Why parents should not miss the window for their children's holistic head start

Dr Chan (right) and Dr Norazlin are among the experts behind the screening toolkit for parents of children under five years old. — Photos: RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star

EXPERTS agree that the most important period in a person's life is from the moment an infant is born until he or she reaches five years old. That's roughly 1,827 days and once you have missed that window, you can't get it back.

That's why paediatricians strongly encourage parents and caregivers to pay very close attention to infants as they go into toddlerhood and become children. Everything, from complementary feeding and diet to early diagnosis of health conditions and interventions, should start when a child is very young.