selain berusaha mendapat belas kasihan daripada Allah SWT iaitu dengan nama Allah Yang Maha Pengasih, Maha Penyayang.
Jika diteliti surah al-Fatihah Ayat 1-7 menjelaskan: Segala puji bagi Allah, Tuhan seluruh Alam, Yang Maha Pengasih Maha Penyayang, pemilik hari pembalasan. Hanya kepada Engkaulah kami menyembah dan hanya kepada Engkaulah kami mohon pertolongan. Tunjukkan kami jalan yang lurus, (iaitu) jalan-jalan orang-orang yang telah Engkau beri nikmat kepadanya; bukan (jalan) mereka yang dimurkai, dan bukan pula jalan) mereka yang sesat.

Jalan yang lurus, iaitu jalan yang benar, yang dapat membuat ke arah kebahagiaan di dunia dan akhirat. Mereka yang dimurkai adalah mereka yang sengaja menentang ajaran Islam. Mereka yang sesat adalah mereka yang sengaja mengambil jalan lain selain Islam.

Justeru, Nabi SAW pernah bersabda yang bermaksud: "Aku Muhammad dan Ahmad (terpuji), yang dihormati, yang menghimpun manusia, nabi (penyeru) taubat dan nabi (penyebar) rahmat. (riwayat Muslim)."

Berkaitan dengan Hari Kekasih, Muzakarah Jawatankuasa Fatwa Majlis Kebangsaan Bagi Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Malaysia kali ke-71 pada 22 hingga 24 November 2005 jelas dengan keras dan tegas mengatakan Hari Kekasih daripada Kristian, wajib dijauhi dan dihindari umat Islam yang boleh meruntuhkan akidah umat Islam.

Peranan ibu bapa dan guru sebagai pendidik dan pembimbing kepada anak-anak remaja khususnya yang masih bersekolah mestilah menegaskan tentang larangan menyambut Hari Kekasih yang bukan budaya Islam.
Berkaitan dengan hal ini, Nabi SAW menegaskan: "Barang siapa yang menyerupai sesuatu kaum, maka dia adalah dari kalangan mereka". (riwayat Abu Daud).

Lantaran itu, berhati-hatilah dalam melakukan sesuatu yang boleh menyerupai kaum-kaum lain selain daripada Islam.Pemantapan akidah sangat penting dilakukan sejak seseorang itu masih kecil dan berterusan pada peringkat remaja dan juga dewasa. Kita telah diperingatkan, bahawa barang siapa menimbulkan sesuatu yang baru dalam urusan (agama) yang bukan dari ajaran-Nya maka akan tertolak.
Adab dan budaya Islam mempunyai keunikan dari segi akidah dan syiar, pemikiran dan emosi, serta akhlak dan keluhurannya. Masyarakat Islam juga mempunyai keunikan dari segi adab dan budaya yang tersendiri yang terbentuk mengikut acuannya serta terpancar dari nilai-nilai tersebut ialah akidah, perkara-perkara yang bersangkutan dengan cabang-cabangnya.

Dalam hal ini, ulama kontemporari, Prof. Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi menegaskan, kebudayaan, kesopanan dan adat-adat ini telah diwujudkan oleh Islam dalam masyarakat Islam bertujuan untuk menjadikannya berkhidmat kepada akidah, syiar, pemahaman, emosi, akhlak dan tatasusila Islam.
Justeru, sebagai remaja Islam hindari daripada budaya ikut-ikutan seperti merayakan Hari Kekasih yang boleh menyesatkan dan memesongkan akidah. Masyarakat Islam mempunyai adab serta budayanya dalam seluruh kehidupan yang murni bertunjangkan akidah Islam.Peranan ibu bapa dan guru sangat penting dalam mendidik anak-anak dan para pelajar. Mereka seharusnya memberikan petunjuk agar anak-anak serta para pelajar tidak tersesat dan mengikut jalan yang boleh membawa kesesatan. Melalui pemahaman, penerangan dan bimbingan yang berhikmah kepada mereka, sehingga nasihat atau hidayah tersebut masuk ke dalam hati mereka.

When to talk to the kids about sex? - By SHAMALA VELU

2012-02-14T20:41:00.000+08:00

Parents and children always have many interesting conversations but perhaps the most important one is on "the birds and the bees."At some point, children who are intrigued by cooing babies will surely ask the question, "Where do babies come from?"Rather than looking surprised, it's best for parents to be prepared with some practical answers. While many have different views on when they should broach the subject of puberty and sex with their children, everyone agrees that kids need to be taught. Some children may be extremely mature and want to have a grownup conversation before they are eight while some 13-year-olds are still not ready.

So, when is a good time to talk to your children on this important issue?

Two parents share their views.

Andri Iskandar Nadzri, father to Rania Hanim, four, and Ines Sofea Hanim, two, says:

"I think it is absolutely important to talk to children about puberty and sex although at this point in time, it is more relevant to my four-year-old Rania than my two-year-old Ines. Although my children are girls, the responsibility of talking about puberty and sex lies with both me and my wife Asmahan, rather than only leaving one parent to do the talking. Both of us can talk to them from the perspective of a man and woman. I think as time progresses, exposure to sexuality is starting much earlier, which of course has its pros and cons. I already notice my four-year-old being curious about female private parts and her friends of both genders. But, I attribute that to being curious, rather than sexual in nature. I grew up in a time where sex education was almost non-existent and society was not prepared to talk about it (even though this was the more 'liberal' and free thinking society of the late 70s/early 80s). However, I do vaguely remember my parents talking to me about puberty, in a very subtle approach. It has to be said though, from my teenage years onwards, I began to learn more from friends due to the fact that I lived in boarding schools for most of my teenage life. Media, most especially print, social networks and the Internet can be considered ubiquitous in our lives in this day and age. The role of the media, in my opinion, represents a double-edged sword. Most of the content can be seen as positive. However, in the last few years, the issue that is frequently raised by concerned parents is the over-sexualisation of children at an early age, fuelled by irresponsible corporations, network television and print editors. Children and young adults today are increasingly being bombarded with material that is of a sexual nature. To me, this is one of the biggest challenges in trying to decide which content is suitable for my children. Parents certainly play an important role in discussing sex and sexuality with their children. Our society is advancing at such breakneck speed that parents need to be constantly evolving in their methods to approach a subject like this. What worked (or didn't work) back then may not work today, so parents really need to get involved in the education of sexuality.

We are already starting to educate our eldest, not so much on sexuality per se, but more on a fun biology/science angle on the human body. It's hard to say how much they are absorbing or whether their minds can comprehend, but that shouldn't stop anyone from trying to approach the subject. You just have to customise it according to your child's maturity.

In our household, 'sex education' is going in the direction of fun biology. For example, what happens when you feel the need to go to the toilet and the importance of hygiene and cleanliness. We even assign funny names for body parts, too! Going by our own personal experience, allowing kids to learn from friends always leads to bigger mischief and this is not what we want.
Teaching children to protect themselves is by far the most important aspect of why we must educate our children. This is especially true for parents who have kids at daycare or in schools. We need to constantly remind our children that certain things are not allowed and nobody should do funny things to them. Children should immediately inform parents if they feel insecure or frightened about someone."

Dayang Lily Abang Muas, mother to Mohamad Hakeem, 15, Nur Hannah, 13, Nur Hanees, nine, and Mohammad Harraz, eight, says:

"We are guided by our religion, which is Islam, when discussing the issue of sex and sexuality. Pre-marital sex is not permissible in our religion, so we emphasise this to our older children. When it comes to specific matters like puberty, then my husband will talk to my son, and I will talk to my daughter. This is done at the appropriate age (above 10 years old) when they are ready for it. In Islam, puberty comes with responsibilities. It is compulsory for them to perform their five daily prayers, fast during Ramadhan, 'tutup aurat' (cover parts of the body that should not be exposed according to Islamic belief). This is an important milestone for them, so we will get them prepared early for that.

To me, children should be informed about their bodies as early as two years old. At this age, I started telling my children that their private parts are not for others to see or touch, except certain people who will help them clean up. I tell them if someone touches or hurts them at any time, they must speak to me. This way, they are aware of what is right and what is wrong when it comes to their bodies.

As Muslims, we also start to instil modesty by telling young girls that they should cover themselves when other people are around and not go around without clothes on. In Islam, we believe strongly in modesty.
When children are older, we start talking about changes that will take place in their bodies. In Islam, women who are menstruating are not allowed to fast or pray, and as such young children will naturally be curious as to why mummy is not praying with them. At this point, I will explain how a woman's body is created to hold a baby in her womb (just call it 'tummy' for the smaller ones) and if there is no baby, the blood that was in the 'tummy' has to be expelled. The details of 'how' a baby gets into the tummy will be explained when they are older, like when they are 11 or 12 years old.

I believe talking about this topic should be done in stages, depending on the child's development. In my opinion, we as parents should talk to them first, as we want them to understand and follow our values and belief.

Again, we use religion as our guide to explain to children that sex is only allowed after marriage. The reason being, sex comes with responsibilities so Islam wants to make sure only those who are ready to shoulder those responsibilities are permissible to do it, and that needs to come with the vows of marriage. However, I came from a traditional family and our parents didn't talk about the birds and the bees to us. In my opinion, children learn a lot from the media and it has a lot of negative influences on them. Most of the western movies encourage boyfriend-girlfriend relationships and pre-marital sex. As a result, many teens are engaging in pre-marital sex nowadays. I think young adults feel it is 'okay' since it is widely promoted on TV and in movies.

Parents play an important role in discussing the issue of sex and sexuality with their children. For me, it's important to start early in getting them to be aware of their bodies and protecting themselves.

At home, I teach my children that their bodies are precious. It is not for others to see or touch and that they should stay away as much as possible from situations that will put them in a vulnerable position. Parents should build a good relationship with their children from young, so they are comfortable with you and are willing to be open with regards to discussing this topic. In Islam, we have a saying that for the first seven years of your child's life, you should play with them. The next seven years (7-14 yrs), instil discipline, and the next seven years (15-21), be their friend. I use this as a guide with my children, too.
When children start to become curious about the opposite sex, we must tell them that it is a natural process of growing up. However, these feelings shouldn't be their priority at this point in their lives as their main responsibility is to study and think about what they want to do in the future."

Have you checked SentuhanBayu blog today?

2012-02-10T12:06:00.002+08:00

Hi Mommies,

We have just posted our Friday Deal for today.

It's RM10 Off for Flip Disposables Diaper.

This deal is a 24 hours deal. Therefore, 1st come served basis, ya.

Dah tengok email anda? Have you checked your email?

2012-02-09T11:45:00.005+08:00

Salam mommies,

Hari ni sentuhanbayu ada hantar newsletter. Sila check email memasing ya. Kalau tak de kat inbox tu, maybe dah termasuk ke spam.

Ada special offer hanya utk newsletter subscriber. Anda dpt special discount 50% utk cloth diaper tertentu.

Untuk makluman, simplex, flip disposables, Bumgenius & Econobum dah restock. Sesapa yang berminat nak try sabun BumGenius, boleh lah beli sample pack yang ada di kedai online kami.

Hello Mommies,

We sent a newsletter today containing a special 50% discount code. Do add sentuhanbayu@gmail.com in your contact list to avoid our mail being sent to your spam box.

We have also restocked our hot selling items - Simplex, Flip Disposables , BumGenius & Econonobum. For those who'd like to try BumGenius Detergents, you may purchase a sample pack available at our online store.

Are you a proud a CD Mommy?

2012-01-27T10:46:00.005+08:00

If you are (and I know you are ^_^), do post your baby photos wearing a CD to SentuhanBayu Facebook Wall. We'll give you a free gift !!

OK, now what you should do ya...
1) Post the photo on SentuhanBayu Wall. You might need to like our fanpage prior to do so.
2) Create an account at SentuhanBayu.biz
3) Inform me thru FB mail or sentuhanbayu@gmail.com that you've done 1& 2

Take note that I'll be sending the free gift using the address in your account in SentuhanBayu.biz. Do verify that the address is correct ^_^, as we will not be sending a replacement.

Happy Cloth Diapering, Mommies!!

****************
Updates Feb 2nd :
Thank you for those who have registered. Take note that your free gift will be sent via registered parcel using the address in the SentuhanBayu.biz account. Pls be reminded No replacement will be sent for free gift ya.

If you just found out that your name is missing from the list - DO CHECK YOUR SHIPPING ADDREES in the SentuhanBayu.biz account.

Friday 3rd Feb
- Fern Tan
- Nurul Huda Abd Karim
- Musannafah Murtada
- Julie Juhari
- NorAzean Shaari
- Norazura Shamsudin

Updates on FreeTime All In One PreOrders

2012-01-25T09:12:00.003+08:00

Salam,
I regret to inform you that there's a delay in shipment by Cotton Babies for my 2nd batch order. It will only shipped in the 3rd week of Feb. Thus, reaching our shore on 2nd or 3rd week of March.

Who are impacted?
- Nik Anita
- Rodzaimie Razak
- Amilia Mansoor
- Ayu Kustiani
- Lurnah Riyu

Updated ! Feb 24th 2012 : The order has departed from US. Yeay!! And we are expecting it to reach Sepang next Thursday.

Murtad bukanlah suatu hak - Oleh ZAINUL RIJAL ABU BAKAR

2012-01-17T13:26:00.000+08:00

ISU murtad kembali diberi perhatian oleh media massa sejak kebelakangan ini. Masalah murtad ini adalah polemik yang benar-benar berlaku di Malaysia. Ia bukanlah suatu rekaan pihak tertentu bagi meraih kepentingan-kepentingan tertentu.Hal yang demikian ini dapat dilihat daripada permohonan menukar nama atas alasan menukar agama. Begitu juga tindakan seseorang memfailkan suatu permohonan sama ada di mahkamah syariah ataupun mahkamah sivil untuk mendapatkan perisytiharan keluar dari agama Islam. Malah terdapat sebilangan orang yang membuat akuan bersumpah atau Deed Poll bagi mengesahkan beliau telah tidak lagi memeluk agama Islam. Begitu juga terdapat orang Islam yang bersekedudukan dengan pasangan bukan Islam sehingga melahirkan anak serta mengikut agama pasangan mereka.

Perlakuan murtad ini boleh berlaku secara berkumpulan atas sebab-sebab tertentu seperti tidak mendapat layanan sewajarnya dari pihak berkuasa agama.Dalam keadaan yang lain murtad juga berlaku apabila seseorang itu mengikut ajaran-ajaran yang telah difatwakan salah seperti Qadiyani, Ayah Pin, Rasul Melayu dan banyak lagi ajaran yang terpesong daripada akidah Islam. Murtad juga pernah dilaporkan berlaku di kalangan remaja yang menyertai kumpulan-kumpulan tertentu yang menyembah syaitan serta gerakan Jangan Ikut Tuhan (JIT). Bagi sesetengah orang lain pula murtad berlaku secara senyap sama ada dengan berpegang dengan agama lain ataupun melakukan upacara yang terpesong dari akidah Islam.

Atas sebab-sebab tertentu golongan ini tidak mahu dikenalpasti dan hanya melakukan aktiviti keagamaan mereka secara senyap senyap sahaja.Di Malaysia undang-undang mengenai murtad terdapat di dalam beberapa bentuk iaitu sebagai kesalahan cubaan murtad sebagaimana yang terdapat di dalam Enakmen Jenayah Syariah beberapa negeri seperti Perak Melaka Kelantan Sabah dan Negeri Sembilan. Mahkamah Syariah juga diberi bidangkuasa secara spesifik untuk mengisytiharkan seseorang itu tidak lagi beragama Islam. Memurtadkan orang Islam pula dijadikan suatu kesalahan di bawah Enakmen Kawalan Pengembangan Agama Bukan Islam Di Kalangan Orang Islam. Kesalahan di bawah enakmen ini pula dibicarakan di mahkamah sivil.

Gaya hidup yang tidak memberi penekanan hidup beragama telah mendedahkan orang Islam kepada kerapuhan iman. Akhirnya keyakinan terhadap Allah itu akan terhakis daripada semasa ke semasa. Kemuncak krisis keyakinan terhadap Allah ini adalah tindakan seseorang ke arah murtad. Nama-nama seperti Aishah Bohari, Hartina Kamarudin, Azlina Jailani, Siti Fatimah Tan dan banyak lagi mungkin sudah tidak diingati oleh orang Islam. Tetapi nama-nama inilah yang sering bermain di bibir apabila membicarakan isu murtad dan membuktikan memang terdapat usaha memurtadkan orang Islam. Sebahagian orang Islam pula seolah-olah sudah tidak lagi sensitif kepada orang Islam yang mahu murtad. Malah terdapat sebilangan yang 'membantu' orang Islam murtad atas nama kebebasan beragama. Apabila kepekaan dalam isu murtad ini sudah tidak lagi wujud di dalam diri orang Islam, lama-kelamaan murtad akan dilihat sebagai suatu norma yang biasa berlaku di negara kita.
Apabila ini berlaku, umat Islam sudah terlambat menggunakan segala usaha bagi mengembalikan orang yang telah murtad itu ke jalan yang sebenar.Murtad sebenarnya bukanlah suatu hak kepada umat Islam. Ia adalah suatu dosa yang amat besar dan kesalahan yang sangat serius. Mengatakan murtad merupakan hak kepada orang Islam merupakan suatu yang begitu jauh tersasar dari agama Islam itu sendiri. Perkara ini dapat dibuktikan apabila jenayah riddah (murtad) ini dijadikan suatu kesalahan dan termasuk di dalam kategori kesalahan hudud. Malah berselindung di sebalik Perlembagaan Persekutuan dengan mendabik dada mengatakan hak asasi manusia membenarkan seorang Islam itu murtad juga sebenarnya tidak mempunyai asas yang kukuh di dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan itu sendiri.

Perkara 11(1) Perlembagaan Persekutuan memberi hak kepada mana-mana orang menganut dan mengamalkan agamanya.

Perkara 11(1) tersebut hanya mengatakan orang Islam berhak menganut dan mengamalkan agama Islam.

Begitu juga penganut agama lain seperti Buddha, Hindu dan Kristian bebas menganut dan mengamalkan agama mereka. Perkara 11(1) tidak memberi hak kepada mana-mana orang bertukar-tukar agama.

Tiada hak mutlak
Pertukaran agama hendaklah dilakukan mengikut agama itu sendiri dan juga undang-undang yang berkuatkuasa. Tiada hak yang diberi oleh mana-mana undang-undang bersifat mutlak. Sudah tentu setiap hak yang diberi mempunyai batasannya tertentu. Malah hak itu sendiri kebiasaannya diimbangi dengan tanggungjawab.Isu murtad ini tidak boleh dilihat secara berasingan daripada agenda menggasak agama Islam. Malah beberapa tindakan berangkai sekarang ini boleh menjurus kepada menjauhkan umat Islam daripada sebarang bentuk tindakan atau organisasi agama di Malaysia. Lama kelamaan umat Islam akan hidup jauh dari agama dan 'dibebaskan' daripada Islam. Ketika itu amat mudahlah menjadi murtad.

Masalah murtad ini perlu ditangani secara bersepadu dan berhemah oleh semua pihak. Pihak berkuasa, keluarga, institusi agama, pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) dan masyarakat sekeliling memainkan peranan penting bagi membanteras gejala murtad ini.

Pendekatan yang berhemah dan berterusan juga amat penting bagi keberkesanan dakwah dan mengelakkan orang Islam murtad.Pengukuhan akidah, ibadah dan akhlak boleh diterap kepada umat Islam melalui undang-undang dan pendidikan. Ini harus berjalan seiring bagi mempastikan keberkesanan dakwah Islam. Sebarang usaha untuk mengekang orang Islam daripada murtad mestilah dipuji walaupun tindakan tersebut menghasilkan kejayaan yang sedikit. Apa yang penting adalah memantapkan usaha. Bukan masanya lagi umat Islam bertelagah cara yang terbaik dilakukan untuk mengekang gejala murtad. Perkara yang menjadi kesalahan bukanlah bagaimana usaha itu dilakukan tetapi tidak melakukan apa-apa bagi menghalang murtad terus berleluasa.

Sentuhanbayu.biz Facelift

2012-01-12T07:24:00.001+08:00

SentuhanBayu.biz website is now with a new look. Check it Out!

Posted from my Iphone

Is it okay to share your bed with your kids? By SHAMALA VELU

2012-01-10T11:05:00.000+08:00

Sleep is good. That is, if you have a good night's rest and have not been muscled out of the bed by your kids.

If you are a parent wondering if you are doing the right thing by sharing your bed with your child, you are not alone.There are many parents who wonder if co-sleeping with their children is the right thing to do. Co-sleeping with babies is deemed a controversial issue as many believe it puts young infants at risk.Some experts say parents can hurt their baby if they accidentally roll over onto them. What will happen if baby gets smothered by a pillow or other bedding material?

That said, many parents believe sharing the bed with their brood helps to foster a bond between parent and child. It gives everyone a sense of security and everyone has a good night's rest. Experts are opposed to this, saying co-sleeping inhibits a child from becoming independent. So, should parents support co-sleeping?

Two parents share their opinions on what they think about co-sleeping with their children.
Monika Ramasamy, mother of two aged 5 and 11:
“I felt more comfortable having my babies in the bedroom with me, as I was feeding them every hour initially and it was more convenient to have them right beside me. However, they slept in their own baby cots. I would not advocate sleeping in the same bed unless they are sick and need that extra comfort and closeness for recovery.

The first month I woke up every one or two hours to feed them. Of course, I did not have a good rest at all, but it would have been worse if I had to walk to a separate room each time! Also, in a way, it calmed me down having them close, as it was safer in case they suddenly had trouble breathing.I definitely wouldn't want my baby to sleep in the same bed, as they are very vulnerable and automatically I wouldn't sleep well just for fear of hurting them in my sleep.

My son only moved to his own room because I was waking up so often for his newborn sister who stayed in her baby cot in our room as well. It was not feasible any more to disturb his sleep so we convinced him to move into his own room at age seven!

I am afraid our daughter still stays with us in her own bed but in the same room. We are working on the process of convincing her to stay in her own room but she doesn't seem to be quite ready yet (she is only 5).
It is my opinion that each child is different. My children don't have problems falling asleep on their own, as their bed-time is much earlier than ours.I think if they go to bed with their parents at the same time, it will be hard for them to fall asleep on their own.My children went through a phase where we had to be strict although they were crying their hearts out as we left the room. But that lasted only about a week and then they were fine.One must create a sleeping habit which does not depend on other people. Children must learn to sleep on their own, whether or not they have a room to themselves or share the room with their parents.

I personally enjoy having my kids in the same room, otherwise we wouldn't have allowed it. I think the desire for closeness goes both ways. However, I think there comes a time when parents are ready to have their own personal space in the bedroom again. It is certainly more difficult to get a child used to his or her own room when he or she is older than say, when they were still babies.

Nur Fathinatul Huda Md Nor, mother of two aged 3+ and 2+:
“I personally think co-sleeping with baby is a normal thing to do. My babies slept with me since the day they were born. I find it very calming. When they were newborns, I put them on my chest. It is also very convenient to breastfeed the baby. Both the mother and baby feel warm and comfortable. I found out that sleeping with my baby stimulates more milk production and I can breastfeed on demand. I think it creates time for bonding as I can cuddle, kiss and play with my babies when they are next to me.

My first boy, Azmihani Al Rayyan Mohd Azmi, is 3 years 2 months, and my girl, Salsabeel Jannah Al Rayyan Mohd Azmi, is 1 year 6 months. They have been sleeping with me ever since they were infants. With my first child, I had some difficulties putting him in a cot for the first few days. He did not sleep long and kept crying in the middle of the night. When he slept with me, it was much easier. I believe he was more comfortable and secure. Now, I practise safe co-sleeping by putting our bed next to the wall; my daughter sleeps nearest to the wall and I sleep next to her. My son sleeps between me and his father. This prevents them from falling down. It also prevents the father from rolling on the baby since she is furthest away.

I believe the first five years are the most critical period for a child. As young children, they need to be constantly hugged and cuddled. They also need close contact with parents. I believe giving children hugs makes them feel safe and secure. This promotes good behaviour and they will learn to respect their parents; not only when they are young, but as they become young adults as well. My son sleeps with us because I still nurse him. ( I nurse them in tandem). However, we have started training him to sleep in his own small bed, beside ours. He tends to wake up at night and come over to sleep with us, but I believe he can sleep in his own bed, when he is ready.

We have provided a room for him and started talking to him about moving to his own room. He agrees, provided we buy him Upin and Ipin toys to sleep with! I think he is still young. In my heart however, I'm also not really confident to let him sleep alone yet. I wake up about three times at night (at 1am, 3am, 5am) to nurse my babies. I don't find it stressful or burdensome as they are breastfed on demand while I am in bed.
Parents must see what works best for them, making sure safety comes first.”

Updates on FreeTime All In One PreOrders

2012-01-06T18:13:00.000+08:00

Salam
Good News Ladies ^_^. It has finally arrived at my door. Yeay!!
I'll be busy packing all your orders this weekend.

For some of you, however, Cotton Babies announces that the backordered (in this case, my 2nd batch order) will only start shipping late Jan 2012. Since I have no clue when exactly they'll actually ship my order, I'm estimating it to arrive late Feb 2012. FYI, I'm taking a longer route, thus explains the very cheap preOrder price.

Whose order impacted ?
- Nik Anita
- Rodzaimie
- Amilia Mansoor
- Ayu Kustiani
- Lurnah Riyu

Thanks so much for your patience.

Beriman kepada hari pembalasan - Oleh DR. ZULKIFLI MOHAMAD ALBAKRI

2012-01-06T15:03:00.000+08:00

FIRMAN Allah SWT: Dan orang-orang yang mempercayai hari pembalasan. (al-Maarij: 26)
Ibn Kathir berkata: Mereka yang yakin dengan hari akhirat, hisab dan balasan. Justeru, mereka beramal dengan mengharapkan pahala dan takut balasan seksa.
Al-Maghari berkata: Orang yang yakin dengan janji dan hisab-Nya, sudah pasti akan beramal seperti orang yang mengharapkan pahala dan takut kepada seksaan-Nya. Hal ini mereka tonjolkan melalui perbuatan perkataan dengan iktikad. Seterusnya mereka bertaubat dan kembali kepada-Nya.

Firman Allah SWT: Dan orang-orang yang takut terhadap azab Tuhannya. Kerana sesungguhnya azab Tuhan mereka tidak dapat orang merasa aman (dari kedatangannya). (al-Maarij: 27-28)
Syed Qutub berkata: Ini satu lagi darjah di sebalik kepercayaan kepada hari balasan iaitu wujudnya perasaan yang peka, waspada dan hati-hati, darjah merasa taqsir dan tidak sempurna melakukan ketaatan kepada Allah walaupun ia banyak mengerjakan amal ibadah, darjah wujudnya perasaan takut terpesong daripada jalan Allah dan mendapat balasan seksanya pada bila-bila waktu dan wujudnya perasaan yang sentiasa mengharapkan perlindungan dan pemeliharaan dari Allah SWT.

Firman Allah SWT: Dan orang-orang yang memelihara kemaluannya, kecuali terhadap isteri-isteri mereka atau budak-budak yang mereka miliki, maka Sesungguhnya mereka dalam hal Ini tiada tercela. Barang siapa mencari yang di balik itu, maka mereka itulah orang-orang yang melampaui batas. (al-Maarij: 29-31)
Ibn Kathir berkata: Mereka memelihara kemaluan mereka daripada yang haram.
Syed Qutub berkata: Ayat ini menyarankan kebersihan diri dan kebersihan orang Islam. Islam mahukan sebuah masyarakat yang bersih, suci, jelas dan terang berasaskan kekeluargaan yang halal, kukuh dan berasaskan rumah tangga yang suci murni dengan jelas keturunan sesamanya dan bukan semata-mata untuk memuaskan nafsu dan keinginan seksual.

Firman Allah SWT: Dan orang-orang yang memelihara amanat-amanat (yang dipikulnya) dan janjinya. Dan orang-orang yang memberikan kesaksiannya. (al-Maarij: 32-33)
Al-Maghari berkata: Apabila diberi amanah, mereka tidak khianat, apabila berjanji, mereka tidak mungkir. Orang yang memberikan kesaksian di hadapan para hakim, tidak akan menyembunyikannya dan tidak mengubahnya kerana kesaksian itu adalah sebahagian daripada amanah.
Ia disebutkan di sini kerana penting dan dengan kesaksian hak-hak itu hidup dan apabila ditinggalkannya kesaksian itu, hak-hak tersebut akan mati.

Firman Allah SWT: Dan orang-orang yang memelihara solatnya. (al-Maarij: 34)
Ibn Kathir berkata: Mereka yang memelihara waktunya, rukun-rukunnya, kewajipan dan sunat. Ayat ini Allah memulakan sifat orang yang beriman dengan solat dan ditutup sifat tersebut juga dengan solat. Ini menunjukkan betapa prihatinnya solat dan mulianya.
Syed Qutub berkata: Sifat memelihara solat berlainan dengan sifat tekun mengerjakan solat yang disebutkan di awal sifat orang beriman. Ini kerana memelihara solat bermaksud dari segi waktunya sama ada fardu mahupun sunat. Oleh itu, mereka tidak mengabaikan solat dan tidak pula mengerjakannya secara tidak sempurna. Persoalan solat yang disebutkan di awal dan akhir ayat menyarankan agar solat diberi perhatian yang berat dan dengan ayat ini berakhirlah penjelasan tentang sifat orang yang beriman.

Firman Allah SWT: Mereka itu (kekal) di syurga lagi dimuliakan. (al-Maarij: 35)
Ibn Kathir berkata: Merekalah yang menghuni syurga yang kekal dengan dimuliakan pelbagai kelazatan dan keseronokan.Al-Maghari berkata: Mereka yang mengerjakan perbuatan seperti ini akan dimuliakan dalam syurga dengan pelbagai kenikmatan dan kesenangan.Marilah kita menginsafi diri sebagai khalifah Allah di muka bumi untuk menjunjung titah perintah Allah. Mudah-mudahan ia melayakkan kita menghuni syurga Allah yang abadi.

Special Friday Deal at SentuhanBayu.biz on Jan 6th

2012-01-06T08:29:00.000+08:00

Salam Mommies & Friends,
Thank God its Friday again ^_^. We have something very special today. WeeHuggers are on the 24 hours Special deal!! Yes, this special offer will only runs for 24 hours & 1st paid 1st served basis. The stock allocated for this deal is also limited. No booking, sorry.

Are you waiting for the next auction? Okay, here's a heads up. New auction will be posted on SentuhanBayu Facebook Wall next week. So free up your time to auction.

Special announcements on Dec 2011 giveaway, some of you have not claimed your RM10 off voucher yet. Pls email me ASAP.

Zikirullah tunjang kekuatan Mukmin Oleh MOHD. ASHROF ZAKI YAAKOB

2012-01-05T11:50:00.000+08:00

AL-QURAN merupakan kitab suci umat Islam yang menjadi rujukan utama dalam kehidupan seharian seorang Muslim. Segala saranan yang disebutkan oleh Allah SWT di dalam al-Quran wajar dan wajib untuk bersama kita tekuni dan mengamalkannya dengan sepenuh hati. Antara saranan yang sering diulangi dalam al-Quran adalah suruhan sentiasa berzikir kepada Allah SWT dalam setiap keadaan. Pastinya banyak kelebihan yang bakal diperoleh oleh sesiapa yang sentiasa berzikir kepada-Nya kerana terdapat banyak rahsia dan kelebihan di sebalik amalan berzikir.

Tidak seperti ibadah-ibadah yang lain, amalan berzikir tidak terikat dengan apa-apa syarat dalam melaksanakannya. Ia boleh dilakukan pada bila-bila masa dan keadaan malah amat digalakkan untuk memperbanyakkannya. Zikir menjadi talian terus seorang hamba untuk mengadu, merayu dan berhubung terus kepada Tuhannya. Setiap mukmin yang sentiasa mengingati Allah maka pastilah Allah juga akan sentiasa mengingatinya.

Dari segi bahasa, zikir bermaksud sebut dan ingat manakala dalam sudut istilah yang difahami umum adalah sebutan yang berulang-ulang tentang nama-nama Allah dan juga sifat-sifat-Nya. Zikir yang biasa dilakukan secara umum oleh umat Islam merangkumi tasbih, tahmid, takbir, tahlil, membaca al-Quran dan sebagainya. Namun intipati kepada semua zikir-zikir tersebut adalah ingatan yang sebenar-benarnya kepada Allah SWT.
Perintah Allah SWT kepada orang-orang yang beriman supaya berzikir dengan banyak boleh dilihat di dalam firman-Nya yang bermaksud: Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, ingatlah serta sebutlah nama Allah dengan ingatan serta sebutan yang sebanyak-banyaknya. (al-Ahzab: 41)

Maka daripada ayat ini, dapat difahami bahawa zikir boleh dibahagikan kepada dua jenis iaitu berzikir dengan sebutan (zikir lisan) dan juga berzikir dengan ingatan (zikir hati). Kedua-dua jenis zikir ini mampu mendekatkan diri seorang Mukmin kepada Tuhannya dengan sedekat-dekatnya.Di dalam sebuah hadis Qudsi yang diriwayatkan oleh Imam Al-Bukhari, terdapat satu hadis yang menjelaskan berkaitan kedua-dua jenis zikir ini. Aku berdasarkan keyakinan hamba-Ku terhadap-Ku, dan Aku bersamanya sekiranya dia ingat kepada-Ku, sekiranya dia ingat kepada-Ku dalam hatinya (secara bersembunyi), Aku juga ingat kepadanya dalam diri-Ku (secara sembunyi/sir), dan sekiranya dia ingat kepada-Ku di kalangan manusia ( secara terang-terangan/ jahr), Aku juga ingat kepadanya di kalangan yang lebih mulia daripada mereka (para malaikat).

Amalan yang agung
Amalan berzikir kadang-kadang dilihat sebagai amalan yang ringan dan remeh namun hakikatnya ia merupakan antara amalan yang mulia dan agung. Kedudukan amalan berzikir sangat tinggi berbanding amalan-amalan lain yang disyariatkan di dalam Islam dan boleh dianggap sebagai amalan yang agung. Ketinggian dan keagungan amalan berzikir jelas di dalam firman Allah SWT yang bermaksud: Dan sesungguhnya mengingati Allah adalah lebih besar (faedahnya dan kesannya); dan (ingatlah) Allah mengetahui akan apa yang kamu kerjakan. (al-Ankabut: 45)

Secara hakikatnya, zikir ialah ingatan yang tulus kepada Allah SWT dan juga segala makna-makna yang berkaitan dengan-Nya. Ia boleh dicapai melalui sebutan yang diungkapkan oleh mulut atau ingatan yang mendalam di dalam minda dan pemikiran. Tumpuan yang mendalam harus diberikan ketika berzikir agar matlamat berzikir iaitu mendekati Allah SWT dapat dicapai. Firman Allah di dalam surah bermaksud: Dan sebutlah (dengan lidah dan hati) akan nama Tuhanmu (terus menerus siang dan malam), serta tumpukanlah (amal ibadatmu) kepadanya dengan sebulat-bulat tumpuan. (al-Muzammil: 8)

Maka dengan tumpuan yang mendalam dan zikir yang berterusan ini akan mampu menghasilkan mukmin yang terbaik serta mempunyai kekuatan fizikal dan mental. Mereka adalah golongan yang sentiasa menjadikan Allah SWT sebagai teman di dalam hati sepanjang masa dan dalam semua keadaan.

Firman Allah SWT yang bermaksud: Orang-orang yang menyebut dan mengingati Allah semasa mereka berdiri dan duduk dan semasa mereka berbaring mengiring, dan mereka pula memikirkan tentang kejadian langit dan bumi (sambil berkata): "Wahai Tuhan kami! tidaklah Engkau menjadikan benda-benda ini dengan sia-sia, Maha Suci Engkau, maka peliharalah kami dari azab neraka. (ali-Imran: 191)

Dalam keadaan dunia yang penuh dengan rintangan, cabaran dan dugaan, maka perlu bagi setiap orang Islam berusaha mempertahankan diri daripada hanyut di dalam arus dunia yang sentiasa mengajak manusia ke arah kebinasaan. Setiap orang Islam harus memiliki hati yang kuat yang mampu menahan segala cabaran yang mendatang dan pada masa yang sama membantu umat Islam yang lain daripada terpesong daripada landasan agama Islam yang benar. Maka zikir berperanan besar dalam membantu manusia dalam memiliki hati yang kukuh imannya, kuat menghadapi arus deras dunia dan mampu membimbing diri sendiri dan juga orang lain agar kembali kepada Allah SWT.

Why preschool is important - By LEONG SIOK HUI

2012-01-05T11:46:00.000+08:00

Education is an investment, and it pays off in the long run. But when do we start bankrolling our child’s education? From preschool, say child development and early education experts.

Apparently, juvenile delinquency and high dropout rates amongst adolescents are rooted in the early years, according to a 10-year study spearheaded by social psychologist Datuk Dr Chiam Heng Keng in the late-1980s. A collaboration between her and the Faculty of Medicine at Universiti Malaya, the research involved 4,000 subjects, ages three to six, from four different backgrounds: Urban advantaged, urban disadvantaged, rural and estates.

Dr Chiam found that school dropout and delinquency rates can be traced back to the subjects’ childhood experiences.“From the study, we concluded that early childhood education is fundamental to a child’s development, and preschool teachers or childcare providers play a very critical role,” says Dr Chiam, who co-founded the first undergraduate programme in early childhood education in Malaysia in 1997.

The Malaysian expert is asked her opinions on early childhood education following Star2’s report last Wednesday about the 92-year-old German-founded Waldorf school. The system is based on the philosophy of Austrian educator Rudolf Steiner that children should experience the world through their hands, hearts and bodies, not just their minds. There are at present five Waldorf and Waldorf-inspired preschools/kindergartens in Malaysia: Pusat Jagaan Nania and Taska Lin in Penang; Waldorf Kelip-Kelip in Kota Kemuning, Selangor; Hilltop House Child Development Centre in Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Taska Cixin in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur.

Long-term effects of early childhood education
In a breakthrough US research that looked at the long-term effects of early childhood education, studies revealed that those who went to preschool are more likely to graduate from high school, get much better grades, make more money, are less likely to be arrested, and more likely to stay married.
Called the Perry Preschool Project, the Michigan-based study spanned almost four decades, tracking 123 low-income African-American students from the ages of three to 40. Students were divided into two groups: One enrolled in high-quality preschool education and the other, no preschool at all.When the experiment started in 1962, even the idea of preschool, non-existent in America at that time, was radical. The project’s initial aim was to increase the students’ ability to learn, to enrich their vocabulary and teach them the alphabet and numbers. But instead of direct instruction, teachers used play and hands-on activities to engage the students.

Interestingly, the Perry project disclosed that preschool may not increase one’s IQ scores but it makes one a better person.Preschool seemed to help develop one’s “noncognitive” skills like perseverance, motivation, sociability and the ability to work with and relate to others. And these are “critical skills that help people succeed in school, at work and in life,” according to economist James Heckman, a Nobel laureate at the University of Chicago, who documents the wisdom of investing in preschool.

Not just any preschool
But the million-dollar question is, what kind of preschool?
“The best form of early childhood education should be child-centred and focused on hands-on learning,” says Dr Chiam, who has more than 25 years’ experience in child development studies.
“We (early childhood educators, childcare providers and parents) need to understand the child’s stages of development and provide a nurturing environment for the child to grow.”

In 1975, a study in Germany compared play-oriented with academic -oriented kindergartens. A total of 1,000 children and 100 classes were monitored until they reached fourth grade (9/10 years old). The study found that children from play-oriented kindergartens excelled over the latter group in all areas of development – physical, social and emotional and mental. Though children from academic-oriented kindergartens had a head start and were accelerating, they lost interest in learning or suffered from burnout by the time they were nine or 10.Besides, “forcing” your child to learn ABCs or grasp the intricacies of maths before he is ready can be detrimental in the long run, experts warn.Asking children to handle material that their brain is not equipped for can cause frustration, according to a neuroendocrinologist at the US-based Rockefeller University. (Rockefeller is world-renowned for biomedical sciences research.)

“Perceiving a lack of control is a major trigger of toxic stress, which can damage the hippocampus, a brain area crucial to learning and memory.” (Preschool Tests Take Time Away From Play And Learning; Scientific American, Nov 2, 2011.)

“If a child is forced to sit down and read flash cards but he is not capable of understanding the word yet, his brain is stressed and the body releases cortisol, the stress hormone,” Dr Chiam explains. If high levels of cortisol are released over prolonged periods, they will impair the brain’s performance.
“It is like soaking your child’s brain in formaldehyde,” Dr Chiam says. “If the brain is compromised, the child will find learning more difficult and his potential may be killed off.”

Kids are naturally curious. Dr Chiam believes that when you provide the child with the right environment (for example, cultivate the enjoyment of reading through storytelling), he may be interested to learn or figure out what is in the book.

“We should encourage but not force the child,” she adds.

Although some children are far smarter and possess superior reasoning or language skills compared to their peers, their tiny bodies can’t cope and their maturity level isn’t up to par, cautions clinical and educational psychologist Selina Ding.

“Just like gifted kids, they can reason things very well yet they can’t fit in with their peer groups,” says the Klang Valley-based Ding. “For example, they know so much yet their tiny hands are not ready to write fast or they can’t express themselves verbally.” Some precocious kids lack the social skills or the ability to handle their emotions in times of crisis.

“Parents and educators need to respect the child’s need to be a child,” Ding adds.

Students of Waldorf Kelip-Kelip in Kota Kemuning, Selangor. Children have different talents and develop at different rates, but they should all be given a chance to cultivate their interests and talents. Learning through play versus direct instruction is also a hotly-debated topic amongst early education experts today.In the same article published by the Scientific American magazine, a study is quoted as showing that direct instruction inhibits children’s natural curiosity and their ability to learn. Unlike older children, very young children are not designed for focused, goal-directed behaviour. But preschool-age kidsare great at learning from the things and the people around them.

“Parents shouldn’t be over-anxious about their child not being able to catch up with their peers,” Dr Chiam advises. “Children develop at different rates and many are late bloomers. We must also recognise that they are given different talents.

“More importantly, parents should be observant and expose their child to as vast an experience as possible for him to develop his interests and allow his talents a chance to grow.”

A child who has low verbal IQ (i.e. can’t process language well) or who doesn’t excel in academics may be an adroit person or musically-inclined.

“But will these abilities be tapped into and appreciated by our mainstream education system? Sadly, I would say 90% no!” remarks Ding. “It doesn’t help that recruitment companies and big corporations put so much emphasis on good grades. It forces parents to work on cognitive development and makes them forget the other aspects of the child.”

Changing society’s mindset
As the president of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) council, Dr Chiam has visited numerous childcare centres and preschools/kindergartens in Malaysia and abroad. (A government initiative, ECCE’s role is to ramp up the quality of early childcare and education in Malaysia.)
“Many preschools in Malaysia are teaching children the wrong way and not providing the right environment,” says Dr Chiam.

What needs to change?
“We need to change society’s mindset about (undervaluing) preschool,” she opines.
“Early childhood educators must have the knowledge, attitude and skills to provide the kind of experiences for children to nurture their potential. Hence, we need properly-trained educators from quality institutes. And, parents have to be willing to pay for quality education!”

Choosing a preschool
With the plethora of teaching methods, price range and “brands” of preschools/kindergartens, how do parents make the right choices? Whether it is Waldorf, Montessori or Reggio Emilia, does it matter which model you choose?Dr Chiam: ‘The best form of early childhood education should be child-centred and focused on hands-on learning.' They are just different approaches and methods, Dr Chiam says, emphasising “as long as the school focuses on the development of the child.”

Dr Chiam offers more tips:
> The school curriculum must be appropriate for the child’s development.
> Children are individuals who develop at different paces so the ratio of students to teacher should be small to allow the teacher to pay sufficient attention to each child. For example, the class should not have more than 15 students to a teacher.
> Be wary of schools that claim: “I guarantee your child will be able to read by the end of the school year or at the age of two.” Parents should ask what “techniques” are being employed.
> If the kindergarten is deadly quiet, something isn’t right. Children are naturally active and lively. Parents should not expect them to sit still and keep quiet. When the child is interested in an activity, he will naturally be absorbed in what he’s doing.
> Observe how the teachers handle the kids. If they have to yell and scream to discipline the children, they are bad role models.
> A good educator should be able to assess each child individually and track the child’s progress. Standardised testing is a big no-no.
> Equipment alone doesn’t make a good school. It is how the child utilises the material that is important. Good equipment allows the child to develop physically, mentally (imagination and critical thinking) and emotionally. Parents should also check to make sure the equipment is safe and non-toxic.

All About Holidays - SentuhanBayu reads

2012-01-05T11:37:00.000+08:00

Finally, this has been brought up in the news today. ^_^

MPC: Don’t misuse public holidays to take long breaks

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians should not misuse the coming consecutive public holidays to take long breaks from work as this will put the country's productivity at stake, warned the Malaysia Productivity Corp (MPC).It said the damage to businesses would be significant if employees were to take their annual leave during the string of public holidays, which begins with the Chinese New Year festival this month.
“We have to change this attitude of trying to stretch every public holiday to coincide with
weekends or other public holidays,” said its director-general Mohd Razali Hussain.
He said employees needed to be more considerate when applying for leave from work to ensure their company's operations were not disrupted.However, he said that with proper planning, execution and monitoring, companies would be able to offset any damage to productivity despite the back-to-back public holidays over the next few months.
“Productivity does not depend on the number of days we work but how much we manage to accomplish during those days,” he said, adding that employers needed to ensure the organisation's goals and targets were met.Mohd Razali said Malaysia currently ranked second, after Singapore, in terms of productivity among Asean countries.“We just have to work smart and be creative about how to achieve the company's targets despite the many public holidays,” he said.

Employers to feel the brunt with workers taking long festive breaks

PETALING JAYA: The year-end holiday season may be over worldwide but not in Malaysia where the festive mood continues as a second wave of public holidays looms.Employers are bracing for a hit in productivity as huge numbers of workers are expected to take long breaks in January and February.
Malaysians enjoy over 50 national, school and state holidays a year and ranks in the top 10 countries with the most public holidays. This is apart from the minimum of 14 days of annual leave a worker is entitled to.
Worse for employers this year, various state and national holidays come on the heels of Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan 23.These include Federal Territory Day (Feb 1), Prophet Muhammad's birthday (Feb 5) and Thaipusam (Feb 7).Also, it is a common practice among Malaysian workers to take their annual leave, before and after a festival, to enjoy an even longer break.Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers small and medium industries committee chairman Tan Sri Soong Siew Hoong said the many public holidays affect the ability to remain competitive in business and “make employers cry”.
“I think there are too many paid public holidays for the private sector. And yet various sectors still want to lobby for more holidays,” he said.Soong also expressed his unhappiness that public holidays were brought forward to weekdays if they fell on weekends, deeming this unnecessary.He suggested that religious holidays be declared a personal choice so employees could celebrate on their own while colleagues of other faiths work as usual.Malaysian Employers Federation executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said productivity would be affected during the holiday period with working days in between.He said companies would not be able to operate at optimum levels as many workers would be taking leave.
“The alternative is for them to declare a shutdown through the whole period as the overhead costs will be very high. If they can't stop work, then they have to absorb the impact,” he added.Shamsuddin said the Special Task Force to Facilitate Business had suggested that MEF and the Malaysian Trades Union Congress come up with a formula for employers to “buy back” annual leave days, adding that discussions were ongoing.Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia economic research committee chairman Kerk Loong Sing said the large number of public holidays would “naturally result” in higher production costs.
“Of course, too many holidays are bad. It will affect productivity, especially for industries which cannot afford to stop production. Employers also need to pay higher wages during public holidays,” he said.
However, MTUC vice-president Mohd Roszali Majid strongly disagreed that the number of public holidays be trimmed down as “employees deserve their holidays”.“It doesn't affect productivity because they can work on public holidays if they want to. Employers can also convert their unused annual leave to cash and increase their income,” he said.

Updates on FreeTime All In One PreOrders

2012-01-03T14:11:00.001+08:00

Salam & Happy New Year!!
A) Good News
The AIO FreeTime orders - batch 1 is currently in transit & has reached Guangzhou -China. I'm estimating that it will arrive KL within this week. Thus, I'll start shipping out those orders probably next week.

If you placed an order AFTER Dec 11th, 2011, your order probably will arrive End of Jan or Early Feb 2012 under the 2nd batch.

B) The Not So Good News
Only applicable If your order for the Freetime AIO starts with 7.
When SentuhanBayu attempted to upgrade Interspire with Little Kittle last year, all the old orders can no longer be accessed. Therefore, I'm not able to see those order details anymore. Appreciate if you could forward me a copy your invoice mailed to you when you placed your order. Email those invoice to:sentuhanbayu@gmail.com

Sarah Chong

Nik Anita

Musannafah

Rodzaimie

Sarah Johar

Alice Lim

Munie Ahmad

Amilia Mansoor

If your order starts with SB-*, nothing needs to be done.

SentuhanBayu.biz December 2011 Give Away Winner

2012-01-03T10:46:00.005+08:00

Salam & Happy New Year to everyone!!!
I'm glad to announce our RM100 Gift Voucher winner - Jalita Rahaban.
To the rest of the participants, email me to get your gift voucher today ^_^
Thanks so much for your support.

December GiveAway Contest At SentuhanBayu

2011-12-14T10:50:00.003+08:00

It's Christmas Jingle Year End GiveAway Contest!!
To join the GiveAway Contest is pretty simple. Post your best baby photo in cloth diaper on SentuhanBayu Facebook FanPage (www.facebook.com/sentuhanbayu). Limited to 1 facebook ID to 1 photo. Email me your facebook ID to get RM10 discount code. Yeay!!

Want bigger prize?? Get your friends to 'like' your baby photos. The highest 'LIKE' on 31st Dec 11pm is the winner & get RM100 voucher!!

Fungsi Skim Perbankan Islam

2011-12-13T21:17:00.004+08:00

Artikel dari Utusan yang saya baru terbaca mengenai Skim perbankan islam.

Oleh Mohd. Radzi Mohd. Zin
Islam amat menekankan kepada usaha memantapkan kedudukan ekonomi umatnya. Ini berdasarkan dua daripada rukun Islam memberi tumpuan kepada pemilikan harta iaitu kewajipan berzakat dan juga menunaikan haji.Pada masa yang sama, Islam memberi panduan bahawa dalam mencapai matlamat tersebut pelbagai aspek dan keperluan manusia perlu dirancang dan diurus agar sebuah peradaban dapat dibina melalui pendekatan sosial.Agama Islam sebagai agama Persekutuan sebagaimana termaktub dalam perkara 3(1) Perlembagaan Malaysia seharusnya memberi 'kekuatan' kepada institusi kewangan Islam negara mencapai status negara maju yang bersifat syumul.

Ketua Pengarah Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia (IKIM), Datuk Nik Mustapha Nik Hasan berkata, Sistem Kewangan Islam (SKI) tidak boleh berperanan seperti perbankan konvensional yang mendapat keuntungan melalui aktiviti pinjaman (dalam amalan bank Islam adalah pembiayaan).Sebaliknya, ia perlu berusaha menarik jumlah pendeposit dan menyalur dana terkumpul untuk membiayai
kemajuan ummah.

"Perbankan Islam patut berperanan secara berkesan memberi
tumpuan kepada usaha menggembling dana daripada sektor lebihan untuk disalurkan kepada sektor yang memerlukan dana."Ia bagi mencetus peluang ekonomi yang lebih besar, relevan dan mampu melibatkan semua tenaga buruh khususnya tenaga buruh Muslim," katanya. Beliau berkata demikian dalam kertas kerjanya Peranan Perbankan Islam Dalam Memperkasa Ekonomi Ummah di IKIM, baru-baru ini.Ia dibentangkan pada Seminar Kesan Sistem Kewangan Islam di Malaysia Terhadap Kekuatan Ekonomi Ummah: Satu Penilaian.Seminar dua hari pada 6 dan 7 Disember 2011 itu dirasmikan oleh Pengerusi IKIM, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dan disertai oleh kira-kira 120 peserta dari seluruh negara.
Sebanyak 12 kertas kerja dibentangkan dalam lima sesi dengan tema asas antaranya Maqasid Syariah (Matlamat Syariah), Penyertaan Ummah Dalam Sektor Teknologi Tinggi dan Kesan Kewangan Islam, Ke Atas Kekuasaan Ekonomi Ummah dan Hala Tuju Baru. Dengan penggubalan Akta Bank Islam 1983, Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (BIMB) ditubuhkan pada Julai 1983 sebagai bank Islam pertama di Malaysia dan
diperbadankan di bawah Akta Syarikat 1965.
Objektif utama penubuhannya adalah berusaha menjalankan operasi sebagai bank perdagangan berlandaskan hukum syarak dan menyediakan kemudahan kepada semua rakyat negara ini. Seperti bank-bank lain, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) diberi kuasa di bawah Akta Bank Islam untuk mengawal selia bank Islam.
Sepanjang tiga dekad evolusi sistem kewangan Islam (SKI) di tanah air, ia membangun dengan jaya dan mendapat pengiktirafan di peringkat antarabangsa.
Antara institusi perbankan Islam yang lahir daripada evolusi itu antaranya adalah Bank Islam pada Julai 1983 diikuti oleh Bank Muamalat pada 1 Oktober 1999.
Mutakhir, kebanyakan bank konvensional turut menawarkan perkhidmatan Skim Perbankan Islam (SPI) kepada pelanggan masing-masing.Bagaimanapun, di sebalik pencapaian yang membanggakan, timbul persoalan sejauh mana SKI berjaya membangunkan ummah di Malaysia.Nik Mustapha berkata, Islam memberi tumpuan kepada pelaksanaan pencapaian kemajuan masyarakat melalui strategi keadilan sosial.
Pendekatan keadilan sosial katanya, dapat difahami sebagai suasana pemerintah dapat menyedia keperluan hak asasi melalui pencapaian termasuk menjamin semua rakyat bebas dan berpeluang menyertai kegiatan ekonomi."Justeru, sumber harta negara khususnya harta modal perlu sentiasa mengalir dalam ekonomi untuk mencetus peluang ekonomi kepada semua lapisan rakyat. Inilah peranan utama perbankan Islam," tegasnya.

Menurut Nik Mustapha, dalam usaha membangun instrumen perbankan
Islam, pihak yang terlibat perlu memahami sistem kewangan negara dan
dunia. Katanya, ulama juga tidak boleh hanya bergantung kepada kitab-kitab
lama kerana ia hanya sebagai rujukan bukannya muktamad."Dengan demikian,
barulah ijtihad yang dibuat menepati roh syariah yang sebenar yang membolehkan
kekuatan ekonomi umat Islam tercapai dalam percaturan ekonomi dalam negara dan dunia semasa," kata beliau.

Seorang lagi pembentang kertas kerja, Prof. Dr. Saiful Azhar Rosly berkata, SKI Islam mesti mematuhi syariah bukannya mematuhi maqasid syariah.
Bagaimanapun, sepatutnya diandaikan semua peraturan Islam
atau syariah itu berupaya memenuhi matlamatnya (maqasid).
"Tetapi oleh kerana
terdapat kekangan-kekangan dalam sistem kewangan konvensional di mana SKI
beroperasi, maqasid syariah rumit untuk dicapai," katanya yang juga Ketua
Jabatan Perbankan Islam, Pusat Antarabangsa Pendidikan Kewangan Islam
(Inceif).
Beliau berkata demikian semasa membentangkan kertas kerja Adakah
Sistem Kewangan Islam Kini Bertepatan Dengan Maqasid Syariah.
Menurut Dr.
Saiful untuk memenuhi maqasid syariah, perbankan Islam perlu membeli aset
daripada pemilik (pemaju, preowner) dan menjual secara kredit kepada pengguna.
Katanya, ini Bai' Bithamin Ajil (BBA) tulen dan merujuk kepada produk
pembiayaan perumahan.
"Buat masa ini bank-bank Islam tidak memilih opsyen
ini dan mengambil opsyen bay al-inah.
"BBA tulen memerlukan bank mengambil
risiko yang lebih tinggi daripada bay al-inah," katanya.
Risiko ini
melibatkan peruntukan modal bank yang lebih tinggi bagi menampung kemudahan BBA
tulen, bayaran cukai setem atas pembelian aset daripada pemaju dan risiko aset
apabila bank terpaksa memegang aset sebelum penjualan kepada pengguna.
Menurut Dr. Rosli, dalam bay al-inah, bank-bank Islam tidak menghadapi
kekangan-kekangan di atas kerana bank tidak membeli aset daripada
pemaju.
Sebaliknya, pengguna membeli aset dari pemaju dan pengguna penjual
aset kepada bank dengan syarat pengguna membeli aset itu semula dengan harga
kredit yang lebih tinggi.
"Di sini tidak berlaku pemindahan hak milik dari
pengguna kepada bank dan selanjutnya.
"Sebab itulah bay al inah ini menyamai
pinjaman (loan) tetapi bukan seperti pinjaman (loan)," jelas beliau.

Stay Dry Liners at SentuhanBayu.biz

2011-12-07T09:50:00.000+08:00

We have added 2 new stay dry liners in our store. Perfect for your diapering needs.
1) bumGenius Stay Dry Liners
It comes in a pack of 6 & currently on sale.

2) Weehuggers Soaker Huggers
Buy 5 & get 1 free
Offer ends 31st Dec

Promosi December 2011

2011-12-06T11:03:00.000+08:00

Mengenangkan bulan ni penamat tahun 2011, SentuhanBayu nak celebrate bulan berCloth Diaper.
Untuk bulan ni, mudah jer. Tampal gambar & Dapat wang!!

Cara Penyertaan:
- Letakkan gambar posing terbaik anak anda berCD di wall facebook SentuhanBayu. Terhad kepada 1 ID 1 gambar. (www.facebook.com/sentuhanbayu)
- Emailkan kepada Sentuhanbayu@gmail.com FB ID anda
- Anda akan dapat RM10 discount voucher!!!
- Senang kan? Nak Hadiah lebih besar?
- Ajak kengkawan 'like' gambar anak anda tadi. Jumlah 'Like' tertingging pada malam 31 Dec jam 11 adalah pemenang. Pemenang dapat RM100 voucher!!

So Apalagi? Cepat ambik kamera!!!

Alamak! Cloth Diaper ni cepat betul la hancing

2011-11-25T09:57:00.005+08:00

Salam Jumaat untuk Ibu-Ibu semua.
OK, kali ni saya nak bercerita sikit pasal CD hancing. Ini antara masalah yang sering terjadik. Dan pada yang baru berkecimpung menCDkan anak, akan mula rasa ragu-ragu nak teruskan berCD. Al maklumlah, yang ngutuk kat keliling tu ramai kan?

Tapi, jangan risau & pening kepala. CD cepat hancing tu terjadik sebab dah ada detergent build up. Selalu cepat terjadik pada yang guna microfibre insert. Kenapa ya? Sebab microfibre insert ni fiber sintetik, bukannya organik macam kapas, hemp etc.

Jadi next soalan - "Selama ni pakai tak hancing pun?? Lately ni pulak hancing betul!!"
Pertama sekali kita tengok routine cucian kita. Ada kita ubah apa-apa tak? Ada cuba-cuba sabun lain? Nak cepat cuci, jadik guna Speedy Mode?
Dari situ kita boleh identify mana problemnya kan? Selalunya ada benda yang kita buat, yang boleh cepatkan process detergent build up tu.

Pengalaman saya dulu, 1st encounter lah ni hehehe sebab gatal-gatal experiment cuci guna sabun breeze liquid. Hmmm.... elok kena kencing je ada bau pelik keluar dari CD tu. Ishhh... jijik tul bau dia, tak leh nak cakap... so tukar le balik guna Pureen HAD. Hah... baru aman.
2nd encounter, lepas setahun guna. Ada keluar hancing yg kuat tapi tak sepelik bau masa pakai sabun breeze dulu. So saya pun mulaka routine stripwash saya yang sempoi. Guna Sunlight jer, letak satu sudu.

Lastly, tips kalau cuci guna WM, just tambahkan lagi satu round bilasan. Bila bilas lebih, susah detergent tu nak build up kan?